Ramzi Rafih

Member of the UK Campaign Committe

Director, Private Equity, Nolabel Aventures

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I have decided to support CDL-Paris because I believe in its ability and that of these startups to bring innovative solutions to combat climate change, explore space, and use artificial intelligence to solve complex problems.

Ramzi Rafih’s journey is a history of crises and fresh starts. Born in the midst of a civil war, this Lebanese native spent his childhood between his home country and Saudi Arabia. When he returned to Lebanon in the 1990s, it was a time of post-war hopes he qualifies as “beautiful years.” Ramzi naturally joined the protests when the Cedar Revolution, a peaceful movement against the Syrian occupation, unfolded. “I was part of that group of students who rebelled during the uprisings,” he says.

However, in the summer of 2006, the war between Hezbollah and Israel erupted, prompting the future entrepreneur to pursue his studies in France. “At that moment, I realized the hope I had for Lebanon wouldn’t materialize due to geopolitical reasons and, more generally, because of economic problems and corruption. As much as I love my country and want to contribute to my homeland, it’s hard to envision a future there.”

Admitted after a round of remote interviews, Ramzi enrolled in the Grande École program at HEC after earning his degree in mechanical engineering from the American University of Beirut. “It was surreal to transition from a Lebanese context of war in bustling Beirut to a very peaceful, quiet campus. The years I spent there were some of the best.”

On campus, he found himself more interested in human relationships and the social aspect of business more than in numbers alone. “Getting a degree at HEC would allow me to complement the analytical aspect I developed as an engineer with something that motivated me more.”