Celebrating the Newest Group of Entrepreneurs at AUC Venture Lab’s Fall 2019 Demo Day

Dedicated to the loving memory of Tarek Kamel, an internet visionary and pioneer as well as the former minister of communications and information technology for his legacy and good deeds that will remain inspiring for many others, the event celebrated the graduation of 23 startups pitching their creative business ideas.

The AUC Venture Lab Demo Day marks the graduation of entrepreneurs from the Startup Accelerator program and the Fintech Accelerator program. With an aim of celebrating the hard work of the entrepreneurs behind the startups over the last four months as well as their impact on the Egyptian ecosystem, the event gathers attendees ranging from investors, venture capitalists, media and community members to showcase the products and services of the incubated startups.

“This cycle, the AUC V-Lab has expanded its support as we celebrate our biggest cohort to date. We are working across a variety of sectors including fintech, healthcare, energy, e-commerce, and creative industries. In addition to deepening the knowledge and mentorship that we provide for our startups, we are working on enhancing the investment opportunities that they get by introducing our pipeline to AUC Angels and collaborating with Modus Capital who have committed to investing one million dollars in our graduates”, remarked Ayman Ismail, founding director of the AUC Venture Lab, endowed chair of entrepreneurship and associate professor of entrepreneurship.

The Startup Accelerator is a 16-week program that provides support for early-stage innovative startups to launch and grow their business using evidence-based entrepreneurship and lean startup methods. Startups graduating in the program’s Nestlé Cycle 13 were: ElectroBekia, Smart Sat7, Dizaria Energy, Turbo One, In3D, 3yadtty.com, Aldoctor App, CureTicket, EatHeal, Digifi, Nojoud, VisGo, D2D Art, T-Tangle, Jlood, SaveMnT, Elmazr3a, and Seventail.

On the other hand, the Fintech Accelerator is a 16-week customized program for financial technology (FinTech) startups providing entrepreneurs with specialized finance and technology support. FinTech entrepreneurs get to understand the ins and outs of working within the evolving government regulations and gain valuable insights from some of the smartest minds in the startup and FinTech worlds through intensive business training, networking events, mentor matchmaking, one on one business coaching and more. The program’s Fall 2019 startups are Amanleek, Know Me, PASSiD, MerQ, and SubsBase.

It is worth noting that the Fintech Accelerator program is powered by the Commercial International Bank (CIB) and in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), while the Startup Accelerator program is sponsored by the Arab African International Bank (AAIB), the Danish-Arab Partnership Programme (DAPP), Drosos Foundation, Modus Capital, Nestlé, Oxfam and Shell.

AUC Venture Lab is Egypt’s first university-based startup accelerator and a leading accelerator in the Middle East and Africa. The lab supports innovation-driven and passionate entrepreneurs looking to turn their solutions and technologies into viable businesses. Since 2013, they have accelerated more than 170 startups covering multiple sectors and believe in evidence-based entrepreneurship. With the support of their partners, they provide their entrepreneurs with the right business knowledge, industry expertise, tools, resources, and networks to connect with the entrepreneurial world and reach their full potential.

“As a School, we work on instilling an entrepreneurial culture in the society as a whole”, remarked dean Sherif Kamel. In point of fact, entrepreneurship is one of the School themes which it operates by, stemming from the belief that entrepreneurship is a vital engine for economic growth and job creation. It is for this reason that the AUC School of Business is continuously leading the efforts to enhance entrepreneurship education and develop programs and initiatives geared towards entrepreneurs.

To know more about this cycle’s Startup Accelerator Program’s graduates, visit this link

To know more about this cycle’s Fintech Accelerator Program’s graduates, visit this link