Startups
Latest news from MENA startups, what’s new in the tech startup scene, success and failure stories, and more.
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Match Group Acquires Egyptian Dating Startup ‘Harmonica’
Online dating giant Match Group has acquired “Harmonica”, an Egyptian online dating startup. Financial details were not disclosed. Announced Flat6Labs…
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SeedStars visits Baghdad to find promising Iraqi startups
Seedstars World, the largest startup competition for emerging markets and fast-growing startup scenes will land for the first time in…
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Swvl Raises $42 Million for African Expansion
Swvl, an Egypt-based app for booking buses, has raised $42 million as it plans to expand into other African markets,…
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Stanford-born Startup Strives to End Elderly Social Isolation
In the midst of calls to break up Facebook, struggling IPOs, and some fan drama over the Game of Thrones…
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Egyptian Startup Mumm Launches ‘Mumm Prime’ Egypt’s First Premium Chef
Egypt’s homemade food service Mumm has launched “Mumm Prime”, Egypt’s premium online chef subscription service on Sunday. For an affordable…
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Egypt’s Direxiona wins 50,000 euro-prize in AFD Digital Challenge
Egypt’s Direxiona matching platform for women drivers and instructors has won the first prize in the AFD Digital Challenge competition…
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Eventtus ‘rebrand’ aims to inspire event professionals to ‘think big, think easy’
Eventtus revolutionized its brand strategy and visual identity as it is expanding its event tech solutions globally. These were the…
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3 Things You Should And Shouldn’t Do To Make Meetings Productive
It is necessary for every company to hold a workplace meeting every once in a while. The meetings are essential…
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How to Start A Digital Marketing SEO Agency?
Starting your digital marketing agency sounds like an exciting thing to do; however, it can also seem a little bit…
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Brimore, retail distribution platform, raises $800k in seed funding
Brimore, the direct-selling distribution platform that connects manufacturers with consumers, announced that it has raised $800k in a seed funding…
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What Can I Do if I Don’t Have Money to Grow My Business?
Wouldn’t it be nice if growing your business was as simple as taking two aspirin? When you wake up the…
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Algebra Ventures partners with Ezdehar to invest in Dsquares
Algebra Ventures, Egypt’s leading venture capital fund, has partnered with Ezdehar Management, an investment management firm focused on high-growth Egyptian…
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What MENA startups still lack to achieve their potential
A few weeks ago, my friend Hendrik Jandel wrote an article about the potential he saw in the Beirut startup…
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Cairo-based online grocery startup ‘GoodsMart’ secures additional funding from Algebra Ventures
GoodsMart, the household shopping app that has transformed the shopping experience using unattended delivery, has announced that it has secured…
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Rafeeg rolls out new update for its home improvement app
Rafeeg, an app-based marketplace for home improvement needs, has rolled out an update that comes with a new design and…
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Top 5 Egyptian Startups That Raised Money in 2018
2018 was an amazing year for the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Egypt. As 80 startups raised investment, positioning Egypt among the…
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If you can’t trust employees to work flexibly, why hire them?
Productivity at the workplace depends on several elements one of which is a flexible working environment. This has been confirmed…
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5 Software Programs for Small Businesses in 2019
The hardest part of running a small business is using the right software to help it run. The right software…
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How recognizing employees can enhance performance
There are many employees that have been forced to work the same mundane job day in and day out. An…
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Top 5 Jordanian Startups That Raised Money in 2018
2018 was not bad at all for the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Jordan. It witnessed good news for 36 Jordanian startups…
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Vodafone Egypt Launches Unprecedented Technological Hackathon
Vodafone Egypt held the first Hackathon of its kind in Egypt and in the region, inviting developers to innovate in…
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NOMAD Partners With Sony Professional Solutions MEA
Al Ahli Holding Group (AAHG) has partnered with Sony Professional Solutions MEA on the development of the media sector and…
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Careem Launches Delivery Service ‘Careem Box’ In Jordan
Careem, the middle east ride-hailing service launched its delivery service “Careem Box” in Jordan yesterday, offering personal stuff delivery and…
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Meet ‘1TAM’: First Emirati Vlogging Social Media App
In the age of social media and interconnectivity what continues to be lacking is authentic and unfiltered conversations between people. 1TAM…
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Connect Ads launches its own digital studio ‘Villa 30 Studio’
