Techne Summit Cairo 2024 | ITIDA Participation Contributes to Enhancing the Entrepreneurship Climate in Egypt
Cairo, May 2024 - The Information Technology Industry Development Agency took part in Techne Summit Cairo for investment and entrepreneurship, held in Cairo from May 25 to 27, 2024. ITIDA’s participation comes within the framework of its continuous efforts to promote the growth of IT enterprises. ITIDA is also a leader support body in nurturing tech startups and building a culture of entrepreneurship, and a strategic partner in various development processes.
Techne Summit Cairo’s third edition kicked off at CREATIVA Innovation Hubs. The first day of which was held at the Sultan Hussein Kamel Palace where opening speeches were delivered by Dr. Amr Talaat, the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Håkan Emsgård, Swedish ambassador to Egypt, and Tarek El-Kady, co-founder and CEO of Techne Summit, in the presence of a group of prominent figures, officials, specialists and entrepreneurs, especially young people.
On the sidelines of Techne Summit, Eng. Ahmed Alzaher, CEO of ITIDA, and Mr. Tarek El-Kady, CEO of Techne Summit, signed a Memorandum of Understanding between ITIDA and the Techne on cooperation to stimulate Artificial Intelligence-based entrepreneurship in a variety of sectors.
Under the MoU, both parties cooperate to implement an “Institutional Innovation Program”, which links AI startups with existing companies. The program includes many activities such as creating awareness and building capacity for entrepreneurs and startups in their early stages. In addition, it offers training courses by global partners to build AI capabilities. The MoU also provides activities aimed at (1) developing startups in the growth stages through the institutional innovation program in cooperation with international companies in various sectors, (2) participating in Techne Summits in Alexandria and Cairo, (3) linking them with networks of local and global investors, and (4) developing networks of mentors in the field of AI in Africa.
Ahmed Elzaher, CEO of the ITIDA, stated, “Our participation in this year's summit underscores ITIDA’s strategic and leading role in supporting innovation and enhancing the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Egypt. We believe in the importance of nurturing startups and supporting their participation in tech events that bring together entrepreneurs, offering them a unique platform to network with investors and opportunities to exchange ideas and experiences. This contributes to building a strong and innovative entrepreneurial community capable of creating unconventional solutions using information and communication technology, thus addressing economic and social challenges.”
He also added, “We are thrilled to sign a cooperation agreement with Techne to foster innovation in emerging technologies, particularly AI, and to align creative solutions in these areas with the needs of major companies.”
ITIDA offered a myriad of opportunities and benefits for the local entrepreneurship community by participating in Techne Summit 2024, which included:
• Booths for 10 startups which benefited from ITIDA programs via TIEC and CRIATIVA Innovation Hubs in Cairo and other governorates.
• Regular tickets for TIEC ambassadors, startups and CREATIVA hubs.
• Tickets with a discount of 25% for startups, and CREATIVA hubs.
Startups exhibited their solutions at Techne Summit 2024 under ITIDA’s support:
• HNE FUTURES, a cleantech e-mobility startup graduated from TIEC’s StartIT, is seeking to become a key player in the Electric Vehicle (EV) Transition in the Middle East and Africa. In the long term, HNE will be utilizing data synergies in the energy, transport and infrastructure sectors through their EV hardware and software charging solutions.
• USAM Edutech, a remote learning startup once obtained entrepreneurship support from TIEC, is an innovative educational, career and freelancers platform aims to empower Arabic speaking students and professionals by providing them accessible, high-quality education as well as a range of career and freelance opportunities.
• Chimidot, b2b chemical sourcing startup which got entrepreneurship support from TIEC, has a B2B platform for chemical sourcing. They employ data intelligence to help users take faster and better data-driven business decisions
• Toucan, a DevOps startup which got entrepreneurship support from TIEC, is streamlining software development processes. They also provide tailored AI model development and support to empower startups with cutting-edge technology solutions.
• BLNK, a fintech startup benefited from Cairo-based CREATIVA innovation hub, is specialized in fintech and provides lending, financing, affordability, commission, reporting, settlement, and e-commerce services.
• Bonbell, a SAAS startup benefited from Cairo-based CREATIVA innovation hub, is a white-labeled, food-ordering platform for dining, delivery and takeaway via QR codes and social media/online channels. Bonbell is empowering small and medium restaurants and hotels to achieve growth and sustainability through technology adoption.
• SRV Spaces, a b2b facility management startup benefited from Cairo-based CREATIVA innovation hub, facilitates the purchasing experience for businesses through a seamless online experience. The startup offers an intensive catalog of facility supplies and a full scope of facility fit-out solutions and facility management services.
• Millennium Educational Technologies LLC, is an EduTech startup based in Alexandria benefited from Mansoura-based CREATIVA, provides educators with visual tools to improve the educational process through onsite live shows and events, as well as online educational platforms such as a website, social media content, and a mobile app. Their services are offered to universities, schools, museums, and educational and cultural centers. Millennium seeks to empower educators by using animation and motion capture technology to create accessible and easy-to-use visual tools. They aim to establish their onsite presence in a selection of museums and universities located in Cairo, Alexandria, and Luxor, and expand their online presence as an educational mobile app.
• Vondera, a startup benefited from Benha-based CREATIVA, is an innovative e-commerce platform that empowers merchants worldwide. Our all-in-one solution integrates website building, multi-channel sales management, team collaboration tools, logistics, and financial services. We offer a user-centric approach, leveraging cutting-edge technology to provide a seamless and efficient experience for businesses of all sizes. With Vondera, merchants can streamline their operations, expand their reach across various sales channels, and drive growth effectively in the competitive online marketplace.
• Marid, a startup benefited from Qena-based CREATIVA, offers a mobile application that allows users to order food, consumer products and medicines from restaurants, supermarkets and pharmacies, and have these orders delivered to their homes throughout the day.
ITIDA engagement in Techne Summit Cairo 2024:
ITIDA was engaged in a wide range of events, workshops, and discussion sessions on the sidelines of the Summit. Sara El Barkouki, TIEC business support manager spoke at “Mindset for Successful Business,” a workshop that highlighted the importance of the mindset including its types, how the mindset affects the business success, what are the entrepreneurial mindset types, and is there a mindset for business, and how to maintain it. A workshop titled “How CREATIVA advocated innovation to Egyptian Governorates” was held to showcase how was CREATIVA established to bridge the gap between technology skills and on the ground market requirements. CREATIVA empowers youth by linking technology skills with the required demand driver ranging from the future job market, freelancing/ remote job market, and the entrepreneurial activities.
The third Summit day, Eng. Reham Saleh, Eng. Ahmed Ameen, SECC performance excellence experts spoke at “Agile Transformation Waves” workshop. Ms. Fatma Bakr, ITIDA’s IPR office, legal review lead and Dr. Ahmed Abd ElGhany, IPR Office Manager, spoke at an IPR workshop to raise awareness on the importance of registering startups, registration procedures and protecting software programs. Dr. Ahmed Elsheikh, SECC’s R&D department manager, spoke at a workshop titled “Your Generative AI Partner, Competitor, or Replacement: The Business Competition Game Changer”.
ITIDA reps took part in a roundtable organized by PLUGandPLAY and Techne named “Egypt Building for Global Resilience: Adopting AI & Cybersecurity Best Practices” to delve into corporate applications of AI, offering a platform for discussions on implementation, challenges, and potential impacts across industries. It was attended by Dr. Hossam Osman, innovation sector supervisor at ITIDA.
