500 MENA

On March 24th, and under the auspices of H.E. Dr. Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology (Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), Egypt), Information Technology Industry Development Agency, ITIDA and 500 Global hosted the InnovAItion Sohour: Shaping Egypt’s AI Horizon at Creativa innovation hubs - The Factory. In light of Egypt’s newly launched National AI Strategy (2025–2030) by H.E. President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, the sohour brought together key stakeholders to explore the strategy’s impact on entrepreneurship, investment, and Egypt’s positioning as a regional AI leader. We opened with H.E. Dr. Amr Talaat, who highlighted the strategy and its role in enabling AI collaboration between the public and private sectors. Dr. Hoda Baraka, Advisor to the ICT Minister for Technological Talents Development, then presented how the strategy addresses data, technology, talent, and the elevation of multiple ecosystems in parallel. Dr. Noha Adly, Advisor to the ICT Minister for Research and Development, shared compelling insights into AI’s national impact—especially in healthcare, agriculture, natural resource management, and real estate registries. Our first panel, “Integrating AI: Best Practices for Adding AI-Powered Features,” featured: Gilan Felfela, Board Member of Trustees at Baheya Foundation Amr Fathy, Chief Technology and Information Officer at e& Egypt Islam Zekry, Group Chief Finance, Operations Officer, and Board Member at CIB Egypt Moderated by Dr. Haitham S. Hamza Hamza, Acting ITIDA-SECC Software Engineering Competence Center Chairman and Vice-Dean for Postgraduate and Research at Cairo University. The panel dove into how each organization is deploying AI to optimize efficiency and performance. Next up was our “Betting on AI: Insights on Winning Solutions and Fading Technologies” panel, featuring: Ahmed Abaza, CEO & Founder at Synapse Analytics Nour Taher, Co-Founder & CEO at intella Hesham Wahby, Managing Partner at Tektonik Ventures Omar Khashaba, General Partner at Algebra Ventures Moderated by Amal Enan, Partner at 500 Global This dynamic session explored where the investor and founder AI attention is heating up—and where it’s cooling down. We wrapped up with high-impact networking over sohour, sparking conversations and connections that will shape what’s next for AI in Egypt. Check the media library out for a glimpse of our amazing evening: https://lnkd.in/dpwKJiQP Ezzeddin H. Zahzah, Tiara C. Martinez, Dina Nour, Rola Y. Hassan & Karim Selim

It was a pleasure to join the "Betting on AI: Investors insights on winning solutions and fading technologies" panel under the auspices of H.E. Dr. Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology. If you know me, you know I’m a strong believer in the Egyptian ecosystem and its incredible talent. I’ll always be rooting for the underdogs—those building in our region with a global mindset, proving that innovation isn’t limited to Silicon Valley. When we first started, so many investors told us that big tech would crush us overnight. Four years later, those same companies are approaching us—discussing ways to collaborate and leverage our localized, Arabic-first models. My humble two cents to the builders out there: don’t get distracted by the AI hype, and don’t be intimidated by the big players. Find your differentiator, double down on it, and carve your space—there’s plenty of room to compete. Grateful to have shared the stage with Ahmed Abaza Omar Khashaba Hesham Wahby and Amal Enan—exciting times ahead for AI in MENA! Thank you Information Technology Industry Development Agency, ITIDA and 500 Global for bringing the ecosystem together for yet another great event!

#Egypt’s ???????????????? ???? ???????????????? to establish ?????? #AI #startups by 2030! Egypt is accelerating #AI startup growth under its ???????????????? ???? ???????????????? (2025-2030), combining policy, investment, and talent development to strengthen its AI ecosystem. During ?????????????? ??????????’?? ???? ??????????????, an event organised by Information Technology Industry Development Agency, ITIDA and venture capital firm 500 Global on Tuesday, officials reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to #AI-driven digital transformation and developing a thriving AI ecosystem. Empowering AI startups is a key pillar of Egypt’s strategy roadmap, ensuring #AI-driven solutions tackle challenges in healthcare, finance, agriculture, and cybersecurity. By fostering strong public-private collaboration, Egypt is positioning itself as an international hub for AI startups. ?? Egypt’s National AI Strategy (2025-2030) aims to help attract or form 250 new AI startups. ?? 157 startups are currently participating in 500 Global’s accelerator programmes. ?? 500 Global has invested in 65+ Egyptian startups, including AI-driven ventures. ?? Key focus areas: computing infrastructure, data governance, AI applications, and ecosystem growth. ?? Egypt is leveraging policy and investment incentives to attract AI enterprises and talent. Synapse Analytics,?intella,?Tektonik Ventures, and?Algebra Ventures also participated in Tuesday's event. Read the full story on Middle East AI News https://lnkd.in/dMzSMEgD ???????? ???? ?????? ?????? ???? ???????????? ??????????? ?????????? ?? ???? ???? ?????????????? ????????. Subscribe to the weekly ???????????? ???????? ???? ???????? email news digest: https://lnkd.in/dfkbFeVz Subscribe to the weekly ???????????? ???? ???????? email news digest: https://lnkd.in/dfkbFeVz #MiddleEastAINews [ 60% AI created | 40% Human created | Image credit ITIDA ]

