The pre-acceleration program, StartEgypt, hosted its first virtual forum for female entrepreneurs, the Female Founders Forum.
The one-day virtual event attended by over 300 up-and-coming female Egyptian entrepreneurs saw leading experts from tech giants Dell Technologies, Google, and YouTube provide key insights and training on how to get these start-ups from concept to implementation.
Designed to inspire and empower women considering starting their own business, the forum offered them the opportunity to learn from the experiences of influential females in the business and entrepreneurial world, as they discussed the differences, challenges, and opportunities faced by females as entrepreneurs or in the corporate world.
A panel discussion featured Flat6labs graduate Sabrine Assem, co-founder & CEO at UNTAP Technologies, Mai Abbas, Education Services Manager for RSA Security by Dell Technologies.
Talking about their decision to host the virtual forum, Hassan Mansi, StartEgypt Program Director, said, “Flat6Labs has maintained a gender ratio of 30%-females amongst its incubation and accelerator programs due to a solid belief in the ability of Egyptian female entrepreneurs to lead and drive the economy forward. This has been evident in their role as breadwinners across all socio-economic levels. We offer the opportunity for aspiring female entrepreneurs to unleash their potential and to continue having a positive impact on the Egyptian economy.”
In addition to the panel discussion, experts from Google and YouTube also shared their know-how via two training workshops on digital marketing and product management to support young women in actualizing their ambitions to establish their own businesses. The forum also hosted the CEO of Azza Fahmy Jewelry, Fatma Ghali, for a fireside chat.
As well as encouraging aspiring women to set out on their entrepreneurial journey, StartEgypt hopes that the forum will allow them to connect with promising female start-ups that they can incubate. “Earlier this year, the Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation committed to increasing female participation in the workforce by 40%, by 2030,” said Mansi, adding that he hoped StartEgypt could contribute to achieving this developmental goal.
StartEgypt has previously organized multiple, nationwide workshops led by seasoned guest speakers and entrepreneurs. The Female Founders Forum is set to become an annual event, acting as a springboard for women exploring the possibility of launching their own businesses.
