The Rise Up Egypt summit succeeded in providing a networking service for entrepreneurs with ideas by linking them with investors and partners willing to finance small and medium enterprises, said Hamza Sarawy, the summit's media relations manager. The summit, the first-of-its-kind entrepreneurship event for Egypt, closed its doors on Monday after two days of bringing together entrepreneurs and key players to discuss these opportunities. Sarawy noted the organisers of the summit were encouraged to hold the event after finding many entrepreneurs with creative ideas looking for both advice and resources. "The attendees of the event also included people coming to know more about entrepreneurship," Sarawy added. The closing ceremony began with a Google Hangout connecting 20 Arab entrepreneurs located in different countries around the world to share their experience with the attendees of the summit in Egypt. The Hangout was managed from London by Hala Fadel, the Chair of MIT Enterprise Forum in the Pan-Arab Region. The summit took place on 24 and 25 November at the American University in Cairo's (AUC) Greek Campus. Ahmed El-Alfy, the Greek Campus's manager, announced at the end of the event the campus's offices would be offered for rent at special rates for entrepreneurs. El-Alfy added that he was looking forward to creating a hub where entrepreneurship and creativity can thrive in the heart of Cairo. More than 2,000 entrepreneurs attended the summit and showcased their projects, aiming to catch the attention of investors and professionals to acquire the funding needed to bring their ideas to life. Panelists at the event included experts, consultants, investors and entrepreneurs, all of which shared their success stories with the attendees. Some community partners of the summit, such as Microsoft offered, workshops for entrepreneurs to help them gain the required skills for their projects. Pepsi also announced that it will fund an entrepreneurship project that supports clean energy in Egypt. Injaz-Egypt, Flat6labs, Endeavor Egypt, MIT Enterprise Forum, Cairo Angels, AUC EIP, CultArk, and Mercy Corps Egypt were among the companies participating in the summit to offer knowledge pertaining to their specific areas of expertise.
