July 10, 2017
Catching Up with Audrey Nakad, Co-Founder of Synkers
At LebNet, one of our core values is ‘Nurturing’ the startup ecosystem as well as key relationships we establish with startups that have participated in Mentoring programs.
Synkers, a LebNet Ignite#3 Alumni and Speed Accelerator graduate, is a mobile app that connects students to highly qualified tutors on the spot. The mission at Synkers is to help students enhance their academic performance by connecting them to top notch tutors.
We recently checked in with Audrey Nakad (Co-Founder of Synkers) to get to know her better, learn more about her journey, and see how Synkers has evolved since participating in the LebNet Ignite back in August 2016.
What was the first step you took in establishing the business?
We came up with a great idea; however, we did not know how to proceed. So, we joined an accelerator program called “Speed” to help us implement our idea and come up with a minimum viable product.
What was your goal from participating in LebNet Ignite?
Our goal was to benefit from the know-how and expertise of mentors in the Silicon Valley.
How has Synkers evolved and grown as a result of LebNet and the Ignite experience?
The LebNet and Ignite experience taught us how to think like a successful entrepreneur and make sure to focus on our core business. This was a very important advice: if we’re not focused we wouldn’t have been able to organically grow today.
How would you describe your LebNet mentoring experience?
The LebNet mentoring experience was very useful and insightful. Bringing people from different industries with different backgrounds has allowed us to see things differently.
Who was your main LebNet mentor and how did he/she contribute to your key business decisions?
George Harik is a very insightful mentor. His recommendations have allowed us to recruit tutors and attract students in a very scalable way.
Following your recent success, what are the next steps for Synkers?
Synkers is rapidly expanding in Lebanon and was recently introduced to school students. We are going to expand to a new market, Dubai, in September 2017.
In your opinion, what is the best app you’re currently using?
Slack.
What social media platform do you use the most and why?
Instagram because it is clean and simple.
What is your favorite wearable?
Apple watch.
Who is your role model?
My father because he fought 25 years of his life to give 24h electricity to a city in Lebanon called “Zahle”. Today, Zahle is the only city in Lebanon with 24 h electricity.
If you weren’t an entrepreneur, what would you be?
I would be a politician.
What advice would you give to young, aspiring Lebanese entrepreneurs?
If you truly believe in something, go ahead and do it! With your passion and dedication, your dream will come true.
Thanks, Audrey!
We’re always keeping up with our Ignite Alumni! Here are some exciting updates from other LebNet Ignite Alumni:
Rational Pixels: has incorporated in Barcelona and is now operational. The founders have started working on a pilot project.
Jellyfish: has around 100 users signup so far from Lebanon, Algeria, USA, France, Italy, UK, Australia, and Turkey (in 8 countries or 5 different continents)
NAR: recently grew their team to 5 people and currently in the US and Canada meeting with potential clients. Secured seed funding for $500k from Leap ventures and also secured client in Calgary. Exhibited at the Energy Drone Summit in Houston.
Vision in Motion: has started implementing its solution (paid) in 32 stores across Lebanon and currently working with one of the biggest tech retailers in the region to deploy technology in 2 countries. VIM has also expanded the team and modified its dashboard to fit its client’s needs.
Brate: Just announced the launch of “Brate for Business”, Brate’s Analytics platform for business owners. Business owners can get insights on their monthly performance, learn more about their visibility and customer leads, and track how users engage with their products, services and business.