By ; Bakinam Khaled
Egypt Innovation Week 2025 concluded successfully, spanning from September 26 to October 6 across Cairo, Alexandria, and 25+ community events nationwide, welcoming over 50,000 participants, 750+ speakers from 70+ countries, and showcasing 150+ exhibitors and 1,500+ startups.
The initiative kicked off with the Annual Investors Congress gathering over 150 investors from the USA, MENA, and Europe. The congress featured over 50+ strategic one-on-one meetings between limited partners (LPs), general partners (GPs), and ecosystem leaders, culminating in the Investors Forum at the Swedish Embassy in Cairo where international delegates discussed partnerships and investment opportunities.
Prominent investors participated in the week's activities, including Ahmed El Alfi - Sawari Venture, Waleed Alballaa - Sukna Ventures, Abdulrahman Aljiffry - 500 Global, Motaz Abounq - VMS, and Haytham Wagih - Avanz Capital, and many others, bringing significant expertise and insights to the growing startup ecosystem.
Egypt Innovation Week brought together distinguished government officials including H.E. Dr. Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, H.E. Mr.
Ahmed Kouchouk, Minister of Finance, H.E. Dr. Mohamed Farid, Chairman of the
Financial Regulatory Authority, H.E. Dag Juhlin-Dannfelt, Ambassador of Sweden to
Egypt, Mr. Hossam Heiba, CEO of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), Eng. Ahmed El Zaher, CEO and Assistant Minister for Ecosystem Development at ITIDA & MCIT, and Rasha Abdel Aal, Head of the Egyptian Tax Authority.
"We are working to enable startups to access technology, skills, funding, and international markets" said H.E. Dr. Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, highlighting that "investment in tech startups has increased 7-fold over the past five years compared to 2015-2019, and digital innovation centers have expanded from 3 centers in 2018 to 24 centers across 21 governorates."
The week addressed diverse innovation challenges spanning AI infrastructure development, healthcare technology solutions, smart automation, fintech integration, educational technology advancement, and additional emerging sectors. The initiative was supported by key partners including the Embassy of Sweden, Meta, Aria Ventures, Juhayna, DXWand, DDS Technologies, Creativa Innovation Hub, Unicaf, Torasna, and Tactful, alongside representatives from 30+ leading corporates including Nestlé, L'Oréal, Novartis, Huawei, Nvidia, Cisco, Roche, SAP, PepsiCo, Orange, and Mastercard.
"Over the past week, we've seen Egypt's innovative ecosystem develop significantly across community-led events around the country. We've witnessed momentum become movement," stated Tarek El Kady, emphasizing that "we are the proof that when Egypt invests in its minds, its youth, its creators, the whole world listens."
Strategic partner Meta hosted an AI policy roundtable bringing together government leaders and technology experts to discuss AI governance frameworks and regulatory best practices. Additionally, Meta's Llama Design Drive – AI Agent Accelerator featured 5 promising Egyptian startups presenting their AI innovations. Egyptian startup "Rology" secured first place, earning advancement to the regional competition in Dubai against top AI ventures from across the MENA region.
Egypt Innovation Week continued with 25+ community events nationwide featuring partnerships with leading organizations including TIEC, AskLex, Nawah, EdVentures, Gamerz, Schutz, Nile University, Canadian International College, Pipeline Gurus, and Challenge Foundation, among others.
Notable competitions throughout the week showcased Egypt's promising startups and innovative solutions. The Techne AI Competition Powered by The Swedish Embassy saw Cluster and AI Scada emerge as winners, while the Techne X AUC Venture Lab Fintech Competition crowned Mindlytx and Flow Sky as champions, alongside various other sector-specific challenges.
Egypt Innovation Week 2025 demonstrated strong success in connecting regional and international ecosystems, fostering meaningful partnerships, and showcasing Egypt's dynamic startup landscape to global investors and industry leaders, reinforcing the country's position as a leading destination for innovation, entrepreneurship, and international collaboration in the region.