Connect Ads launched “Villa30 Studio” – its own creative digital studio, a move that will further enhance the dynamics of…
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Uber invests $100 million in Egypt
Uber plans to pour $100 million investments in the Egyptian market in the next five years, the ride-hailing giant said…
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Careem launches minibus service in Egypt
Careem, the region’s leading ride-hailing app has launched “Careem Bus”, to help solving daily transportation struggle of 40 percent of…
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Egypt-based ride hailing startup ‘Halan’ hits 3-million rides in one year
With over 3-million rides in one year, the on-demand ride hailing app for Tuk-tuk and motorcycle, Halan has dominated the…
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Oasis500 appoints Luma Fawaz as Chief Executive Officer
Jordan-based seed investment company and business accelerator, Oasis500, has appointed Luma Fawaz as the Chief Executive Officer “CEO”, replacing Faisal…
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Flat6Labs Cairo Introduces New Offering to Entrepreneurs
Flat6Labs Cairo, the leading Startup Accelerator in Egypt, now offers startups joining its 12th Accelerator Cycle launching in January 2019…
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World’s leading startup event ‘Slush’ takes place in Helsinki this December
20,000 tech professionals, mentors, investors and entrepreneurs from all around the world are gathering in Helsinki, Finland on Dec 4–5,…
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Dubai-based HolidayMe.com raises $16 million in Series C funding
HolidayMe, the Middle East’s leading Online Travel Agency, has raised $16m in Series C funding from Gobi Partners, Algebra Ventures,…
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Israeli Tech Startup ‘Snappy’ Raises US$8.2 Million
Snappy, the company revolutionizing corporate gifting, announced that it had secured $9.7 million in funding to date after raising $8.2…
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Egyptian FinTech Startup ‘Accept’ Ventures Into The Jordanian Market
Accept for payments and technology has announced that it has extended its services to the Jordanian market, in partnership with MEPS,…
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Jordan’s POSRocket launches its developer portal, marketplace
POSRocket, the cloud based point of sale platform has released the beta version of its developer portal and marketplace, to…
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Dawar App strives to solve Egypt’s garbage mess with a snap of a button
Dawar app is a new initiative that aims to solve Egypt’s garbage dilemma with the help of technology. The app enables…
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Cairo-based transport startup ‘Buseet’ raises investment
Cairo-based buss booking startup Buseet has successfully raised an undisclosed amount of investment in a seed funding round by Cairo Angels,…
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TheSocialMedwork raises $1.7 million in funding
Young social impact startup TheSocialMedwork, which works to solve access to medicines across the world, has signed new funding and…
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Egyptian real estate platform ‘iCommunity’ raises $600K in Series A funding
iCommunity, Egypt’s mobile community platform for the real estate industry, has announced $600K in Series A funding from Algebra Ventures.…
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Vezeeta raises $12 million from Saudi Technology Ventures
Egyptian digital healthcare startup Vezeeta has raised a $12 million Series C funding round led by Saudi Technology Ventures (STV).…
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A15 exits TPAY, sells 76% stake to Helios Investment Partners
A15, a leading tech investment fund based in the Cayman Islands; announced today that it has successfully sold 76% stake…
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‘MAYDAY’ a new breakthrough for providing roadside assistance in Egypt
If you commute long distances every day and your car breaking down on the road is the nightmare you’ve always…
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‘Startups Galaxy’ Vows to Reach 500 Egyptian Startups
Startups Galaxy is currently on a journey of “Road to 500 Startups” and we think this is a great chance…
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How AI can open up Silicon Valley to international investors
Mobile apps are detecting skin cancer. Drones are delivering aid across continents. Artificial intelligence is disrupting every aspect of our…
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Egyptian social media monitoring tool ‘Crowd Analyzer’ raises $1.1 million
Crowd Analyzer, the Arabic-focused social media monitoring tool, has received pre-Series A funding of $1.1 million from a group of…
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Jordanian Startup ‘Mawdoo3.com’ Raises US$13.5 Million
Jordanian startup Mawdoo3.com, the world’s most visited Arabic website with more than 45 million unique users per month, has completed a…
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Namshi Unveils Key Trends For The Season
It’s time to revamp your wardrobe, alright! Specially curated by the fabulous fashion team at Namshi, this season’s trend edit…
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Farawlaya.com a startup that revolutionizes how Egyptians buy home wear
Farawlaya.com is the fastest growing specialty online retailer of women’s home wear in Egypt; serving women of all shapes and…
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500 Startups MENA gearing up to host investor day
Silicon-Valley based 500 Startups, the most active early-stage Venture Capital Fund in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region,…
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Egyptian fashion startup, La Reina raises $1 million in a Series A funding round
