The first Egyptian entrepreneurs' summit, titled the Rise Up Egypt Summit will take place at the American University in Cairo's (AUC) Greek Campus on 24 and 25 November. The event, which will host over 2,000 entrepreneurs, aims to bring together key players in order to discuss possible opportunities in Egypt. The founder of The Greek Campus Ahmed El Alfy said that the Rise Up Summit can help connect Egyptian entrepreneurs. "We are very excited about this project and look forward to creating a hub where entrepreneurship and creativity can thrive in the heart of Cairo," he said. Abdelhamid Sharara, the founder of the event, described the current entrepreneurship environment in Egypt as "an extremely vibrant and promising one that is at a tripping point." "The market currently has the highest amount of unspent investment, with over 500 organizations supporting entrepreneurship, and thousands of youth starting their own ventures," Sharara said. "The next education or health innovation will come from entrepreneurs and the next 100,000 jobs will be created by startups," he added. Injaz-Egypt, Flat6labs, Endeavor Egypt, MIT Enterprise Forum, Cairo Angels, AUC EIP, CultArk, and Mercy Corps Egypt are all among the participating companies in the summit to offer knowledge that pertains to their specific area of expertise. On the event, the executive Director of Injaz Egypt Dina El-Mofty said that "The call for change that had captured the hearts and minds of young Egyptians has empowered them to take change into their own hands and has manifested itself in a wave of Entrepreneurship rising across the country." Keynotes speakers will share their success stories with the attendees and will give speeches to highlight that Egypt has a capacity to undergo the necessary reformations and enhance the investment environment despite the political, economic and social barriers. Sharara added that the event proves that leadership, collaboration and courage are the best value to change Egypt to a better place. "What Talaat Harb did decades ago is now being done by a whole community which agreed on uniting under one mission; a better economy," he said. The CEO of Mercy Corps Egypt said that the summit will bring together different actors within the society. He then explained a misconception on entrepreneurs saying that "A lot of people think entrepreneurs need investment, but before that they need exposure, partners, advice, and encouragement. Rise Up Egypt gives them all of that."
