The Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat has met with the graduates of the first round of Startup Launchpad program, through videoconference.
Startup Launchpad is an initiative that aims to boost the technological innovation industry in Egypt through building young people’s capacity in entrepreneurship to carry out projects based on innovative technological solutions.
The program is provided through the Information Technology Industry Development Authority (ITIDA), in collaboration with the American University in Cairo (AUC) Venture Lab, which is a member of the Babson Collaborative for Entrepreneurship Education of Babson College in the U.S., the world’s top educational institution for administration and entrepreneurship.
During the meeting, the ICT Minister highlighted that the program was launched as part of the efforts of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) to create an environment for fostering entrepreneurship, and a science-based, innovation-driven community, in line with the global standards.
Talaat met with some of the entrepreneurs enrolled in the program, during the training period, where he listened to their views and proposals on developing the program in the future.
The Dean of the Babson Academy for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurial Learning Amir Reza stated that Babson College aims to qualify the entrepreneurs who can create an added value, on economic and social levels, through a number of programs targeting students and graduates, as well as the Executive Education Program. The Babson Collaborative for Entrepreneurship Education includes 29 member institutions from 20 countries, he added.
AUC Venture Lab Director Ayman Ismail said that new courses are launched to allow more startups to join the program, and cover more governorates to support entrepreneurship nationwide. A large number of projects of the enrolled entrepreneurs will be incubated at the AUC Venture Lab and the Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (TIEC), added Ismail.
During the meeting, the top-performing startups presented their smart solutions and discussed the impact of the program on the development of their ideas. The startups include: Qme, an AI-based real-time digital queue management solution; EQUIBAND, a low cost fitness band for heavy machinery to optimize their utilization; and Gmind, a learning solution that helps primary and preparatory school students memorize educational material through digital games, helping eliminate tedious memorization techniques.
The meeting was attended by ITIDA CEO Amr Mahfouz, ITIDA Vice President and TIEC Chairperson Hossam Osman, entrepreneurs and startup founders, graduates of the program first round.
Startup Launchpad is an eight-week training program, at the end of which graduates receive a certificate of completion and specialization in entrepreneurship. Registration in the program second round is open until May 3.
It is worth mentioning that the ICT Minister met with the participants of the first round, in January. They agreed on meeting again after completing the program to present their ideas after their development. The graduates of the first round include 13 startups specializing in Artificial Intelligence (AI), data science, e-commerce platforms, cloud computing, and digital game, application and web development.
