RiseUp hosted its annual press conference on the 20th of November to announce the activities and tracks that will be covered in its 2016 Summit that will be held from December 9 to 11 at Downtown Cairo. The upcoming RiseUp Summit will host more than 5 competitions and satellite events, startup station [exhibition], pitching competitions, networking events, workshops inspiring talks, and panel discussions.
The one-stop-shop entrepreneurship summit will put all of the hosted special events into four main tracks during the three days of the summit:
1. FinTech: the intersection of technology with financial products and services.
2. CleanTech: the intersection of technology with environment, such as renewable energy, recyclables, water, and food.
3. Creative Economy: the intersection of technology, business modules, and creative industries like music, film, design, fashion – making Creative Economy the heart of 21st century business innovation.
4. Science & Technology Innovation: the intersection of science and tech innovation which will transform our daily lives and the world, including Nanotechnology, Smart Transportation, HealthTech, and Big Data.
Joining the summit are investors, speakers, and startups from all around the world to share their expertise and experiences with all the attendees. This year, representatives from world-known entities like Sony, U.K.’s Goldsmith University, Uber, Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft, and IBM will be participating in various activities.
Looking at it from a macro perspective, Abdelhameed Sharara, Co-founder and CEO of RiseUp, explained how the fast-growing startups are the tool to develop and improve the current economic situation in Egypt, and might also bring back tourism to Egypt.
Con O’Donnell, RiseUp’s CCO and also one of its co-founders, explained during the conference that every attendee will have a different experience this year, tailored specially for them – calling it Engineered Serendipity. “This year, we are getting to know each person, who they are, what they need, and what they are looking for at the Summit, so that we can match them up with as many resources as possible to help them benefit the most from the 3-day summit. Tailoring experiences will maximize the opportunities to learn for every entrepreneur, startup, student, investor, and general attendee,” express O’Donnell.
To implement the strategy of engineered serendipity, RiseUp has partnered with Elves, who is providing the ticketing platform for the summit this year through a conversation on Facebook Messenger. “Instead of buying a ticket off of a website, by chatting with an actual person [an elf], Elves will help you buy the ticket to the summit and guide you to attend the tracks that will benefit and interest you the most,” said Karim Elsahy, Founder of Elves.
Also participating in the press conference was one of RiseUp’s success stories – Mumm, the online platform connecting home-cooks with the masses. Knowing the importance of the summit, Waleed Abdelrahman shared how the journey of Mumm started during last year’s RiseUp Summit where he had met his investing company. “We are lucky to have launched during RiseUp, which is why this year we are truly being part of the experience in a variety of activities and also as exhibitors.” As many other startups, Mumm has given the opportunity to economically empower home-based women.
Ending the conference with a positive note, Sharara expressed his excitement to host another successful summit, bringing global speakers, investors, and startups to the heart of Cairo. “It is our role as the entrepreneurship ecosystem to continue to strongly build this community, and to put a positive spotlight on Egypt,” he expressed.
