RiseUp selects 15 regional startup finalists for ‘Pitch by the Pyramids’

RiseUp has completed its selection of 15 startups from seven cities across the Middle East and North Africa to pitch at Egypt’s first multi-stage, regional startup pitch competition, “Pitch by the Pyramids.

Amjaad, Makwa, PaySky, and PayNas won RiseUp’s Cairo qualifier on November 8th, 2019, and will join the remaining cohort for the final pitch event at the Great Pyramids of Giza on the 8th of December, aligning with RiseUp Summit 2019.

“Bringing all these startups to the Great Pyramids of Giza has been a dream of ours since we started RiseUp,” CEO of RiseUp Abdelhameed Sharara says. “The Pitch by the Pyramids program is not only a MENA-wide pitch competition for early-stage startups, but also a value-driven experience for participating entrepreneurs.”

Regional partners from each of the startup ecosystem hubs – Cogite Coworking space in Tunis, Wamda in Dubai, Social N’ Tech in Amman and Ramallah, The Space in Riyadh and Startup Grind Beirut – organized local qualifier events for selected startups to compete, selecting the best, most innovative startups to proceed to the final event at the Pyramids.

“We’re really excited to participate in Pitch By The Pyramids in Egypt and gain exposure to the investors in the community,” said Hamdi Tabaa, CEO of Abwaab. “I think the Amman qualifier event was really beneficial and I’d recommend every early-stage startup to take part in the Pitch by the Pyramids programnext year.”

The finalists will pitch to a hand-picked audience of over 500 attendees, including local and regional Venture Capitalists and investors, as well as an extensive media presence that guarantees wide regional exposure for the up-and-coming businesses.

Finalist startups are assigned a relevant expert mentor with experience in their industry to support their development throughout the competition, leading up to the final event in Cairo on December 8th, 2019.

In addition to the event’s competitive element, Pitch by the Pyramids will also feature a prominent keynote speaker and an entertainment program aimed at celebrating the region’s thriving start-up ecosystem.