For the second year, Berytech has taken its Ideathon weekends to the Bekaa, Mount Lebanon and North Lebanon giving the opportunity to both students and professionals to collaborate and innovate solutions to challenges in food, agriculture, water, energy, and waste.
Solutions developed by teams from across Lebanese regions covered an array of possibilities with top winners focusing on indoor farming, renewable energy generation, and product traceability. Winning the Ideathon gives them the chance and the motivation to invest in their own ideas, develop them and grow them into potentially successful startups with the support of the Berytech team.
Over 130 participants from diverse backgrounds including engineering, agriculture, marketing, business, design, and technology were able to meet, form teams, develop solutions, validate their business idea and receive feedback from experienced entrepreneurs and mentors, getting them started on their entrepreneurial journey, all in one weekend.
After receiving training in ideation, business model value proposition and pitching essentials, three winners were announced each weekend after pitching to a jury with a first prize of $1500, a second prize of $1000 and a third of $500 in addition to 3 months of incubation at Berytech.
First Stop: Balamand University, North Lebanon
Berytech partnered with Balamand University for the North Lebanon Ideathon. Alexi Ghosn, Dani Obeid and Fadi Naffah were part of the jury who selected:
First Prize: Smart Grow, an automated device used to grow crops indoors providing the optimal environment, based on the plant.
Second Prize: Hypess, an eco-friendly energy storage system for renewable energy sources.
Third Prize: Green We Go, a solution to filter wastewater and sewage to be re-used in agriculture.
Second Stop: LAU Byblos, Mount Lebanon
For the Mount Lebanon Ideathon, Berytech partnered with the Lebanese American University in Byblos. Rani Azzi, Fadi Naffah and Marc Bou Zeidan selected the three winners:
First Prize: Working Pendulum, a new disruptive electricity generator that can generate continuous power without the need for fuel, sunlight, or wind energy.
Second Prize: ROLY, an application that facilitiates the transportation of waste to sorting facilities.
Third Prize: Casa Lavender, an application in which you promote your empty piece of land, get free consultancy, free of charge plantation and maintenance.
Third Stop: Michel Daher Social Foundation, Bekaa
The Michel Daher Social Foundation partnered with Berytech and hosted the third and final Ideathon in the Bekaa. The jury comprising Krystel Khalil, Marleine Daher, Dr. Maya Kharrat, and Bassem Hanna chose the 3 winners, while the MDSF allocated a special fourth prize of $500:
First Prize: Tabe3, a traceability platform for fruits and vegetables.
Second Prize: GreenPoo, valorizing chicken manure to be used as an organic fertilizer.
Third Prize: Supersnacks, reinventing the healthy snack world.
Fourth Prize: E-rrigator solution to reduce polluted water through a UV system device and sensors.
Mentors And Partners
The Berytech Ideathons were made successful with the engaged participation of our team and the mentors: Zahi Hilal, Andre Awad, Zeina Chalak, Wael Saad, Lea Karam from AVSI, Hannah Wuzel, Rodrigue Balaa, Georges Awad, Ibrahim Chambour, Nadia Sarraf, Racha Berberi, Sabine Saba, Salma Bakhit, Wahib Arairo, and Ali Dalloul.
In addition to all the Berytech community of startups who were present to share their story and experience: Rigino – Sabah Corm, Cubex – Marc Aoun, Mushtic – Rayanne Beayno, Charbel Sayah, Quadra – Keven Boutros, Kristina Farah, Serge EL Khoury, Clean2O – Mohamad Fakhreddine, Ramzi Bou Khalil, Waste to Power – Hilal Merehbe and Majd Jadam, Abbas El Hajj Agrymac, E-Hesba – Omar MAadarani, Turista kit – Georges Labaki.
The Berytech Ideathons were organized under the Agrytech Program, in partnership with UNICEF, the University of Balamand, the Lebanese American University, Michel Daher Social Foundation, Fouad Makhzoum Social Foundation and sponsored generously by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Lebanon.
Check out all the pictures on our Facebook page here.