Issue #21: A busy Techtember at Synapse ??

Techtember might have come and gone, but it surely left a lasting impact! We know that September has become synonymous with significant tech announcements. And guess what??Your favorite tech company is right on track with this global trend!

From summits and?panels, to?strategic partnerships and publications,?this edition of our September newsletter has?exciting updates and unveilings that will keep you at the forefront of technological advancements in the region.

Grab a pumpkin spice latte and dive in!

In this issue: ?

I. CREALOGIX Partnership Announcement

II. Stages and Summits:? The Enterprise Company Finance Summit, Startup Grind New Cairo , Creative Industry Summit , Plug and Play Africa , STEM Entrepreneurship Center

III. Synapsers exhibiting at Seamless Middle East and CloudTech Summit

IV. Synapsers at Hub71 's Techstars bootcamp in Abu Dhabi

V. How will AI impact the gig economy in MENA? Galal Elbeshbishy weighs in for Fast Company Middle East

VI. tQ Publication: On the promise and perils of LLMs in MENA

VII. The future of HealthTech: use cases and ethical considerations

I. CREALOGIX Partnership Agreement

Synapse Analytics proudly?announced the commencement of a strategic partnership agreement with CREALOGIX, effectively bringing together two industry leaders to drive innovation and create a powerful synergy in the field of banking and financial technologies.

CREALOGIX is a publicly-listed Swiss company, headquartered in Zürich; and Synapse Analytics is an Egyptian company, headquartered in Cairo. Both companies will work together to provide banks and NBFIs with state-of-the-art financial technologies that aim to take digital customer relationships and revenues to the next level and deliver unparalleled value to clients and stakeholders alike.

As part of this partnership agreement, Synapse Analytics and CREALOGIX will leverage their complementary strengths and combined expertise by utilizing CREALOGIX’s Lending Origination Hub (“LOH”) and Synapse Analytics’ Decisioning & Workflow Engine, alternatively named Konan.

As the demand for fast, secure, and reliable banking and financial technologies experiences an exponential surge alongside the new wave of financial literacy, both companies are united in their mission to expand collaboratively across the entire MENA region. This marks an exciting chapter for both companies wherein they can bring their collective resources to bear on challenges and opportunities in the industry.

II. STAGES AND SUMMITS

1. Galal Elbeshbishy leading the conversation: This month, our COO and co-founder Galal Elbeshbishy dominated the discourse surrounding?technological advancements in the finance industry?at not one, but two?pivotal events.

Enterprise Finance Summit:?Alongside industry leaders?Basma Rady, Chief Data Scientist at Beltone Holding, and?Islam Zekry, Group CFO at?CIB Egypt, ?Larry Lerner, Partner at McKinsey & Company, and?Moustafa Bassiouny, at?The Enterprise Company, Galal explored the pivotal role of AI and Big Data in shaping the future of lending and access to finance.

STEM Entrepreneurship Center: In a panel discussion alongside?Ashraf Sabry, CEO of?Fawry, and?Mohamed El Nagar, Head of Strategy & Business Development at?Banque du Caire, Galal Elbeshbishy?provided invaluable insights into the importance of dynamic collaboration between regulatory bodies and Fintech startups.

2. Ahmed Abaza at?Startup Grind: Our CEO and co-founder Ahmed Abaza (aka our ‘AI Guru’) gave a riveting (and highly informative!)?presentation at Startup Grind New Cairo about how best to leverage AI for business growth and entrepreneurial strategy.?

3. Aliah Yacoub at Creative Industry Summit: ?Aliah Yacoub, our AI philosopher and head of techQualia, had the pleasure of moderating a panel on ‘Art, AI, and Digital Ownership’ at the?Creative Industry Summit. The panel examined the intricate relationship between emerging tech and art, emphasizing the importance of robust copyright protection and ethical considerations.

4. Mohamed Abaza at Plug and Play: Mohamed Abaza , our Growth Manager, got to take part in?Plug and Play Africa’s flagship event “Expo Day”. During the event, Abaza discussed ?lending in the B2B space and the impact of AI on businesses.

III. Synapse exhibiting at SEAMLESS KSA and CloudTech Summit

The Synapse Analytics team had a pleasure showcasing their cutting-edge solutions and contributing to the vibrant tech ecosystem by exhibiting at Seamless in Riyadh and CloudTech Summit FORTE CLOUD in Cairo.

From highlighting how AI can create better, more inclusive, and less risky credit assessments for both individuals and SMEs (alongside our new partners CREALOGIX), to flaunting AzkaVision's newest features and analytics, there was surely a lot to showcase.?

IV. Synapsers at Hub71's Bootcamp

Our Commercial Manager Marwan Eleskandarani and Product Growth Manager Ahmed Rayan had an incredible time representing Synapse Analytics at Hub71 x Techstars EMEA bootcamp in Abu Dhabi. The dynamic duo, otherwise known as Synapse's Jim and Dwight, gained a wealth of knowledge at the bootcamp and certainly left an impression.

V. How will AI impact the gig economy in MENA? Elbeshbishy weighs in

Earlier in September. our co-founder and COO,?Galal Elbeshbishy, lent?his insights to?Fast Company Middle East?on the subject of automation and labor. You can read the full article by May Elhabachi by clicking the link here!

Despite AI’s growth, human oversight remains crucial, especially in creative fields like marketing. Challenges like localized content creation still require human touch. Overall, AI’s impact on work is undeniable, and upskilling is essential for staying relevant in the evolving job market.

VI. tQ publication: On the promise and perils of LLMs

-?Deception, dependence, and distrust in LLMs:?What are the psychological repercussions of LLM-reliance in MENA?

LLMs, such as the all-popular ChatGPT, are quickly becoming invaluable tools. But are we starting to grow too dependent on them in MENA? And what are some of the psychological and developmental consequences of our over-reliance on them?

Diminished problem-solving skills, hindered capacity for critical thinking, and extreme social isolation. These are some of the risks associated with the unchecked reliance on LLMs. To leverage their transformative capabilities while continuing to nurture our cognitive skills as well as our intra- and interpersonal relations, we must direct our attention to AI literacy and robust regulations.

Click the link here to join?Salma Magdi?Elhabachi in the newest tQ publication??as she explores the promise, pitfalls, and persuasive powers of LLMs in MENA.

VII. The future of HealthTech in MENA?

The rapidly growing HealthTech landscape in the MENA region has surpassed a staggering valuation of $1.5 billion. Are you curious about the remarkable and transformative influence that AI could wield within the healthcare sector across MENA?

The techQualia team has prepared visual aids and infographics to guide you through the pertinent use cases as well as the ethical considerations in the healthtech industry.? Stay informed by clicking here to learn more about Healthcare and AI in MENA from various esteemed guest writers of tQ.

VII. A CALL FOR WRITERS ?

Do you want to write for techQualia??We publish at the intersection between tech and society—the human mind and its artificial counterpart. If you have an idea that you think bridges the gap between the tech scene’s empirical study of AI and philosophy’s reflective study of human experience in the world, you’ve come to the right place.

We welcome pitches for feature articles, reviews, or blog posts with a word length between 800 and 1500 words. If you find it fascinating, we probably will too!

If you are interested in submitting a pitch for us to consider, head over to our website and fill in the form below.