Returning to a university campus often feels like a homecoming. For Bryan Youssef, CEO and Founder of EduBolt, his recent visit to the USJ Business School – Faculté de Gestion et de Management (FGM) carried a deeper meaning: stepping onto the other side of the classroom to help shape the leaders of tomorrow.
Invited under the leadership of Dean Pr. Fouad Zmokhol, Bryan joined the Entrepreneurship course alongside Pr. Gloria Haddad, engaging with first-year students in an open and dynamic discussion about what it truly means to build a vision from the ground up.
Rethinking Entrepreneurship Beyond Startups
The session moved beyond traditional definitions of business and startups. Bryan challenged students to reconsider entrepreneurship not as a job title, but as a mindset and a way of leading.
He emphasized that entrepreneurship can exist in any environment, within corporations, family businesses, communities, or social initiatives. At its core, it is about taking initiative, embracing uncertainty, and choosing impact over comfort. According to Bryan, the decision to act, experiment, and build value is what defines an entrepreneur long before any company is created.
A Non-Linear Journey from Grassroots to Global Leadership
Drawing from his personal experience, Bryan shared a candid account of his journey, from early grassroots initiatives in Lebanon to his current role on the UNICEF Global Leadership Council. He spoke openly about setbacks, uncertainty, and the lessons learned through failure.
Rather than presenting success as a straight path, he highlighted that leadership is forged through challenges. Each obstacle, when approached with intention, becomes a building block for resilience, clarity, and long-term impact. This perspective resonated strongly with students navigating the early stages of their academic and professional lives.
Bridging Academia and the Real World
This collaboration was made possible through the trust and facilitation of Dr. Carla Saba, whose efforts helped bridge the gap between academia and the professional world. Her role reflects the importance of connecting students with real-world experiences and voices actively shaping today’s ecosystems.
For the EduBolt team, moments like these reaffirm a core belief: education and entrepreneurship are not separate paths. They are complementary forces working toward the same goal, building a sustainable future through continuous learning, purposeful leadership, and decisive action.
EduBolt and Sagesse Brasilia: A Partnership for Academic Excellence