At 22, Fares Saab started CompuVision in Lebanon with no capital, no partners, and no investors. More than a decade later, the software and artificial intelligence firm he built alone is valued at $5.6 million, with clients that include Saudi Aramco and offices in three countries. The path between those two points ran straight through the worst economic crisis in Lebanon's modern history.
Saab studied computer science at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik before earning a PhD in artificial intelligence from the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. He returned to Lebanon just before the country's financial system came apart. Banks froze accounts overnight. The Lebanese pound lost 98 percent of its value. Businesses closed, and the clients who were still open stopped spending.
The Decision Not to Quit
For a company that ran on local contracts, the timing was close to fatal. Saab came near to calling it quits. Instead of shutting down, he enrolled in an online marketing course offered by Harvard and put what he learned to work on finding clients outside Lebanon.
That decision produced a single project in Miami. The Miami deal led to a US office. Dubai followed. A company that had been built entirely on the Lebanese market suddenly had a way to earn in stable currencies and sell to clients who were not affected by the collapse at home.
What CompuVision Actually Builds
CompuVision builds custom AI and software for companies, helping them launch products and solve technical problems that are too specific for off-the-shelf tools. The work ranges from full software builds to AI systems, including AI call centers for clients in Kuwait. The company has also helped early-stage startups grow into funded businesses.
What stands out is how the clients arrive. CompuVision has never run an advertisement. Large clients like Saudi Aramco found the firm through referrals and through Clutch, the B2B reviews platform, where CompuVision ranks among the world's top 100 fastest-growing companies.
Word of mouth and a verified track record have done the work that a marketing budget usually does.
The Numbers Behind the Firm
To date, CompuVision has delivered more than 600 projects for 400 clients across Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Congo, and the United States. The team now counts 31 in-house developers, with offices in Lebanon, Miami, and Dubai. Saab has been named to a 40 Under 40 list, and CompuVision has been recognized as one of Lebanon's top companies.
The detail that frames the whole story is that Saab did all of this alone, through the collapse, without a single outside dollar. Every office, every hire, and every market was paid for out of the work itself.
Where CompuVision Goes Next
That part is now set to change. After more than a decade of self-funding, Fares Saab is looking to bring in investors for the first time.
Learn more about CompuVision.
