A group of high-school students from Kornet Chehwan started their own business in a remarkable step of resilience against the dire economic situation that is crippling the country.
In an interview with The961, the students emphasized that their business project is not just about the product but about overcoming adversity and stepping out of their comfort zone to venture into the world of entrepreneurship.
That didn’t divert them from focusing on creating a practical and useful product for outdoor lovers that are cruelty-free.
They created “nature bags” with a unique design that facilitates storing organization and ensures safety and quality.
Their brand Hiventure was hence born and for half the market prices, to make outdoor journeys in nature comfortable.
Of course, one would wonder how high-schoolers have managed all that, from start to end, and having their brand already in the market.
This is what they told us:
Injaz, an NGO that aims at teaching the youth about entrepreneurship and employment, provided them with a platform that guided them through all the necessary steps.
This is all part of Injaz’s Company Program competition where students have 4-5 months to create their own company while mentored by professionals and experts.
The winning team of students will then represent Lebanon in the Young Arab Entrepreneurs Competition,
The challenges these young Lebanese faced were not minimal considering the situation in the country. They struggled to find the materials, and the rising prices did not help.
However, their product finally materialized, and they received great feedback. Seeing the first prototype of the bag in real life instead of sketches made them proud and motivated them to keep going.
Leana Dibeh, VP of the Public Relations department, shared her experience with us, telling us that her favorite part was seeing the product come to life.
Each pupil found a calling in one department or another. Wherever they saw a chance for their skills and likes to shine through, they took it.
Every start-up has its challenges, and the students faced a fair share of them, which other entrepreneurs don’t in normal circumstances, due to the worsening situation in Lebanon.
They faced difficulties with finding outlets to showcase their product. Raw materials were either soaring in prices or unavailable. With coronavirus, electricity cuts, and weak internet, building a well-knit team over the internet wasn’t easy.
However, they prevailed through all the challenges they faced and succeeded in launching their brand on July 2nd.
Their brand has currently 2 different sizes of bags of different colors, one designed for camping and a smaller one designed for hiking, all locally produced.
The inspiring young team of Hiventure told us that they are hoping to become more than a national company and extend to the MENA region.
They also hope that their story will inspire others to step out of their comfort zone, and show people that there is still hope to vanquish the ever-increasing problems in Lebanon.
After all, Lebanon’s hope for survival lies in its most valuable assets: the youth, Lebanon’s future in the making, and, as the story behind Hiventure reveals, they are not giving up.
