The British embassy and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), in collaboration with StartEgypt launched its first forum event titled ‘StartEgypt Forum' in order to showcase its 27 start-ups, filtered from over 1,200 applications, from the first incubation cycle in 2018, according to a Tuesday statement from the embassy. All start-ups which are specialised in diverse industries get a chance to present their unique ideas to calibre stakeholders and investors, such as in the diverse fields of education, agriculture, healthcare, renewables, environment, transportation, as well as financial inclusion and marginalised communities. The forum is an outstanding experience which targets young entrepreneurs aiming to learn and aspire from fellow peers in the field of entrepreneurship who took actual steps to develop their ideas and build it up to a start-up for acceleration. This is in addition to introducing new start-ups in the market to investors, mentors, corporates, government entities and reputable experts in the field of entrepreneurship, who are all keen on witnessing the progress of start-ups, and the latest innovations in the region with regards to social impact. The British Ambassador to Egypt, Sir Geoffrey Adams, said, "I am delighted that the UK is investing in young Egyptian entrepreneurs who are helping deliver the jobs and growth which the country needs as it builds a resilient and an inclusive economy. We have supported over 1,000 this year and look forward to supporting many more in the next phase." StartEgypt is an Egyptian pre-acceleration incubation programme established to inspire, build, and accelerate millions of Egyptian entrepreneurs in the diverse fields with social impacts. The programme is funded by the British embassy, supported by the IFC – which is a member of the World Bank, and powered by Flat6Labs. "Through this valuable programme, we are focusing on nurturing and reaching out to the largest number of entrepreneurs across Egypt from Lower to Upper Egypt, to inspire and awaken their entrepreneurial side and ideas. We know and believe that Egyptians, regardless of their original location, are capable of solving difficult societal issues, but they are only missing the opportunity to grow," Hassan Mansi, StartEgypt's programme director, said. "The programme also focuses on encouraging females in specific, because we have found that more of them are not aware of the entrepreneurship field and how they can benefit from it," he added StartEgypt programme provides a great opportunity and an experience to get inspired, develop, and build start-ups in different industries with social impact while also connecting to the local, regional and international networks and explore new business opportunities, noted the statement.
