At a high-profile international event attended by H.E. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation, H.E. Hassan El-Khatib, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, along with senior leaders and officials from both the European and Egyptian sides, Mounir Nakhla, Founder & CEO of MNT-Halan, is participating in a session titled “Innovate to Elevate: Putting Research and Innovation at the Heart of Competitiveness.” Successful Egyptian Model During the summit, Nakhla presents MNT-Halan’s experience as a successful Egyptian model leading the digital transformation and promoting financial inclusion through…
Author: Mohamed Fathy
After extended success working with DFIs (Development Finance Institutions) on entrepreneurship and innovation programs over the last five years including the Egypt VC Summit, the Scale Up to Green Accelerator, the CVC Builder Program, and many more, Changelabs has now expanded its model beyond DFIs to corporates, offering a new solution that makes startup innovation directly accessible to large companies at accessible rates. This solution includes incubators, accelerators, hackathons, bootcamps, trainings and other innovation programs meant to help corporates gain access to new startup innovation, identify new value-adding partnerships with startups and SMEs, help develop their corporate VC arms, and…
Safety Point Egypt, a leading provider of industrial and safety solutions, has announced a strategic partnership with CorporateStack Egypt, a regional leader in digital transformation and business management solutions across the Middle East and Africa. Digital Transformation The partnership comes as Safety Point Egypt celebrates its 50th anniversary—a milestone marking five decades of leadership, innovation, and commitment to excellence. This collaboration signifies a bold step forward in Safety Point’s journey toward digital modernization, positioning technology and automation at the heart of its future growth strategy. Through this strategic alliance, CorporateStack Egypt will implement its comprehensive digital transformation suite, encompassing Enterprise…
BasharSoft, the company behind Egypt’s leading online job platforms Wuzzuf and Forasna, announced the full acquisition of iCareer, Egypt’s largest consultancy specializing in providing large-scale employment programs and career solutions. The acquisition also expands BasharSoft’s influence beyond Egypt, enabling deeper penetration into the GCC markets, where both companies had already begun operations. Earlier this year, BasharSoft officially launched in Saudi Arabia, marking the start of a regional growth strategy that aims to serve millions more job seekers and employers across MEA. Online Job Marketplaces Founded in 2009, BasharSoft has connected over 9 million job seekers with more than 100,000 employers,…
Saudi Arabia-based TabSense has secured $5 million in its first funding round led by Jasoor Ventures to launch an AI Agentic Point of Sale (PoS) system for multi-branch and franchise restaurants and cafes. Innovation The new funding will be used to accelerate product innovation, expand regional sales, and grow its full-stack engineering and AI teams to further advance its agentic intelligence capabilities. AI Agentic PoS Founded in 2024 by Mohammed Jaber, Mohammad Khleifat, Shadi Daboor and Mohamad Ababatain, TabSense provides an AIAgentic PoS, a system powered by intelligent AI agents that act like digital employees, helping restaurants and cafes scale…
COREangels MEA, operated under PTS Holdings, has been named as “Best Angel Network in Africa” at the AESIS 2025 Awards, hosted during the ABAN Congress — Africa’s most influential gathering of investors, innovators, and ecosystem leaders. This milestone recognizes COREangels MEA’s exceptional role in building a safe, transparent, and effective bridge between Africa’s promising startups and global investors, enabling founders and unlocking new pathways for sustainable growth across the continent. COREangels MEA is a $10 million pre-seed fund dedicated to supporting early-stage innovation across the Middle East and Africa (MEA). Operating through a collaborative venture studio model, it connects global…
Cairo-based AI company Nanovate raises $1M in a pre-seed funding round led by a group of angel investors this October, only 9 months after the company officially started operations. About Nanovate Founded by Nancy Madbouly and Ahmed Gamal, Nanovate is an AI technology company focused on developing end-to-end Arabic AI solutions: advanced voice and chat AI agents, automation systems, and customized AI solutions that help businesses across MENA operate faster, smarter, and in 22 dialects of their own language. The startup is backed by MINT Incubator by EG Bank, and Raya FutureTECH Accelerator. Nanovate was selected as one of the…
Chari, the YC-backed startup founded in 2020 by husband-and-wife duo Ismael Belkhayat (ex-BCG) and Sophia Alj (ex-McKinsey), has closed a $12M Series A round—the largest Series A ever raised in Morocco. The round was led by SPE Capital and Orange Ventures, with participation from Verod-Kepple, Global Founders Capital, Plug and Play, Endeavor Catalyst, Pincus Capital, Al Khwarizmi Ventures, UM6P Ventures, Axian Group, Uncovered fund, AfriMobility, P1 Ventures, Reflect Ventures, Dragon Capital, MyAsia VC, Harambean prosperity fund and H&S Invest holding. In addition, several high-profile business angels joined the round, including Michael Lahyani (Founder of Property Finder) and Karim Beguir (Founder…
WideBot AI, the leading Arabic artificial intelligence company specializing in enterprise and government solutions, has officially launched WhatsApp Business Voice Calls through its WideBot AI Voice Agent, becoming the first Arab company in the Middle East to offer this technology to clients across the region. Institutional Communication This milestone marks a major leap in institutional communication, enabling governments and large enterprises to interact directly with citizens and customers through WhatsApp voice calls — the most widely used communication channel in the region — powered by an intelligent Arabic-speaking AI voice agent capable of understanding multiple dialects, responding in real time,…
NtegralOne Solutions and Giga Computing, a subsidiary of GIGABYTE and an industry leader in high-performance server solutions, today announced a strategic partnership to deliver cutting-edge AI computing infrastructure to the Egyptian market. The agreement, officially signed at GITEX Global 2025 at the Giga Computing Booth (Hall H10), designates NtegralOne Solutions as Giga Computing’s first Preferred Reseller in Egypt, focusing exclusively on high-demand, NVIDIA-certified systems for Enterprise AI. The partnership is strategically timed to support Egypt’s accelerating digital transformation, particularly following the launch of the Egypt National AI Strategy 2025. “This partnership signifies a major step forward for the Egyptian AI…
