Concat - Laura Jardine Paterson

Introducing Laura Jardine Paterson. Founder of Concat, the first digital-led company by all refugee and female developers based in Lebanon. It’s one of the most ethnographically rich businesses I’ve come across in a long time. A sign of the times in a way that is positive, progressive and profound.  Take every single stereotype about web development; male-dominated, tech-focused, for profit, based in the West - then do the opposite. That’s what Concat is. Predominantly female, human-centric, working with refugees, based in the Middle East - on a mission to create top quality websites for international clients, whilst providing sustainable employment for talented, marginalised developers. And so far they’re doing a pretty good job. 15 empowered developers, 80% female team members & 70+ happy clients - with many more on the horizon. Zain.  Now, what I love about Concat is that it’s a smart innovative solution to a real world problem. They’re not trying to sell us more things we don’t really need. They’re connecting hungry and ambitious people with opportunities that are beneficial for them and their partners. And what started out as a chance encounter in Lebanon, when Laura met two talented refugee developers - has morphed into an intrinsically good business with real purpose at its core.  In this episode we talk about the tangible problems they are solving, what it’s actually like on the ground in Lebanon at the moment and how she is planning to exponentially scale up the business.  Enjoy.