MIT Lebanon Challenge

APPLY HERE!

The MIT Lebanon Challenge will be held virtually June 26-28, 2020

Over the course of a weekend, multi-disciplinary teams will collaborate to develop innovative solutions that can help overcome Lebanon’s most pressing economic challenges

Teams will be connected with startup mentors, industry advisors, how-to guides, workshops, data sets, and other resources needed to develop their solutions. After the challenge, selected teams will have the opportunity to bring their idea to life with the support of our industry, investment, NGO, and technology partners

[01]Mission

Inspired by the MIT Covid-19 Challenge series (Beat the Pandemic I & II, Africa, and Latam) as well as the Arab Scitech Ideathon, which together brought over 4000+ participants, 800 teams, and 700 mentors, representing 100+ countries and 49 US states, we’re now organizing a Lebanon-economy focused challenge, tackling solutions for problems faced by many in the country.

Our aim is to rally different stakeholders from Lebanon and the diaspora towards the common goal of solving Lebanon’s most pressing economic challenges, especially in a time where we are forced into isolation and remote capacities away from our respective campuses and institutions.

[02]Coming Together

For a while now, Lebanon has been passing through a dire economic crisis. With a pandemic added on top, the current situation is going downhill, quickly. Many problems are at hand; solutions are yet to be discussed and implemented. Lebanon Challenge 2020 calls for people from all around the globe to come together hand in hand for one weekend of challenges, fun, and innovation. It is now, more than ever, that we need to be on each other’s teams and be part of a change Lebanon needs.

[03]Why Participate?

Lebanon is experiencing its greatest economic crisis in decades, rapidly approaching a situation in which 50 percent of Lebanese will live below the poverty line. Against this backdrop, the MIT Lebanon Challenge turns to the promise and potential of those within Lebanon and abroad to develop creative solutions to the economic and social challenges the country faces today. We all start somewhere. The most significant technologies began when someone thought of an idea and decided to act.

Showcase your skills, challenge yourself, and connect with innovators, judges, and mentors from around the world united by a dream that is a better Lebanon and a calling to create it.

This is your chance! Your room is now your virtual lab. Get your creative juices flowing, gather some friends, fill the form to participate, and be ready to be part of the next big thing (or create it!).

[04]Who Should Apply?

Anyone over the age of 16 can participate in this event. We are targeting a mix of Lebanese and non-Lebanese, people in the country and outside it, as well as people from diverse professional and educational backgrounds. We will make an intentional effort to make sure that a large portion of participants know the local context (have lived in Lebanon) and are committed to implementing solutions that come out of this event.