Rinchi
TechInAfrica – More than a half-decade ago, only fewer female tech founders you could find in Egypt. Now, you can see a growing number of women-led startups in the country. The number increased by 8 percent between 2009 and 2017, from 3 percent to 11 percent. No wonder the country produces one to three startups winning the applications for Accelerating program, like the Womentum Accelerato for instance.
The Womentum Accelerato is a 4-month program designed to encourage potential startups from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The program is one of the most important accelerating programs in the region. As a result, the founders appeared on the program experienced great recognition from the public, including the increase in website traffic.
The program is aimed at early-stage ventures. Selected founders participated in a two-week in-person session in Berlin, Germany to help them establish their products and business model. They will also get virtual “womentorship” sessions and a two-week bootcamp in Dubai. During this bootcamp, they will have the opportunity to get connected to investors and global markets. Selected startups will be awarded $100,000 from Womena and $60,000 from Standard Chartered.
According to Womentum MD, Christina Andreassen, Egypt is considered as one of the fastest-growing startup communities in the Middle East. It accounted for 35% of this year’s Womentum application.
This year’s Womentum program, Egypt has three startups as finalists. They are fast-growing women-led tech startups among the eight finalists of Womentum Accelerator second cycle. The three startups are:
- FreshSource – It was founded by Farah Amara and Omar Emara, aiming at connecting smallholder farms to bigger markets that targeting improved food supply chain in Egypt. The startup aligns with the Egyptian government’s move on a digitalized agricultural system.
- Chefaa – An AI-powered on-demand platform for pharmaceuticals founded by Doaa Aref and Rasha Rady. It provides medicines and delivers them to chronically ill patients via a smart search engine. To date, Chefaa has taken care of 77,000 requests from 27,000 patients.
- Pas-sport – A matchmaking platform founded by Nada Zaher, Youssef Hammoud, and Rami El-Erian. Pas-sport connects international athletes with sports scholarships at US universities and colleges.
This year’s Womentum Accelerator is the second cycle of the program and the eight finalists had been announced in June. The eight finalists included the three startups from Egypt, Maj Solution (Lebanon), Luxury Promise (UAE), Dimension 14 (UAE), MakerBrane (Lebanon), and Dabchy (Tunisia).
