Developing economies face many of the same struggles, and as such cooperation and exchange of information between them can be just as important as expert technical assistance from the developed world, according to World Bank Innovation Specialist Victor Mulas.
"Many times, we see experts visiting from countries such as the United States, and advanced Asian and European countries. These are very valuable exchanges and sources of knowledge. However, sometimes this experiences and knowledge is not directly applicable to the conditions and circumstances of a country like Lebanon or Chile," Mulas told StepFeed.
Mulas is in Beirut for Thursday's Chile-Beirut Startup Ecosystem Knowledge Exchange Forum, organized by Lebanon's Berytech and the World Bank.
"Chile and Lebanon both present very interesting cases of applying innovative approaches to develop and strengthen their ecosystems," he said. "This is a very relevant and important time for both Lebanon and Chile in terms of [their] tech startup ecosystems. In both cases, they are growing substantially and there is an inertia and momentum towards maturity."
The World Bank is bringing technology and entrepreneurship experts from Chile to exchange knowledge with the Lebanese start-up community. The forum is open to anyone in Lebanon interested in entrepreneurship and tech start-ups.
"The idea behind this activity is to share experiences and best practices among two ecosystems from countries that have similar economic conditions and with levels of maturity close enough to provide practical and actionable lessons to each other," Mulas said.
Thursday's forum is part of a larger initiative by the World Bank and Lebanon's Ministry of Telecommunications to strengthen the tech startup ecosystem by increasing entrepreneurship.
"Among the [goals] of the project is to connect Lebanon's expertise with international experts and reinforce best and innovative practices in Lebanon's ecosystem for its expansion and growth," Mulas said.
The Chilean experts are currently visiting key groups in the Lebanese ecosystem, providing focused interaction between the two communities. On Friday there will be focus groups concentrating on universities, venture capital and seed investment firms, and the development of makers spaces.
"Maker Space Santiago will provide its experience and lessons learned and will then facilitate a brainstorming session on how this concept could be more effectively applied in Lebanon."
All of these activities are happening under the umbrella of the Mobile Internet Ecosystem Project, created through a four-year $12.8 million loan from the World Bank to Lebanon's Telecommunications Ministry.