Today, Nice Deer is pleased to announce that it has joined the United Nations Global Compact Network Egypt, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative dedicated to the development, implementation, and disclosure of responsible business practices. By joining this initiative, Nice Deer proudly stands alongside more than 25,493 companies from over 167 countries, all committed to taking responsible business action and shaping the world we all want. The UN Global Compact calls on businesses everywhere to align their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles covering the areas of human rights, labour, environment, and anti-corruption, and to take action in…
In a strategic collaboration aimed at accelerating Egypt’s digital payment transformation, PayTabs Egypt, an award-winning provider of payment orchestration infrastructure and digital payment solutions, has partnered with Valu, MENA’s leading universal financial technology powerhouse, to introduce the Valu merchant app. The app is a smart, contactless payment solution, thoughtfully designed and tailored for Egypt’s dynamic retail landscape. Through this partnership, Valu’s growing network of merchants can now accept payments straight from their smartphones, without traditional POS hardware. This ensures a fast, simple, and modern payment experience that reflects the evolving needs of Egypt’s retail landscape. “This partnership is a meaningful…
Gainz, a leading fintech platform bridging the SME financing gap across the MENA region, announced today its strategic partnership with Cassbana, a regional embedded finance and digital lending platform that powers trade finance for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). This collaboration will unlock new financing opportunities for MSMEs across the GCC enabling them to access fast, Shariah-compliant funding through Gainz’s alternative credit infrastructure and Cassbana’s technology-driven distribution network. Together, the two companies are building a smarter, more inclusive financial ecosystem that allows small businesses to grow, trade, and thrive with confidence. “Our partnership with Cassbana aligns perfectly with our…
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. Annual Investors Congress 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…
In a landmark move that reflects both vision and responsibility, SEKEM has announced the extension of health insurance coverage to 40,000 farmers across its community. This step not only safeguards the wellbeing of thousands of individuals who form the backbone of Egypt’s agricultural sector, but also reinforces SEKEM’s commitment to advancing its mission through meaningful impact across its three foundational pillars: economic, social, and cultural development. Ambitious initiative This ambitious initiative is being carried out through Ecohealth in Cooperation with EBDA (Egyptian Biodynamic Assoziation), SEKEM’s dedicated health arm, and digitally enabled by the Nice Deer Platform, Egypt’s leading InsurTech solution.…
In one of the most impactful collaborations shaping the region’s youth empowerment landscape, Sprints, the AI-powered EdTech innovator, partnered with Microsoft Ambassadors to deliver a fully-funded, career-transforming tech-equipping and upskilling learning experience under the Sprints x Microsoft Summer Camp initiative — and the results have been extraordinary. In just two months, the initiative attracted 35,000+ applicants, with thousands of youth successfully completing immersive, hands-on training that equipped them with future-ready technology skills and the confidence to excel in the digital economy. The program delivered 10 specialized learning tracks: DevOps, Web Development, Software Testing, Programming using Python, AI & Machine Learning,…
Entlaq announced the launch of its new platform “Arqam”, the first fully integrated Egyptian platform for data analytics and market intelligence, designed to reshape the national economic landscape. The platform aims to provide advanced tools for data visualization, analysis, and reporting—enhancing decision-makers’ ability to build policies and business plans grounded in reliable data. Egypt’s economic transformation Arqam aspires to become a primary driver of Egypt’s economic transformation by making high-quality data accessible in a simple and flexible manner, thereby contributing to national growth, job creation, investment attraction, and improved governance. The platform’s mission is built on the principle that accurate…
The third edition of the Entlaq Summit officially launched today in El Gouna to announce the Egyptian Entrepreneurship Sector Diagnostic Report (SDR 2025). The event is held under the auspices of the Ministerial Group for Entrepreneurship, the Ministry of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation, the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Authority, and in partnership with several leading institutions supporting the ecosystem. Egypt Startup Charter Her Excellency Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, delivered a speech through a recorder video, emphasizing that the Egypt…
MNT-Halan, the leading and fastest-growing fintech platform in Egypt and the MENA region, has launched Egypt’s first secured lending solution offered by a non-banking financial institution. The new service enables customers to instantly access up to 80% of their investments in funds through a fully digital journey on the Halan App. Major Milestone This marks a major milestone in Egypt’s non-banking sector, offering customers liquidity without interrupting the growth of their investments. Through an end-to-end digital experience (eKYC) from onboarding and investing to credit limit activation, customers can unlock an instant credit limit of up to EGP 500,000 on their…
Entlaq today announced the launch of the third edition of the Egyptian Entrepreneurship Sector Diagnostic Report (SDR 2025), taking place from 25 to 26 September 2025 in El Gouna, the fully integrated coastal town by Orascom Development. The high-level summit is organized under the patronage of the Ministerial Committee for Entrepreneurship, the Ministry of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation, and the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade. Abu Tig Marina This year’s edition will be hosted at Abu Tig Marina in El Gouna. It will also mark the launch of the town’s newest venue, Abu Tig Island, a distinctive…