B&Y Ventures launches Lebanons first angel investor network LAIN

Published: 2026-05-15T10:18:50.000Z

B&Y Venture Partners has launched the Lebanese Angel Investor Network the first structured angel fund of its kind in Lebanon. The $5 million vehicle is backed by Lebanon's Ministry of Technology and already exceeded its initial commitment target at launch.

Lebanon's startup ecosystem has produced some of the most globally recognized technology founders in the Arab world. The track record is real and well-documented. What has been missing is an organized, institutionally backed early-stage investment infrastructure inside the country itself, a structure that can identify Lebanese founders, connect them with capital, and give that capital a credible framework within which to flow. B&Y Venture Partners has just taken a direct step toward filling that gap with the launch of the Lebanese Angel Investor Network, known as LAIN, the first angel investment network of its kind in the country. The network was launched with the support of Lebanon's Ministry of Technology and Artificial Intelligence, and the launch event featured opening remarks from Minister Kamal Shehadi, who framed the initiative within MITAI Lebanon's broader vision of positioning the country as a digital republic that can mobilize its exceptional domestic and diaspora talent toward economic growth. That government backing is not a ceremonial gesture. It signals institutional alignment at the policy level, which matters in a market where trust in formal investment structures has historically been fragile. LAIN is structured as a curated angel fund with a target size of $5 million, a minimum LP commitment of $25,000, a four-year deployment window, and a Luxembourg domicile that provides internationally recognized legal infrastructure for investors who want exposure to Lebanese founders without the jurisdiction risk of investing through domestic structures. The fee structure follows institutional norms with a 2% management fee, a 1.5% one-time setup fee, and a 20% carried interest on performance. The fact that commitments exceeded the initial target shortly after launch, without the identities of investors or specific amounts being disclosed, suggests the network tapped into genuine pent-up appetite from both local and diaspora investors who wanted a credible vehicle but had not had one until now. The network's first cohort was introduced through the Vessel platform, featuring four curated Lebanese founders and startup opportunities identified through LAIN and the broader Lebanese diaspora ecosystem. The sectors of focus span AI, fintech, SaaS, and high-tech more broadly, which reflects both where Lebanese engineering talent has historically concentrated and where global investor interest is currently strongest. B&Y Venture Partners brings a portfolio of over 90 companies to the initiative and is joined by a multi-stakeholder alliance including Endeavor Lebanon, LEBNET, Beirut Digital District, RAZOR Capital, and IM Fndng, each contributing network reach, mentorship capacity, or operational support to what is intended to be a structurally durable platform rather than a one-time launch event. For the broader MENA angel ecosystem, LAIN fills a specific and long-standing gap. The Gulf has well-developed angel networks, accelerator programs, and government-backed early-stage vehicles across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain. The Levant, and Lebanon specifically, has produced founders that have gone on to raise significant capital regionally and globally, but has lacked the domestic infrastructure to capture and support them at the earliest stage before they relocate to markets with better funding access. LAIN is a direct attempt to change that dynamic, creating a reason for Lebanese founders to stay connected to the local ecosystem even when building for global markets, and giving diaspora investors a structured, accountable way to put capital behind the next generation of Lebanese technology companies.