Tarek El-Kady, the founder of Techne Summit for Entrepreneurship, said this year’s summit will take place as a hybrid event, with 10,000 participants expected to attend either physically or through virtual sessions.
The Summit will take place from 7 to 9 November at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, under the auspices of several Egyptian government entities.
These include: the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology; the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce (FEDCOC); the Digital Economy and Technology General Division (DETGD); the Information Technology Industry Development Authority (ITIDA); and other companies, including Axa Insurance, Inertia and Huawei.
El-Kady said that the new system will provide a good opportunity for the participation of international experts and specialists in the technology sector.
He also said that this year’s summit aims to focus on methods of using technology to overcome barriers, or develop specific products or services through discussions and workshops. These will deal with a range of topics, including e-commerce services and medical solutions, and, for the first time, the electronic games sector and sports technology solutions.
He added that there will be more than 200 speakers at the summit, including local and international personalities. The list is headed by Egypt’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat and Swedish ambassador in Cairo Jan Thesleff. Representatives will also attend from Microsoft, AXA, Inarchia, Eva Pharma, PepsiCo and Sawari Ventures for Venture Capital, as well as the President of the European Union of Angel Investors.
El-Kady added that the 2020 session will hold four competitions, including for startups, the winner of which will travel to the US city of San Francisco, and which will be provided an investment opportunity worth $1m.
The business acceleration competition will take place at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology’s Technology Innovation Center. A competition organised by the Swedish Embassy in Cairo will focus on emerging companies working in medical solutions, while AXA will launch a fourth competition to enable entrepreneurs in the medical sector, which will see the winner travel to France.
El-Kady said that the summit aims to shed light on how to invest in emerging companies and identify promising opportunities in economic sectors for investors, investment funds, and risk. This will take place under the auspices of GIZ Egypt, and will see the participation of nine countries from the Mediterranean investor group. It will also see the participation and follow-up of 15 to 20 investment funds specialised in startup financing.
The Techne Summit for Entrepreneurship is a platform that includes all parties supporting the entrepreneurial community in Egypt through six pillars, including universities, the government, investors, mentors, and legal, and accounting service providers.
