BY Venture Partners Spurs Lebanese Tech Growth with New Angel Investor Network

Mohammed Fathy

Last updated 17-05-2026

4 min

BY Venture Partners has launched the Lebanese Angel Investor Network, backed by the ministry.

LAIN links angels with Lebanese founders at home and across “the diaspora”.

Investor commitments “surpassed early projections” soon after the launch.

The focus goes beyond cheques to mentorship, experience and long-term belief.

Early momentum suggests founders and investors are “chuffed to bits”.

BY Venture Partners, the Dubai-based venture capital firm known for backing early-stage technology startups, has unveiled a new initiative aimed squarely at Lebanese founders and investors: the Lebanese Angel Investor Network, or LAIN.

The new network is designed to connect angel investors with early-stage startups led by Lebanese entrepreneurs, both at home and across the diaspora. It has been launched with the backing of the Ministry of Technology and Artificial Intelligence, signalling a broader push to strengthen Lebanon’s digital economy at a time when fresh capital and confidence are badly needed.

According to the firm, investor appetite was stronger than expected. Commitments reportedly exceeded the initial target shortly after the network was introduced to the ecosystem. In a statement published online, BY Venture Partners said participation had already surpassed early projections, not something you hear every day in this market.

The launch event opened with remarks from Kamal Shehadi, who outlined the ministry’s wider vision for technology and digital transformation in Lebanon. The message was clear: building a connected network of angels is not just about cheques, but about experience, mentorship and long-term belief in local talent. And believe it or not, sometimes that belief is half the battle.

For those who missed it, a recording of the launch webinar has been made available via BY Venture Partners’ Vessel platform. During the session, four startups were introduced as part of the network’s first wave of potential investment opportunities. The firm noted that this initial cohort was sourced both through its internal channels and through broader Lebanese diaspora connections, a detail that feels particularly spot on, given how influential the diaspora has always been in funding and scaling Lebanese ventures.

LAIN is now officially open and accepting investor commitments. The idea is simple on paper: bring together angels who understand the Lebanese context, culturally and commercially, and match them with founders building from or for that ecosystem. In practice, of course, building such a community is never as easy as it sounds. It can be a bit of a faff aligning expectations, timelines and ticket sizes. But when it works, the effect can be powerful.

I’ve always felt that diaspora-driven networks have a unique edge. They mix emotional connection with commercial logic. At Arageek, we often see how founders benefit from investors who “get it”, who understand the resilience needed to build in Beirut or expand from it. That human layer, well… I mean, it matters.

It is also worth noting that BY Venture Partners previously exceeded its $20 million target for investing in early-stage consumer startups, underlining that this is not a tentative step but part of a broader strategy. The firm has positioned itself as an active early backer across the region, and LAIN appears to extend that thesis more directly into Lebanon and its global community.

On the flip side, launching a network is one thing; keeping it dynamic and value-adding is another. Angels will expect curated deal flow and proper diligance, while founders will look for more than just capital, introductions, guidance and patience. If LAIN can deliver on that balance, it could become more than just another investor club.

At a time when regional ecosystems are competing fiercely for capital and credibility, initiatives like this feel timely. I reckon the real test will come over the next 12 to 18 months, when we see how many of these early connections actually translate into funded rounds and scaled businesses.

For now, though, the early momentum suggests that Lebanese founders, and the investors backing them, are chuffed to bits with the idea. And in a climate where optimism can sometimes feel in short supply, that’s no small thing.

🚀 Got exciting news to share?

If you're a startup founder, VC, or PR agency with big updates—funding rounds, product launches 📢, or company milestones 🎉 — AraGeek English wants to hear from you!