Darwazah Center for Innovation Management And Entrepreneurship

Darwazah Center for Innovation Management And Entrepreneurship The Samih Darwazah Center of the Olayan School of Business aims to document and enhance innovative practices in the business community

The OSB “Samih Darwazah Center for Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship” was made possible through a generous gift from the Darwazah Family; a pioneering group in the pharmaceutical industry on a global scale. The Darwazah Center for the study of innovation and entrepreneurship was inaugurated on January 14, 2011 in OSB's Maamari Auditorium. The center aims to document and enhance innovative practices in the business community. It seeks to generate reliable information to guide evidence-based decision-making in this key sector that holds strategic importance in a knowledge economy. Its scope includes research, field studies, benchmarking, seminars and workshops as well as conferences all focused on the pivotal domain of organizational renewal and wealth creation through creative enterprise. “Innovate or die” is a serious risk facing businesses today and the new center hopes to become a major asset and a strategic resource for facing this challenge. Samih Darwazah, founder and chairman of Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC listed on the London Stock Exchange since 2005, was employed at Eli Lilly from 1964 to 1976 before establishing Hikma Pharmaceuticals in Jordan in 1977. Between 1995 and 1996 he served as minister of energy and mineral resources in Jordan. He also founded the Jordan Trade Association and was a member of the Advisory Economic Council to His Majesty King Hussein of Jordan. A Fulbright scholar, Darwazah holds a master's degree in industrial pharmacy from the St. Louis College of Pharmacy, Missouri which he obtained in 1964, and a bachelor's degree in pharmacy from the American University of Beirut in 1954. Darwazah was elected Middle East Entrepreneur of the Year in 2007 by Ernst and Young. In 2009, Darwazah was elected chairman of Capital Bank of Jordan and he also served as a Member of the Senate of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Darwazah was granted an honorary doctorate from St. Louis College of Pharmacy in May 2010. Vision
Achieving and sustaining globally recognized thought leadership in the areas of Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship with a focus on the Middle East Region.

08/12/2025

Demo Day: $22K Awarded to AUB’s Top Student Startups

Congratulations to the winners:
- Grand Prize: Bilo – $10,000
- Prize: Snapfit & Khazzin – $5,000 each
- Runner-Up: Polyvia & Lextopia – $1,000 each

These outstanding startups - narrowed down from around 50 applications - advanced through the rigorous bootcamps and were celebrated at the 12th Demo Day, held on November 27 by the Center at the Suliman S. Olayan School of Business at AUB, American University of Beirut (AUB) in the honorary presence of Ms. Hana Darwazeh Ramadan, Dr. Lina Choueiri and Dr. Yousif Asfour.

Grateful to our mentors, jury, and the Darwazah family for fueling the next generation of .

With 120+ attendees, including students, academics, and industry leaders, this year's Demo Day highlighted , , and the future of .

Bijan Azad

03/12/2025

From Design to Impact: Building Purposeful Brands

Sarah's Bag demonstrates how design-led thinking, brand differentiation, and agile change management help overcome production challenges, build loyalty, and scale internationally!

Full story here: https://bit.ly/4gp0eN1

podcast series is produced by Darwazah Center for Innovation Management And Entrepreneurship at the Suliman S. Olayan School of Business at AUB, American University of Beirut (AUB) in partnership with SPARK Middle East's "From Innovation to Creation" programme, funded by the European Union.

Bijan Azad Yusuf Sidani Mahmoud Ayoub Lina Tannir Bokja eddress Go Baladi Moodfit - Design and Furniture TAQA Wakilni Kids Airline Pediatric Clinic L'artisan du Liban Yayy

26/11/2025

“Serious, committed, passionate” - some of the words our used to describe the finalists!

Don’t miss your chance to see these brilliant take the stage and shine at the Demo Day!

Date: Thursday 27 November 2025
Time: 5:00 pm
Location: AUB, OSB, Maamari Auditorium

Registration Link: https://bit.ly/44t0YvD

Suliman S. Olayan School of Business at AUB American University of Beirut (AUB) Bijan Azad Yusr Sabra George Alam Pascale Lahoud Nabil Fahed

is thrilled to host a fireside chat with Mouin Jaber – co-host and co-creator of .Have you wondered how venture b...
24/11/2025

is thrilled to host a fireside chat with Mouin Jaber – co-host and co-creator of .

Have you wondered how venture built a loyal community and grew? Come find out. Valuable insights and hard-earned lessons!

The fireside chat is part of Demo Day event, celebrating eight finalist startups at the 12th edition of .

Date: Thursday 27 November 2025
Time: 5:30pm
Location: AUB, OSB, Maamari Auditorium

Registration Link: https://bit.ly/44t0YvD

American University of Beirut (AUB) Suliman S. Olayan School of Business at AUB Bijan Azad

20/11/2025

Pitch Training! No one does it better than the iconic Ms. Priscilla Elora!

Five key takeaways for a compelling pitch - from Session:
1. Keep it simple, sharp, structured, and concise. Avoid cluttered or multi-colored slides.
2. Clearly communicate: the problem, your solution, financials, growth plans, and team expertise.
3. Start strong: hook your audience and use storytelling to make your message memorable.
4. Be confident: memorize your script - no guessing or reading off slides.
5. Present with impact: use positive body language and a mindful tone of voice.

The eight finalists are expected to incorporate the learning of this session, update their pitches and get themselves ready to present in front of the tomorrow.

