Plug and Play and ITIDA Partnership Puts Upper Egypt Startups on the Global Investment Map

Karima El Hakim, the Executive Partner of Plug and Play Egypt, shared some exciting news at the closing ceremony of the "Aswan Camps Series" program. She said, "We are so proud of our partnership with ITIDA in making this program happen! It's a fantastic example of how government and private sectors can team up to really boost startups in Upper Egypt and shine a light on the incredible potential of entrepreneurs in these areas." She added, "The amazing progress we've seen in the participating companies, especially those from Upper Egypt, truly highlights the huge capabilities Egyptian entrepreneurs have. We're really looking forward to continuing our support and connecting them with global investment networks." El Hakim's comments came at the end of a program that has been running since November 2024. Its main goal was to support 61 tech startups from Upper Egypt's governorates, focusing on training entrepreneurs and linking them with investors both locally and internationally. The program was a huge success, attracting investments totaling around 200 million Egyptian Pounds! This really shows how much confidence investors have in Upper Egypt's companies and their potential to grow and expand. This program is a key part of the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA)'s bigger plan to supercharge entrepreneurship across all Egyptian governorates. They're building a complete system to support innovation through their "Creativa" network, which includes 24 centers all over the country. Plus, they have the EgyptInnovate digital platform, which connects startups with investors and markets. ITIDA also confirmed that they're not stopping here! They're continuing their efforts to expand these initiatives to the Delta governorates very soon. They plan to strengthen cooperation between the public and private sectors even more, making sure that as many entrepreneurs as possible benefit from these awesome support and training programs. This will help startups compete better not just in Egypt, but regionally and globally too!