RiseUp Summit 3 Transformational Days: Innovation.Domination.Inspiration

RiseUp Summit this year, proved again to be the perfect opportunity awaiting entrepreneurs, providing them with a favorable environment to seize opportunities. In 3 full days of inspiration, startups gathered with investors, industry experts, and professionals to share their brilliant ideas and build valuable connections. There were a lot of insights that supported entrepreneurs to #powerthrough and further develop their projects and business ventures.

A Gathering of Innovative Minds

Known as the largest innovation and entrepreneurship summit in the MENA region, RiseUp Summit is also a premiere destination for those seeking inspiration and entrepreneurial insights. This year, RiseUp Summit 2024, exceeded expectations in its 11th edition. There were unique business ideas and transformative concepts from various industries, fostering a great opportunity for collaboration and exchange of knowledge.

AI Dominates RiseUp’s Pitch by the Pyramids

Three amazing finalist startups competed on the RiseUp Summit stage, pitching the unique approach that sets them apart from the competition and providing solutions to existing problems in their industries. The three startups were using the power of Artificial Intelligence.

• Lisan AI: An AI writing platform that offers proofreading and grammar checking for Arabic writers helping them create exceptional content.
• Venu.ai: The First Platform in the MENA region that was created to bring people together where it allows venues to list their locations in one place, and customers can search the platform compare, and book their perfect space for their meetings or events.
• Step Inside: The First Virtual Commerce Platform in MENA with Augmentation Reality and VR technology which offers a unique and innovative shopping experience where customers can explore the store and try out products before they buy.

The Winner of the Pitch: Venu.ai

After presenting their innovative ideas and solutions to a panel of esteemed judges including Brenton Naicker, Principal and Head of Growth (Africa) at CV VC, and Heba Ali, Tech Investor and Development Economist, Venu.ai’s pitch was announced as the winner as they were able to stand out and dominate the competition with their idea.

Important Key Lessons and Insights

From informative keynote speeches to valuable panel discussions, the Summit Stages were full of inspiration and growth vibes. There were lots of important insights focusing on entrepreneurship, creativity, investment, technology, and business growth that can guide entrepreneurs on a journey of development and growth.

Inspiration from the Creative Stage

On the Creative Stage, distinguished speakers explored essential topics related to creativity in several industries, and offered personal insights and experiences.

• There were interesting panel discussions about the Art of Visual Storytelling and the power of visual expression to connect with the Music Composer and Creative Director of Kharma Works, Hisham Kharma, along with Nesma El-Shazly, Founder and CEO of Stardust PR, and Shosha Kamal, Multidisciplinary Designer at Shosha Kamal Design House.
• Another special panel discussion focused on women’s entrepreneurship in the creative sector, with Heba Shunbo and Nira Shunbo, co-founders of Four Fat Ladies, and Clair Seffeen, Founder of The Design Narratives & Story Concept Store. They discussed the key challenges and important concepts for success. Heba Shunbo, highlighted an important tip for startups which is the need for having a good lawyer in partnerships.
• Other creative professionals shared their stories and insights like Aly Mazhar, founder of Befit 360, who mentioned his journey in establishing his gym franchise emphasizing the importance of creating a supportive environment.
• An eye-opening discussion mentioned the trending topic, the Podcast, and its misconceptions, as well as the challenges and opportunities that podcasters now have. Islam Adel, Co-Founder and CEO of TPP, Dina Ghabbour, Investor at GB, Shady Sherif, Founder & Host of Grow Talks Podcast, Ziad Aly, Host of The 2043 Podcast, and Alaa El Sheikh, Creative Director of FP7 McCann Cairo, all provided invaluable insights about the future of podcasting.
• Another so interesting topic was Mobilizing creativity, where the panel highlighted the concept of creating videos using only mobile phones.
• Daniel Gonzales, Animator at Pixar Animation Studios, also mentioned his inspiring story on how he lived a hard childhood and how he was able to reach Pixar and work on many of their projects.
• Martin Coppola, Creative Director at Lego Company, he mentioned that creative ideas come from strong collaborations and that culture is what makes their clients trust them and what they do.

Inspiration from the Capital Stage

There were many informative panels discussing trade, investment, and real estate topics.

