News

Intro Platform Connects Users To Celebrity Experts

Intro is a new platform that allows users to book one-on-one video call consults with top-tier industry experts.

Published

4 years ago

August 8, 2022

intro platform connects consumers to celebrity experts

Founded by Los Angeles-based entrepreneur Raad Mobren, Intro is the latest platform that allows people to connect with celebrity experts across various fields. Mobren takes his inspiration for the platform from a chance meeting with Paul Orfalea, founder of the copy-chain Kinko’s. When Mobren was 18, he tapped Orfalea on the shoulder and asked if he could quiz the entrepreneur on his business success. Orfalea invited him to a 15-minute sit-down chat, which forever shaped Mobren’s future.

The idea of Intro might sound a little like Masterclass, where fans can receive masterclass tuition from their favorite artists or sports stars, or even Cameo, the platform that lets you order personalized video messages from famous personalities and Hollywood stars. Intro, however, has a different aim: to provide honest, actionable consultations from leading experts such as CEOs, sportspeople, businesspeople, and even interior designers.

“Intro breaks down walls and allows people from all across the world to easily have access to people who once seemed inaccessible. Our dream is that someone’s life will change because they got access to the person they admire, learned valuable information, and were inspired to make the world a better place,” says Raad Mobren, Cofounder & CEO

The platform has some heavyweight celeb backing in the form of Alexis Ohanian (a cofounder of Reddit), Andreessen Horowitz, CAA founder Michael Ovitz, and a growing network of highly accomplished stars. Joining the platform could see experts earning up to $500,000 annually, with a not inconsiderable 30% commission going to Intro.

Also Read: Yela Secures Over $2M To Connect Fans & Celebrities Via Video Messages

So how does the service work? Users either book a series of consulting calls, or simple one-off sessions of 15 minutes to an hour, with prices from $100 to $500. The service encompasses all genres, from entrepreneurial advice and help with business pitches to house remodeling and event planning.

intro platform expert booking tool

Intro’s experts don’t communicate further outside of the platform, and there’s no chat function or image sharing, so users need to take screenshots or make detailed notes. Still, Intro certainly sounds promising, especially if the makers can entice a decent-sized pool of talent to join the platform.

News

Visa’s Return To Syria Starts With A Test And A Bank In Lebanon

Foreign visitors will be the first users to benefit, but whether Syria’s own banks and cardholders follow is still an open question.

Published

2 weeks ago

August 27, 2026

Dana Saadeh

visa's return to syria starts with a test and a bank in lebanon

Visa is returning to Syria. Its first live international card transaction in the country was a test rather than a launch, and the milestone event ran through a Lebanese bank.

The acquirer (the bank on the merchant’s side of a card payment) was Fransabank Lebanon, with Paymera as the other named partner. Nadim Moujaes, who heads a Fransabank Group subsidiary, describes the test as both the culmination of “longstanding efforts to link Syria back to international payment networks” and “the first step in a larger path”.

Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa makes the first electronic payment in Syria using a @Visa card at a store in Damascus, following the lifting of US sanctions on Syria. pic.twitter.com/lpAN7nQ6Fc

— Tech Magazine (@TechMGZN) August 27, 2026

“We are excited to have successfully tested live transactions today as we plan to enable international visitors to use their Visa cards while in Syria,” says Leila Serhan, Visa’s senior vice president and group country manager for the North Africa, Levant and Pakistan region. Although a significant first step, that plan doesn’t come with a hard date for when a visitor’s card will work normally.

Mohammed Safwat Raslan, governor of the Central Bank of Syria, says the test paves the way for international card acceptance in Syria and that maintaining strong compliance, risk management and operational controls will remain essential. Serhan likewise stresses that Visa has worked within applicable legal, regulatory and compliance requirements. For a test transaction, it seems there was a great deal of attention paid to the rules, with the entire operation being carefully managed.

Also Read: Lebanon’s 5G Era Begins With 150 Stations And A $1M Budget

The test is the latest step in a sequence that began in December 2025, when Visa announced a strategic roadmap to support Syria’s integration into the global digital economy. In February 2026 it hosted its first industry gathering of banks, ecosystem partners and policymakers in Damascus and, the same month, signed an agreement with Syria’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in San Francisco.

Michel Kattouah, Paymera’s CEO, called the test “the return of international card acceptance,” but while that’s positive news, there’s no word yet on when a Syrian bank will issue a Visa card to a Syrian customer.