Bringing automobiles into the smart age is Lebanese innovator Mark Haidar. The ambitious visionary had an early start at only 17 when he launched his first technology company. By 21, Mark had already secured a solid position in the business realm by developing and commercializing an innovative 3D game engine.

Since then, Haidar has grown into a leading entrepreneur with several achievements under his belt. His latest endeavor was co-founding Dialexa in Dallas, Texas, USA, a technology company that helps other organizations achieve innovative products by conceptualizing, designing, engineering and launching them. Out of this operation came Dialexa Labs, an incubator for new ideas. It creates internal products or services that can spin out new companies.

During this year’s TechCrunch Disrupt, Dialexa Labs introduced the public to its newest creation: Vinli. Vinli is what the industry would (and does) call a game changer. For a mere 49.99$, this plug-in device will turn your vehicle into a smart car. It comes with a set of free apps that can be downloaded to your smartphone.

Vinli is an important advancement in the Internet of Things as it bridges the gap between unaffordable technologies and the everyday user, letting anyone upgrade to a smart car without buying a new vehicle.

The future looks promising for Mark as he is already setting up his next project: Peace,Report. It is an online news aggregator that gives you access to an archive of articles that promote peace while keeping up with current conflicts. Also in works is LISA (Lebanese International Startup Association), which will help Lebanese startups launch and scale their companies to international markets.