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New Club Allows You To Invest In Lebanese Startups For Just $50
The close-knit group will allow worldwide financial backers to support vetted, high-potential, home-grown Lebanese businesses.
In spite of its troubled economy, Lebanon is home to a burgeoning tech scene and is rapidly becoming a hub for startups and local talent outsourcing.
However, although the country has plenty of potential to shine on the world stage, so far, financial backers and venture capital firms have been slow to invest.
To that end, the leading online source for all things Lebanon, 961, has decided to take action. The result is a new Investor Club where financial backers can support Lebanese startups, helping to reduce unemployment and ignite the growth of a clean economy.
For as little as $50, investors can be part of a close-knit club that will allow them to back vetted, high-potential, home-grown Lebanese founders.
Here are some of the opportunities that the 961 Investor Club is offering local startups:
- Tech & Digitalization: Innovations that drive digital transformation.
- Solving Day-to-Day Problems: Practical solutions to improve day-to-day life.
- Proven Startups Looking to Grow: Established local companies aiming to scale.
- Companies Looking to Expand Abroad: Businesses preparing to enter new markets.
- Taking Concepts/Franchises Abroad: Growing Lebanese brands globally.
Startups based abroad may be eligible for funding, but they’ll need to pass specific criteria. For example, companies must demonstrate potential for significant growth, maintain and keep a sizable team in Lebanon, and prioritize Lebanese hires wherever possible.
Also Read: Top 10 Best Freelance Platforms In The Middle East
In addition to the ever-popular tech startups, investors will also be able to back local restaurants, food trucks, nightlife venues, retail outlets, and franchises.
Experts will rigorously vet all businesses before they are presented to the 961 Investor Club, and members can choose to invest in whatever opportunities interest them most.
How To Join
Head over to the 961 website and fill out the form to join the club and be part of a private WhatsApp group. Alternatively, if you’re one of the Lebanese startups looking for a funding opportunity for your business, you can apply here.
News
Nano Banana 2 Arrives In MENA For Google Gemini Users
Google brings its latest image model to Gemini and Search, adding 4K output and tighter text control for regional users.
Google has opened access to Nano Banana 2 across the Middle East and North Africa, pushing its newest image model into everyday tools rather than keeping it inside the exclusive (and expensive) Pro tier.
The rollout spans the Google Gemini desktop and mobile apps, and extends to Google Search through Lens and AI Mode. Developers can also test it in preview via AI Studio and the Gemini API.
Nano Banana 2 runs on Gemini Flash, Google’s fast inference layer. The focus is speed, but also control. Users can export visuals from 512px up to 4K, adjusting aspect ratios for everything from vertical social posts to widescreen displays.
The model maintains character likeness across up to five figures and preserves fidelity for as many as 14 objects within a single workflow. This enables visual continuity across scenes, iterations, or edits — supporting projects like short films, storyboards, and multi-scene narratives. Text rendering has also been improved, delivering legible typography in mockups and greeting cards, with built-in translation and localization directly within images.
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Under the hood, the system taps Gemini’s broader knowledge base and pulls in real-time information and imagery from web search to render specific subjects more accurately. Lighting and fine detail have been upgraded, without slowing output.
By embedding the model inside Gemini and Search, Google is normalizing advanced image generation for a mass audience. In MENA, where startups and marketing teams are leaning heavily on AI to scale content across languages and borders, that shift lands at a practical moment.
The move also folds creative tooling deeper into search itself, so that image generation is no longer a separate workflow. It now sits right next to the query box.
Nano Banana 2 Arrives In MENA For Google Gemini Users
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