Bijan Azad Suliman S. Olayan School of Business at AUB American University of Beirut (AUB)

18/11/2025

The countdown is on!

After weeks of intensive bootcamps, eight finalist teams are getting ready to present their to the this Friday, November 21, 2025.

The , led by Dr. Bijan Azad, is excited to welcome this year’s esteemed jury: Dr. Nabil Fahed, Dr. Pascale Lahoud, Ms. Rima Freiji , Mr. George Alam, and Ms. Yusr Sabra.

Innovative minds. Inspiring ideas. Impactful conversations ahead.

Stay tuned for the jury’s top insights!

Suliman S. Olayan School of Business at AUB American University of Beirut (AUB)

14/11/2025

How can you validate your startup idea?

According to Dr. Bijan Azad, this is how you do it:
1-Get close to the customer: eyeball to eyeball "so even smell the bad breath"!
2-Ask questions about how they get their work done.
3-Probe what difficulties or pains they encounter.
4-How do they overcome them.
5-See if your solution is a fit with these problems and superior to the current solution.
No surveys!
Love the Problem not Your Solution!
That is the goal of validation: is there a problem solution fit?

That was Bootcamp 3 - brought to life through business case studies, role plays, and one-on-one mentoring.

Suliman S. Olayan School of Business at AUB American University of Beirut (AUB) Mahmoud Ayoub

12/11/2025

First step to solving a problem: Understand it!

In partnership with 180 Degrees Consulting Club at , Dr. Bijan Azad, Director of the Darwazah Center for Innovation Management And Entrepreneurship at Suliman S. Olayan School of Business at AUB, American University of Beirut (AUB), delivered a workshop titled “Process Analysis Deep-Dive".

Through techniques like and , students learned to reframe complex business cases, develop structured approaches to analysis, and apply practical frameworks to tackle real-world business challenges.

To bring the concepts to life, Dr. Azad engaged students in consulting-style case discussions and exercises. Constructive feedback helped them sharpen their analytical and problem-solving skills.

07/11/2025

Can a social business preserve culture and still scale sustainably?

Nathalie Kordahi, General Manager of L'artisan du Liban, explains how purpose and profit can thrive together, blending cultural preservation with financial resilience to drive lasting impact!

Full story here: https://bit.ly/3V9VC3D

podcast series is produced by the Darwazah Center for Innovation Management And Entrepreneurship at the Suliman S. Olayan School of Business at AUB, American University of Beirut (AUB), in partnership with SPARK Middle East's "From Innovation to Creation" programme, funded by the European Union.

Bijan Azad Mahmoud Ayoub Bokja Kids Airline Pediatric Clinic Go Baladi Moodfit - Design and Furniture Sarah's Bag TAQA Wakilni eddress Yayy

05/11/2025

“What do you know about Cost Structure and Revenue Streams?” With that question, the expert Ms. Lina Tannir, Senior Finance Lecturer at Suliman S. Olayan School of Business at AUB, American University of Beirut (AUB), set the tone for 's second bootcamp on 1 November 2025.

Selected candidates practiced developing realistic , revisited their assumptions, and took part in structured exercises aimed at enhancing their understanding of .

Participants also benefited from insightful inputs from the renowned mentors who supported the teams in strengthening their financial decision-making.

Proud of our teams! As the advances, they continue to refine, grow, and move closer to building ventures that create real-world impact.

Bijan Azad Mahmoud Ayoub

03/11/2025

Inspiring insights from the International Forum 2025!

During the panel “Cybersecurity and FinTech: Skills for Establishing and Growing Startups”, Dr. Jinane Sayah, a first-rate moderator, kicked things off by asking Dr. Bijan Azad, Director of the Darwazah Center for Innovation Management And Entrepreneurship, about essential startup skills.

Dr. Azad urged entrepreneurs, who are building innovative ventures in today’s digital economy, to strengthen their skills, highlighting the fundamental role of as a critical area where most founders fall short.

To drive the point home, he implored founders to adopt the “Physics of Sales” mindset - meaning that their sales approach should follow the principles of what naturally attracts customers to their products. He emphasized that successful founders don’t “push” products onto customers. Instead, they focus on how their offering fits naturally into the customer’s workflow and jobs-to-be-done.

Fellow panelists Dr. Wissam Sammouri, Mr. Tony Feghali, and Mr. George Salloum also delivered insightful contributions that resonated with the audience.

A big thank you to Dr. Jihad El Hokayem and Rethinking Lebanon Lebanon for making this impactful forum possible!

Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth - USJ Suliman S. Olayan School of Business at AUB American University of Beirut (AUB)

31/10/2025

officially kicked off!

For the 12th year in a row, a group of passionate students were selected to join , 's flagship annual student competition, to turn their bold ideas into real ventures.

The first bootcamp, held on Saturday 25 October 2025, began with an inspiring session on "Value Proposition Design and Development", delivered by Dr. Bijan Azad, Director of Darwazah Center for Innovation Management And Entrepreneurship and Professor of Strategy and Innovation at Suliman S. Olayan School of Business at AUB, American University of Beirut (AUB).

Students then put their learnings into practice via an in-class exercise, followed by one-on-one mentoring sessions with our dedicated experts.

The energy was incredible - participants were eager to learn, refine their ideas, and gain valuable insights, while mentors generously shared their expertise and support.

Mahmoud Ayoub

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American University Of Beirut
Beirut

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