• One of the insightful tips by Mohamed Swilam, GM of Roche, was on the importance of the purpose “the why” when scaling up a business.
• Panelists including Numan Numan, The General partner and founder at 212, Amer Fatayer, Managing Director at Dubai Future District Fund, Ayman Essawy, CEO and Co-Founder of Connect Money, and Ahmed Hazem Dakroury, Managing Director at Falak, discussed the importance of forming strong partnerships between investors and founders and the best practices to achieve this.
• Abdallah Sallam, President and CEO of Madinet Masr, mentioned that real estate is essential for all businesses, the place you work in actually reflects on your productivity and creativity.
• There were insights from visionary investors on overcoming challenges and contributing to Egypt’s economic growth.
• The power of data and AI integration was also emphasized by Speakers and how to integrate AI in the analysis of that data.

Inspiration from the Tech Stage

The tech part is always the entrepreneur’s best friend or worst enemy. Many insights were shared about the technological advancements, and scaling up through economic turbulence were shared.

• In a keynote speech, Jeanie Fang, Director of Data and AI Management at Crunchbase, talked about the importance of adding the human touch to AI implementation, this will make AI a big support for human work instead of a replacement for them.
• From the transportation and logistics industry, Karim Eldeeb, the Chief Operating Officer of Bosta, Ahmed Elkawass, the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, Samer Gharaibeh, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Mylerz, Mohamed Younes, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Khazenly, and Mohamed Mossaad, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Flextock, all gathered to explore the integration of cutting-edge techniques within their respective businesses. They discussed innovative approaches for driving operational efficiency and offering personalized logistics solutions.
• Co-founder and CMO of Nawy, Abdelazim Osman, shared the secrets of how to scale your startups despite uncertain times.

Inspiration Throughout RiseUP Summit

The Inspiration did not only come from the stages but it was all around. From connecting and talking with entrepreneurs to watching the amazing spirit all over the place. One of the inspirations came from an idea that was created by OCTI VAULT, Egypt’s 1st smart and fully automated power bank rental platform.

To prevent you from missing any important shots and memories, several OCTI VAULT stations were offering the service at the Summit, whenever you move you will find a station with portable chargers supporting all mobile types, you can rent and return it free of charge for the first 3 hours and you can pay extra fees to be deducted from your credit card in case you need more time.

The Memorable Unexpected Key Note Speech

The capital stage witnessed an unexpected Keynote speech by Prime Minister His Excellency Dr. Mostafa Madbouly on the final day of the Summit. Dr. Mostafa spoke about the strategic role of the growing startup ecosystem in Egypt and how this reflects on attracting global investments and supporting the Egyptian Economy and mentioned assertively the government’s commitment to supporting the startup ecosystem. With exclusive guests of honor, including H.E Dr. Mostafa Madbouly – Egyptian Prime Minister, H.E Dr. Amr Talat – Minister of Communications and Information Technology – H.E Dr. Hala H. El Said – Minister of Planning and Economic Development, and H.E Rania A. Al Mashat – the Minister of International Cooperation, the summit demonstrated more commitment to supporting the startup ecosystem.

Breaking the Ice: The Startup Padel Cup

At RiseUp Summit, as networking is key, entrepreneurs and professionals seize the chance to expand their networks, seeking out potential collaborations and investment opportunities. A new feature was added this year at the Summit by RiseUp in collaboration with Partment as a new way to connect entrepreneurs and investors.

The Startup Padel Cup, was a fun competition that took place on the Capital Stage, where startup founders played a game of paddle with investors. The 1st place prize was awarded to Sprints and Wuzzuf on the Capital stage at the RiseUp Summit.

Supporting Entrepreneurs to Develop

On the capital stage on day 2, an announcement was made about, the Egypt Startup Community Scholarship (ESCS), a special scholarship presented by Agora School of Business in collaboration with RiseUp, designed to support aspiring entrepreneurs. Agora Business School is RiseUp Summit’s educational strategic partner. To support startups as they begin or pursue their entrepreneurial journey, all Summit attendees were offered a 20% discount to the Business MBA program at Agora School and a 25% referral discount.

Countdown: 12 Months for Riseup Summit 12^th edition

In a world where innovation and inspiration drive entrepreneurs, RiseUp Summit is constantly trying to send a powerful message that with determination, creative and strategic thinking, and networking emerging startups can succeed. As RiseUp Summit continues on its path of success, it serves as a main source of inspiration for entrepreneurs, connecting startups with the most relevant resources worldwide that can facilitate their journey and growth.

The three-day gathering left a lasting impression on attendees with the insights gained and the connections made, and now the countdown has started for RiseUp Summit 12^th edition and we can’t wait to see how they will exceed our expectations next year.