I had the privilege of being part of an insightful panel discussion on “Integrating AI: Best Practices for Adding AI-Powered Features” at the recent InnovAItion Sohour event this weekday, under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Dr. Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology. It was an incredible opportunity to engage with fellow panelists Eng. Gilan Felfela, Dr. Islam Zekry, and our moderator Dr. Haitham S. Hamza, as we explored how businesses can responsibly adopt AI and leverage its capabilities to drive innovation. The event also shed light on Egypt's National AI Strategy (2025–2030) and the growing momentum of AI in our region. Proud to be part of the conversation shaping Egypt’s future as a regional AI leader. A big thank you to Information Technology Industry Development Agency, ITIDA and 500 Global for organizing such an impactful event, fostering collaboration between startups, investors, and government bodies to accelerate AI-driven growth. #InnovAItionSohour #EgyptAI #DigitalEgypt #ITIDA #500Global #AILeadership?#eandegypt #goformore

Last Night | InnovAItion Suhoor: Shaping Egypt’s AI Horizon Under the auspices of H.E. Dr. Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, ITIDA and 500 Global gathered Egypt’s AI ecosystem at Creativa innovation hubs, Giza for a night of meaningful dialogue and future-focused collaboration. In his keynote, Dr. Amr Talaat emphasized Egypt’s goal to empower AI startups, expand talent pipelines, and attract investment through dynamic partnerships and ethical governance—guided by the National AI Strategy (2025–2030). Eng. Ahmed Elzaher, CEO of ITIDA, affirmed the agency’s role in building a connected ecosystem that supports innovation and drives responsible AI adoption. The evening featured two thought-provoking panels: - “Integrating AI: Best Practices for Adding AI-Powered Features” with Eng. Gilan Felfela, Eng. Amr Fathy, Dr. Islam Zekry, moderated by Dr. Haitham S. Hamza. - “Betting on AI: Investors’ Insights on Winning Solutions and Fading Technologies” with Eng. Ahmed Abaza, Nour Taher, Eng. Hesham Wahby, Omar Khashaba, moderated by Amal Enan. Together with presentations from Dr. Hoda Baraka and Dr. Noha Adly, the event spotlighted Egypt’s growing momentum as a regional AI leader. #InnovAItionSohour #EgyptAI #DigitalEgypt #ITIDA #500Global #AILeadership #JustInTimeForEgypt

We had the pleasure of attending InnovAItion Sohour: Shaping Egypt’s AI Horizon, an inspiring event hosted by ITIDA & 500 Global MENA, under the patronage of Dr. Amr Talaat Minister of Communications and Information Technology Information Technology Industry Development Agency, ITIDA The discussions around Egypt’s National AI Strategy (2025-2030) highlighted exciting opportunities for startups, investments, and AI adoption—solidifying Egypt’s position as a regional AI powerhouse. It was also a great chance to connect with fellow founders from AUC V-Lab and Scale by AI , exchanging insights and experiences. A huge thank you to the amazing team behind this event Reem,500 MENA making it another memorable gathering! Looking forward to what’s ahead!

?? In Part 2 of Founder X, we sat down with Ezzeddin H. Zahzah, Program Director at 500 Global, to get his take on one of the hottest debates in the startup world: Do solo founders stand a real chance? ?? He also took us back to where it all began — the journey of 500 Global in the region and how it evolved into one of the most impactful programs for founders. ??? Powered by Business Hubs ? Don’t miss Part 3 dropping tomorrow at 5:00 PM (Cairo time) where we’ll break down the full startup ecosystem — from government stakeholders to private sector players. You don’t want to miss this one! #FounderX #500Global #Startups #Entrepreneurship #EcosystemBuilders #BusinessHubs #CairoStartups

?? In Part 3 of Founder X, we dive deeper with Ezzeddin H. Zahzah Program Director at 500 Global, into the full picture of the startup ecosystem. How do government entities, private sector players, and support organizations truly shape a founder’s journey? And are they doing enough? Ezz shares a candid take on what’s working — and what’s not — when it comes to enabling real startup growth in our region. ??? Powered by Business Hubs #FounderX #500Global #StartupEcosystem #PublicPrivatePartnership #Entrepreneurship #BusinessHubs #EcosystemBuilders

Had the pleasure of attending InnovAItion Sohour: Shaping Egypt’s AI Horizon, hosted by Information Technology Industry Development Agency, ITIDA & 500 Global 500 MENA under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology. Great insights on Egypt’s National AI Strategy (2025-2030) and its impact on startups, investment, and AI adoption. Exciting times ahead for Egypt as a regional AI hub! Special thanks for the team for a great event as usual Reem Nourhan Tiara Ezzeddin Dina Rola ???????? Sharing a key moment from the event. #AI #Innovation #Egypt #Entrepreneurship

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