Cairo International Stadium witnessed the closing of the third edition of Techne Summit in Cairo, the largest international event in the Mediterranean region, specializing in several fields such as investment, technology, and entrepreneurship, under the auspices and in collaboration with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MOYS), the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA), the Digital Economy and Technology General Division (DETGD), and the Federation of Egyptian Chamber of Commerce (FEDCOC), and Egyptian Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (MSME). Spanning over three days, 25 – 27 May, Techne Summit Cairo witnessed the participation of 25,000 visitors, 180 investors, and 500 startups.
In addition to the summit activities, which included numerous panel discussions and workshops conducted by local and international experts, covering 10 different tracks in technology and business management, day two of Techne Summit welcomed Dr. Ashraf Sobhy, Minister of Youth and Sports. During his inspection tour among the exhibitors, Dr. Sobhy expressed admiration for the startups, praising the young entrepreneurs from various governorates for their innovative ideas and projects.
Reaffirming its active role in supporting and empowering entrepreneurship among youth, Techne Summit launched two competitions. The first competition, entitled “Egyptian Entrepreneurship League (EEL),” aims to strengthen and empower entrepreneurs in the startup community across various fields such as renewable energy, green buildings, sustainable transportation, water management, waste management, and land management (sustainable agriculture). The competition witnessed fierce competition among 12 startups selected from 178 companies across Egypt. The participants competed to present their innovative ideas based on their engagement on various social media platforms, especially on TikTok, competing for financial prizes totaling up to EGP 500,000, won by both, Yuda and Tilestic companies.
The second competition, entitled “Empower-Her Champions”, organized by Techne Summit in collaboration with GIZ Egypt, aims to promote gender equality in the workplace and create new leadership opportunities for women in various fields. The contest witnessed fierce competition, with over 40 Egyptian companies submitting outstanding proposals. Of these, only 11 companies reached the finals, with six emerging winners. Entlaq, OBM Education, Gowa El7alla, and Plstka were honored with the “Empowerment Champion” award, while Mattlob and Niotech received the “Community Impact” award. Additionally, all winning companies received 40% funding from GIZ Egypt to support initiatives for achieving gender equality.
Tarek El-Kady, Co-founder and CEO of Techne Summit, expressed his delight with the outstanding success of the third edition of Techne Summit, stating: “The success of the third edition of the Techne Summit in Cairo is a reflection of our ongoing commitment to supporting innovation and entrepreneurship in Egypt. The wide participation of entrepreneurs, Investors, and startups across Egypt and Africa is evidence of this success, reflected in the attendee numbers and the increasing significance of the technology and entrepreneurship sector in Egypt and the region. It also demonstrates a strong desire to exchange experiences, explore opportunities for cooperation, and promote entrepreneurship in various fields.” El-Kady extended his gratitude to the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, all state entities, and the diverse local and international partners for their significant support of the summit. He emphasized Techne Summit’s commitment to furthering successes in entrepreneurship and technology in Egypt and the region.
On the sidelines of the Techne Summit’s closing ceremonies, multiple memorandums of understanding (MoUs) were signed with a group of companies to further support entrepreneurs in Egypt and provide the appropriate environment for their prosperity. Among these, a MoU was signed with “Entlaq” to stimulate entrepreneurship in various governorates by offering activities aimed at developing the capabilities of university youth through the “Roots” program offered by Entlaq and Techne Drifts in the governorates. In addition to working together on research projects in the field of entrepreneurship focused on integrating women and migrants in the sector, as well as promoting the Egyptian entrepreneurship sector to the local and international investor network working with Techne. Furthermore, a cooperation protocol was signed with Moharram & Partners Group (M&P), tackling several strategic areas to enhance innovation and growth for the startup environment within Techne’s Corporate Innovation Program. The cooperation also extends to the public policy field, where both sides will collaborate to develop legislation and policies that promote innovation, initiative, and digital transformation.
The list of partners and sponsors for the third edition of the Cairo Techne Summit included a group of entities including The Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA), Technology Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center (TIEC), the Digital Economy and Technology General Division (DETGD), The Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce (FEDCOC). This is in addition to the strategic partner, the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (MSME); the telecommunications partner, Telecom Egypt “WE”; the platinum partner, TrianglZ; the gold partners, Edventures, Novartis Egypt, Roche, and CardoO, and the silver partner, SANAD, the event is organized by Markade Agency.
The summit also hosted an line up of global, regional, and local experts, including Mr. Hossam Heiba, CEO of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), Mr. Vijay Tirathrai, Managing Director and Head of MENAPT at Techstars, Middle East and North Africa, Mr. Suraj Shah, Leader of Strategic Partnerships for Innovative Teaching and Learning at Mastercard Foundation, Mr. Maxime Bayne, Co-founder of Catalyst Fund and “Africa: The Big Deal”, Mr. Ahmed El Alfi, Co-founder and Chairman of Sawari Ventures LLC, and Mr. Ahmed Tarek, Founder and General Manager of Allianz Middle East, along with an elite group of prominent speakers from different sectors.
It’s worth mentioning that, Techne Summit Cairo in its second edition hosted more 230 speakers, 180 investors from more than 30 countries and more than 150 exhibitor from corporate giants like Zoho and SAP to innovative startups like Maxab and CGC, and in addition to techne pitching competitions, The summit hosted and discussed nine different tracks through 10 workshops held by renowned industry experts, and five roundtables covering CreativeTech, Disrupt Tech, eCommerce, EdTech, FinTech, HealthTech, Investment, Marketing & Advertising, and Startup Business Academy.