La Reina, Egypt’s first online fashion rental platform, announced $1 million in a Series A funding round led by Egypt’s largest…
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WUZZUF debuts its newly revolutionized platform among top employers at ‘Unlock’ 18’
WUZZUF, Egypt’s number one online recruitment platform is revealing its newly revamped platform during “Unlock’18”, an exclusive event that gathers…
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Facebook pauses new Messenger bots, improves users’ privacy, reactivates bug bounty program
Following Cambridge Analytica data breach, Facebook has announced new changes and updates to its platform to reduce chances for future…
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Chef Manal Al Alem becomes the latest investor in Yumamia
Famous TV celebrity Chef Manal Al Alem has become the latest investor in the Cairo-based food tech startup Yumamia. The…
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Roadcast is Changing the Ride Sharing Experience in Egypt
Whereas the average commute in the United States is between 10 and 17 minutes, in Egypt it routinely takes 32…
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$10 million Facebook Community Leadership Programme open to MENA applicants
Today, Facebook in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) announced the launch of the Facebook Community Leadership programme, a…
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Top 12 blockchain startup ICOs in Feb 2018
Which startups raising funds through ICOs are most likely to succeed? Using Aingel’s AI based Deal Flow Analyzer, we generate…
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Facebook forbids cryptocurrency, ICO ads
Facebook banned ads for cryptocurrency and related activities in a new advertising policy issued on Jan. 30, which claims the…
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Employee engagement tops business leaders’ challenges, according to global survey
The two top challenges facing today’s leaders are employee engagement and effective strategy execution, according to a survey of 1248…
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7 Reasons Not To Miss TechWadi.org Annual Forum 2018
TechWadi Annual Forum, taking place on 27 Jan in Plug and Play Tech Center, Sunnyvale, California has been a frequent…
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Top 17 blockchain startup ICOs in Jan
Which startups raising funds through ICOs are most likely to succeed? Using Aingel’s AI-based Deal Flow Analyzer, we generate an…
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Top 31 blockchain startups’ ICOs of Q4 2017
Which startups raising funds through ICOs are most likely to succeed? Using Aingel‘s AI based Deal Flow Analyzer, we generate…
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Careem, Uber, Easy Taxi to Legally Hit Jordan Roads
Jordan gave ride-hailing apps the green light to operate in the country after fulfilling some transport and safety regulations, the…
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Egypt’s Mazady Wins Africa’s mCommerce Award 2017
Ten African ventures were awarded for excellence in mobile and tech at the annual AppsAfrica Innovation Awards 2017 held in…
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Fintech Kuwait’s startup Ajar Online secures second round of investment
Ajar’s Online has closed its second round of investment since 2016, led by Dubai-based venture firm BECO Capital, and follows…
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Take Answers: A Quora-like Consultancy Service Mobile App
Connecting startups with more than 450 top-notch experts, the Take Answers App was recently launched to help entrepreneurs find expert…
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‘It’s time to utilize tech for better healthcare services’ Said Tabibi 24/7 CEO
As the tech breakthrough is invading each detail in our daily life, healthcare experts see that it’s high time to…
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Souqalmal.com Raises $10 Million in Series B Funding
The Dubai headquartered finance comparison website, Souqalmal.com, raised USD $10 million in Series B funding from GoCompare, a UK based…
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Amazon Web Services To Open Its Data Centers in the Middle East By Early 2019
Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced that it plans to open an infrastructure region in the Middle East by early 2019.…
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10 Promising Jordanian Tech Startups
MENA has over the years cemented its importance as a global tech hub. Of the massive Arab-speakers population of 350…
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ADGM and KPMG launch ‘FinTech Abu Dhabi Innovation Challenge’
Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) and KPMG have come together to launch the first ever FinTech Abu DhabiInnovation Challenge on…
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6 Co-Working Spaces for Entrepreneurs Based in Cairo
As an entrepreneur, you will most likely start with a raw idea working from the comfort of your small home…
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TPAY Acquires 100% of DCBEgypt
TPay, the MENA region’s first and biggest Direct Carrier Billing platform, and one of A15’s portfolio companies, announced today that…
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7 Effective Ways to Promote your Mobile App for Free
One of the biggest challenges faced by tech startups is mobile app discovery. With around 270 billion apps projected to…
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Mumm receives $200,000 investment from 500 Startups
The rising online homemade food platform, Mumm, received an investment worth $200,000 from 500 Startups, possibly one of the world’s…
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Careem Invests $500,000 Stake in ‘SWVL’ Egyptian Transportation Startup
Entrepreneurial spirit is still alive and well in Egypt, as Careem invests $500,000 stake in former employee’s transportation startup SWVL.…
