C’est Ryan

The Early Stages:

Ryan Hamze achieved his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Communications in 2009 from AUL University in Hamra, Beirut. Lack of opportunities in his target job market drove him to a self-taught web and software development career path, which later landed him a position in the Information Technology department in the FMCG.

As a 4 packs-a-day smoker, he then focused on his health, quitting cold-turkey on New Year’s Eve 2010, shortly afterwards joining The Praetorians Muay Thai Team under Kru Jad Sakr.

Entrepreneurship:

Ryan left a stable job behind, looking to the future high hopes of succeeding in the startup scene which was finally beginning to thrive in the aftermath of sectarian tensions which had threatened to tear the country apart. Joining a team put together by Ali Chehade, Ryan became web & algorithm developer and co-founder of The Dream Matcher, an online and offline platform that matches people with dreams to people who can make those dreams come true. Alongside Fidaa Ghibreel (Back-end developer & co-founder of The Dream Matcher, CTO & co-founder of Fedeeds) and Rayan Itani (Creative & Art Director, Founder of TheBoldAnd). 2011 and 2012 were spent creating the online social network http://www.dreammatcher.com in parallel to evolving the offline event that has come to be known as “The Dream Matcher Experience”. Although the team succeeded in building both online and offline platforms, the Lebanese investment scene lacked the vision or capacity to nurture this enterprise.

This drove Ryan to devote more and more of his time to freelancing in Social Media. It was during this time he started to blog tentatively about social media APIs and tricks, before tackling the more ethical dilemmas in the tech world. Working with Journalists and Celebrities as a Social Media trainer, he trained various teams in the arts of content creation & management, brand image, fanbase engagement, and blogging.

The Desert Phase:

He left his passions and lifestyle behind to take up an opportunity in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as IT Operations Manager in 2012, where he fine tuned his knowledge in ERP system implementation, gained new experiences in cross-platform web & software integration, managed and liaised several multinational teams in a challenging environment, and implemented various new technologies that were required for business enhancement.

Wanderlust:

It was during this period where he traveled to Thailand with his coach and friend Kru Jad Sakr to train under Grand Master Toddy which led to his achieving his accreditation by the International Muay Thai Association as a recognized fighter on the level of Green Prajeib on Christmas Eve 2013.

The months of July and August 2014 were spent in Switzerland, with the Initiatives of Change – Caux. IofC is a world-wide movement of people of diverse cultures and backgrounds, who are committed to the transformation of society through changes in human motives and behaviour, starting with their own.

2015:

Leaving the gulf behind, the short period spent in Lebanon reminded why he initially left. Discomgoogolation, bombings, economical implosions, lack of infrastructure, and ridiculous salary offerings all played a part in this.

Since 2015 is just beginning, those who know Ryan personally will be able to get to know the rest of this journey, so please don’t hesitate to connect with him on any of his SM platforms.

 

Edited Jan 14th 2005