Lebanon Innovate Webinar on Building Cross-Border Tech Ventures Between Europe and Lebanon 

Building Cross-Border Tech Ventures Between Europe and Lebanon 

How can entrepreneurs build successful technology ventures across Europe and Lebanon? What does it take to scale internationally while navigating different markets, cultures, and challenges? 

These questions were at the heart of the Lebanon Innovate webinar, “Building Cross-Border Tech Ventures Between Europe and Lebanon,” held on June 26 and featuring two accomplished Lebanese entrepreneurs: Lebnan Nader, CEO & Co-founder of NXT LYR, and Emile Karam, Co-Founder of Garant.me. 

Innovation, Product Thinking, and Global Growth 

For more than fifteen years, Lebnan Nader has been developing digital experiences at the intersection of gaming and gamification. Through NXT LYR, he helps organizations transform traditional learning and business processes into engaging and interactive experiences. 

During the webinar, he emphasized the importance of user experience as a key driver of international success. According to Nader, building products for global markets starts with simplicity. While every region has its own cultural nuances, successful products share one common principle: they are intuitive, accessible, and designed with users in mind. 

He also shared a powerful message for aspiring entrepreneurs: execution matters more than ideas. In today’s world, where artificial intelligence and digital tools make rapid prototyping easier than ever, entrepreneurs should focus on building, testing, and learning from the market rather than waiting for perfection. 

Building Resilient Companies Across Borders 

Emile Karam offered a different but equally compelling perspective. As Co-Founder of Garant.me, a leading insurance startup in the French real estate sector, he has transformed a school project into a company generating more than €20 million in annual revenue, employing over 70 people and securing more than 150,000 rental contracts. 

His entrepreneurial journey illustrates the realities behind building and scaling a company. Karam openly discussed the crises that Garant.me has faced over the years, including moments when the company came dangerously close to bankruptcy. 

Beyond the financial challenges, his experience highlighted the crucial role of ecosystem support, mentors, investors, and teams in navigating uncertainty. For Karam, resilience is built collectively and depends largely on the quality of relationships and the ability to seek advice and mobilize support when it matters most. 

The Lebanese Diaspora as a Growth Catalyst 

One of the key themes that emerged throughout the discussion was the extraordinary value of the Lebanese diaspora. 

Both speakers highlighted how Lebanese networks around the world have been instrumental in opening doors, connecting people, identifying talent, and creating new business opportunities. Whether in Europe, the United States, or the Middle East, these networks have often accelerated their entrepreneurial journeys. 

For Lebnan Nader, adaptability and resilience are deeply embedded in the Lebanese entrepreneurial mindset and represent major advantages when building businesses in complex and constantly changing environments. 

For Emile Karam, the diaspora played a critical role in Garant.me’s development, helping the company recruit key talent, establish strategic partnerships, and confidently expand into new markets. 

Lessons from Cross-Border Entrepreneurship 

The webinar also challenged some common misconceptions about international expansion. Building across borders is neither simple nor impossible. It requires commitment, patience, and a willingness to learn continuously. 

Both entrepreneurs identified several essential ingredients for success: 

• Building relationships based on trust, particularly with co-founders and partners; 
• Remaining closely connected to teams, even when they operate across different countries; 
• Investing in communication tools and collaborative rituals that foster alignment and transparency; 
• Setting clear, measurable objectives and making decisions based on data rather than emotions; 
• Accepting that uncertainty, setbacks, and failure are inherent parts of the entrepreneurial journey. 

Entrepreneurship as a Driver of Transformation 

Despite the challenges they have encountered, both speakers shared a remarkably optimistic vision of entrepreneurship. 

For Emile Karam, entrepreneurship offers empowerment, confidence, and the ability to shape one’s own future. For Lebnan Nader, it is a continuous adventure of learning, creativity, and freedom. 

Through this conversation, Lebanon Innovate reaffirmed that cross-border innovation is not only about technology or access to capital. It is fundamentally about people, trust, resilience, and the ability to build meaningful bridges between ecosystems. 

The stories of Lebnan Nader and Emile Karam demonstrate that Europe and Lebanon have immense potential to foster a new generation of international technology ventures. Beyond borders, entrepreneurship remains, above all, a story of courage, adaptability, and collaboration.