Top Startup Accelerators in Beirut

Beirut’s startup ecosystem is alive and kicking, with accelerators and incubators popping up all over the city. If you’re a founder chasing venture capital, angel investors, or that elusive first funding round, you’ll find no shortage of doors to knock on here.

Beirut has quietly turned itself into a hotspot for early-stage startups looking to fine-tune their pitch decks, navigate cap tables, and grab hold of VC funding. Whether you’re into deep tech or keen on saving the planet with green tech, there’s probably a Beirut accelerator tailored for you. As Arageek readers know, this city offers plenty of places to get your idea off the ground—with more than a few bumps along the way.

📌 You might also be interested in:

🚀 ... Top Startup Investors in Beirut

Amideast’s Entrepreneur Institute is all about getting founders business-ready through hands-on skills, not just talk. You’ll find everything from finance crash courses to legal clinics for that first terrifying term sheet. Around 700 budding entrepreneurs have come through their hybrid programs—about a third going on to launch in sectors from edtech to retail. It’s a non-equity setup, so you keep your cap table tidy, but on the flip side, don’t expect them to cut a massive cheque.

Agrytech’s mission is to fix the breaky bits in Lebanon’s agrifood scene, turning academic know-how into real businesses. The focus here is on scalable tech solutions—think smart irrigation and soil health. If you’ve got an MVP and ambition (and a taste for clean tech), you’ll get mentorship, linkups with experts, and maybe even a shot at being the next AquaGuard or Terralytics. Applications open every Q1 and after running 50+ startups through the wringer, alumni have landed north of $15M in funding. Not a bad batting average.

This one’s backed by the EU, laser-focused on spinning university discoveries out into startups—not just papers gathering dust. It throws early funding (up to €50K per grant) at prototypes, especially those coming out of academia. GenoLeb in biotech and Solaris in renewable energy are already on the books. It’s a solid bet for researchers who are finally ready for a pitch deck, but don’t be surprised if academic and commercial timelines try to trip you up.

Flat6Labs swings a hefty bat with its Lebanon Seed Fund—$20 million sliced into $30K–$50K cheques in return for a not-trivial cut of equity (usually 10–13%). Major names like Toters (on-demand delivery) and Sohati (healthtech) have come up through the ranks. Regional expansion is key here, with a decent chunk of their startups stretching into MENA. That investor network can really open doors—assuming you can live with those equity terms.

Founder Institute’s Beirut cohort is perfect if you like your mentorship with a side of global network. It’s virtual first (with occasional meetups), suiting founders who hate the commute and need to get their startup investment-ready for seed funding. The structure is rock-solid, though the remote aspect isn’t for everyone—especially if you crave those late-night strategy sessions in person.

This one’s a regional play, but 2024’s cohort did include Beirut’s own YY ReGen, earning well-deserved recognition for solar innovation. You get a $100K grant—no equity taken—thanks to PepsiCo and SABIC trying to drive green and agritech solutions. If you’re thinking big and want to scale across emerging markets (without diluting yourself early), it’s a real contender.

Smart-ESA is all about fixing city gripes—think IoT, smart traffic, and things most people moan about but rarely try to solve. BeirutFlow, a standout alum, is proof that smart cities aren’t just a pipe dream. They work with local authorities, but you’ll need patience: expect bureaucratic headaches before your pilot sees daylight.

If fintech or SaaS is your game, speed@BDD is a no-nonsense choice. Only a handful of startups join each year, but those that make it get direct ties with banks, shared workspaces and guidance on everything from product-market fit to the classic funding round jitters. They’ll want up to 15% equity, which can sting—but it’s a sharp way into the Beirut VC circuit.

StartechEUS waves the flag for Beirut’s fintech crowd. With 15+ startups under their belt—like CoinMENA tackling blockchain remittance—they offer regulatory navigation and that hard-to-find fintech mentorship. It’s in-person, so you’ll need to turn up, but Lebanon’s wobbly financial climate does throw curveballs at times.

Bridging Lebanon and the UK, this accelerator matches academic brilliance with commercial muscle. It’s all about R&D—bolt-on collaborations with British unis and even oddball projects like CERN soil sensors. There’s serious non-dilutive funding (£2.5 million in grants to date), but competition’s stiff: just 5–10 startups get in each year. If your deep tech’s got legs, this is your shot.

If you’re scrabbling for funding or your pitch deck’s starting to look a bit threadbare, these Beirut accelerators are a lifeline. Some will put cash directly in your pocket, others favour mentorship, and a few make you question your own sanity with their paperwork—welcome to startup life. Think carefuly about your sector and stage before jumping in, but there’s no denying Beirut’s become the MENA region’s savvy little launching pad. The rest, as any founder will tell you, is pure graft.