How the Lebanese geek community has evolved over the past 10 years

On a recent Friday in Beirut, the evening streets are empty as everyone prepares for iftar. But the sundown meal is not the only meeting about to happen: gamers, developers, programmers, and IT professionals from the local community are gathering in the city’s Hamra neighborhood to celebrate the 10th birthday of the largest tech geek community in Lebanon, LebGeeks.

A group of early birds sits in a circle and starts discussing one of the latest tech related stories; when they come up for air more people have joined them in the room. What was one group half an hour ago is now five or six groups having different technical discussions and zealous debates. This spontaneous activity lasts for hours and is driven by just one thing: passion for technology.

Ten years ago, Samer Nakfour, computer engineer and entrepreneur started LebGeeks as a community for technology enthusiasts in Lebanon. “I started getting immersed in programming and tech culture in my early teens. Back then, it wasn’t easy to find people in Lebanon who shared my passion for technology as there were no tech-oriented communities. So I had to scratch my own itch and start a community for people who are passionate about technology.”

Since then, LebGeeks has grown from a forum with a couple of users and small meetups to a community of hundreds of people, encompassing a wide range of interests such as computer programming, gaming, networking, electronics, and design.