Insure & Match Capital (IM Capital), announced on July 7th, the launch of the Lebanese Women Angel Fund at Villa Linda Sursock, Beirut where it also held the graduation of the Seeders Masterclass for Business Angels 2016-2017.

The event was attended by angel investors, VCs, entrepreneurs, banks, private sector representatives, universities, chambers of commerce, incubators, accelerators, and key ecosystem stakeholders, in addition to high profiles such as State Minister of Women's Affairs Jean Ogassapian, Deputy Chief of Mission in the U.S. Embassy in Beirut Danny Hall representing USAID Lebanon Mission director Dr. Anne Patterson , Berytech chairman Mr. Maroun Chammas, and IM Capital, general manager Dr. Nicolas Rouhana. The Lebanese Women Angel Fund (LWAF), is a partnership between IM Capital and the Lebanese League for Women in Business (LLWB) and Go Beyond Investing.

This fund is proof  that “men and women in Lebanon are willing to join forces to support entrepreneurship,” said Danny Hall. “it also reflects the interest of the Lebanese and the US government in supporting women entrepreneurship,” he added.  

“Not having women in decision making center counts as a loss to Lebanon,” said Ogassapian. “Even if political means try to stop women, they have shown the ability to prove themselves and prevail”.  

Seeders Masterclass for Business Angels (MBA) kicked off in September 2016, taking 26 Business Angels through a one-year program developed using a structured approached and a “learn and earn” methodology in partnership with ‘Go Beyond Investing'. The next Seeders MBA class will launch in September 2017.

Following the same methodology as Seeders MBA, the group of women angels LWAF will attend a pitch event every 6 to 8 weeks with female-led startups, and will benefit in parallel from live trainings and webinars to nurture their investing proficiency. The group is expected to make three to four investments amounting to around $50 thousand dollars each, creating jobs and addressing women’s integration in business.

“LWAF will gather a pool of women who will be investing in women-led startups to redefine the role of women in business beyond social and economic boundaries” stated Asmahan Zein, president of LLWB.

“Seeders MBA class of 2016 attended 7 investment events with 20 startup pitches, conducted due diligence with 15 startups, and learned the fundamentals of angel investing via live trainings and webinars moderated by Go Beyond Investing”, explained Rouhana. “Seeders angels have made a joint decision to invest in four startups from various sectors, contributing investment and expertise to the ventures”, he concluded.

Ventures that have received funding from this batch of novice angel investors are:

1- MAD, a disruptive marketplace to discover, launch and meet talented musicians, artists and designers.

2- T5Tek, a company developing GPS and IoT tracking devices for use by cargo transportation companies.

3- Moodfit, an online interior design platform that brings a designer touch to residential or office spaces.

4- Makerbrane, a physical and digital toolbox that enables anyone to design, build, and trade their own line of cool toys.

Feature Image via Wamda.