A few months ago, I was at a startup competition, pitching this podcast, actually, and a group of us were standing around these tables for lunch.

One of my fellow entrepreneurs, Danny, waved his fork emphatically and was telling us about the circular 331, a policy set forth by the Central Bank of Lebanon to inject 400 million U.S. dollars into their

national startup ecosystem. Imagine, he said, in a country like Lebanon where our water cuts

daily, our electricity cuts daily, we haven't had a president for over a year, and yet they

value the importance of startups so much, they're able to implement a policy

like this. The wonder in his voice was palpable. And I began thinking, firstly, I had no idea

that the infrastructure and politics were so poor in Lebanon. And secondly, if the country was so

broken, how on earth does a policy like this pass?

And what's happened since? Has this investment actually had an impact on the ecosystem?

So today, part one of a series on entrepreneurial ecosystems across the Middle East,

we're going to talk about what it's like starting a business

in Lebanon. This is Hibah Fisher, and you're listening to Kernan cultures.

Now before we delve into this story, we wanted to take a quick aside to add another layer of context.

And our story would be incomplete without it.

Political logjam and inefficiency have defined the Lebanese political landscape for years and years.

The Lebanese haven't had a president in over a year, and the parliament without public vote extended their own seats until 2017.

And just on the last weeks, activists and citizens went down to the streets and thousands to protest a waste management crisis that has greatly affected the capital of Beirut over the last months.

Hills of garbage pile up in the city after the government continues to fail to agree on a

solution for waste disposal.

Dubbed the hashtag, you stink protests, the piles of trashed in is an almost literal metaphor

for the capacity of the government.

There have been sit-in, protests, tear gas, live rounds, many injured, and even casualties in what some people are describing as the beginning of the Lebanese spread.

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