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PayMob launches ‘Accept’ to boost online payment
Egypt’s Fintech startup PayMob, and one of A15’s portfolio companies, launched a new product today called Accept – a payment…
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InternsValley enables startups and students to exchange experience and efforts
Entrepreneurs and SMEs can now rely on talented employees who believe in their mission and form a team on a…
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Egyptian developers win 4 of 6 prizes at Facebook Bots for Messenger Challenge
Egyptian developers swept the list at Facebook Bots for Messenger Challenge for the Middle East and North Africa, winning four of…
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The Entrepreneurship Opportunity in Egypt (5): The Advertising Value Chain
Hell is just a sauna Here is how I described it in my 1st article in the series: “The value chain…
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Stetla3 Launches its Online Platform with a Social Awareness Campaign
Cairo, 24 May 2017 – Stetla3, an online platform that allows users to share their personal opinions and stories around different…
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110 % increase in content consumption for Ramadan on Anghami in the UAE and Egypt
Dubai-23 May 2017- Anghami, the leading music streaming company in the MENA region, is gearing up for Ramadan, offering its…
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Egypt Dominates Facebook Bots for Messenger Challenge Finalists
With 15 bots, Egyptian developers have dominated the Facebook Messenger Bots Challenge top 60 finalists list for the Middle East and Africa, in Games & Entertainment,…
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Egyptian Bot ‘HireHunt’ among the 60 finalists in Facebook’s Messenger Challenge Bot Competition
The HireHunt Bot has been selected as one of the the 60 finalists in Facebook’s Messenger Challenge Bot Competition, “after…
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Wuzzuf Hosts Egypt’s Business Thought-leaders Live on Social Media
Wuzzuf, Egypt’s first job site, announced yesterday the launch of its first activation on social media: Kanabet Wuzzuf “Wuzzuf Lounge” – a bi-weekly…
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Promoting US-Egypt Collaboration in Science and Technology
The US-Egypt Science and Technology Joint Fund approves 15 joint projects in the fields of agriculture, energy, health, and water.…
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E7gezly and PassApp to become two separate companies
A15, the leading technology investor has announced that E7gezly, the online booking provider, and PassApp the digital mobile passes solution…
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5 Lists Every Entrepreneur Needs
As a first-time entrepreneur or small business owner trying to make ends meet with a tight budget, things can get…
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Godayuse.com world’s first day-use portal is now available in Egypt & UAE
The world’s first day-use portal specializing only in day activities and hangouts that do not require traveling or spending only…
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Bey2ollak Launches ‘Stories’ Copying Snapchat
Egypt’s number one traffic service Bey2ollak has added “Stories” to its mobile app following Snapchat, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Facebook.…
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6 Personalities of Successful Founders
What makes a successful founder? Many in the startup ecosystem have stepped in to answer this question, which is constantly…
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Egyptian E-waste Recycling Company Looks Forward To Be The Next Umicore
Electronic waste (E-waste) is the fastest growing waste stream among solid waste worldwide. Also, 50 million tons is generated every…
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A15 & DELL EMC Join Forces to Support Tech Startups in Egypt
The leading technology investor, A15 announced today a strategic partnership with Dell EMC, the global information infrastructure vendor, with a…
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Careem Managing Director Wael Fakharany Says He Was Fired
Wael Fakharany, a leading business figure in the Middle East and North Africa, tweeted Monday that he was fired from…
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Orange Egypt Uplifts Generation Y Entrepreneurs
Egyptian entrepreneurs made a grand appearance on Orange’s new campaign, which inspires youth to fulfil their dreams vowing to support…
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‘Bosta’ shines on the delivery service scene in Egypt
Believing that on-time delivery is an essential part of the long supply chain of any business, the inspirational entrepreneur Mohammed Ezzat…
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TIEC, Microsoft Present ‘Accelerate Your Business’ Competition
A chance to win 90,000 EGP and receive Acceleration Program/ Consultation Services in Digital Marketing, Marketing, Finance and Technical from The Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship…
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El3ab.com unleashes its new portal, receives EGP 2M investment from A15
El3ab, Egypt’s classic gaming hub, relaunches its portal with more games and with its first ever app based game “Estimation…
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Elves app heeds millions of online help requests using artificial intelligence
Many find it difficult to make errands in Egypt, especially in the deafening, crowded city of Cairo. But for the founder…
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Karim Elsahy
Karim Elsahy is a winning angel investor & serial entrepreneur with a current emphasis on ai, bots, and conversational commerce. He…
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