This is amazing news!

What started as a final year project back in 2014 has now been acquired by a US-based B3Bar Holdings. NAR (Next Automated Robots) is a Beirut-based startup that develops smart drone-based solutions by integrating with drones and analyzing and processing data on the fly.

NAR, founded by two LAU graduates Charlie El Khoury and Nicolas Zaatar, works on improving the labor-intense and time-consuming process of data analysis and reporting performed following each inspection flight by the drone pilots. Its AI-powered software enables quick and live human input into automated drone inspections, which allows for faster and more accurate output.

NAR was selected into Speed after winning Microsoft’s Imagine Cup, joining the accelerator’s first cycle in 2015. Speed provided an initial investment of $30K in cash and a 3-month program that concluded in sending both foundersto the LebNet Ignite immersion program in Silicon Valley. Speed CEO Sami Abou Saab commented, “Charlie and Nicolas seemed very eager from the beginning to make it big, and they leveraged every Speed mentor they could find. You cannot but appreciate their persistence. They are a prime example of Lebanese talent developing innovative technologies to create value that serves global markets.”

NAR complements B3Bar’s offer and integrates well with their platform serving B3Bar’s wide portfolio range of infrastructure & utilities-focused technology companies. “NAR’s value starts at the edge,” says Mothusi Pahl, CCO at B3Bar. “With NAR, drone pilots can manage and work with data in real-time and literally on the fly. At B3Bar, our clients are ‘boots-on-the-ground’ Engineers, Inspectors, and Contractors. As we continue our expansion in Infrastructure and Utilities, NAR brings proven tools that immediately reduce OPEX and help our clients deliver faster.”