42Geeks

Our day with RiseUp at the Giza Pyramids and The Grand Egyptian Museum very much deserved it's own separate post 😊 We started the day with the Giza Pyramids, where our Geeks got a serious workout exploring the tunnels inside. Of course, no visit would be complete without some quality time with the camels! The adventure continued at the breathtaking Grand Egyptian Museum for the evening pitch event. GEM is the world’s largest archaeological museum—spanning 120 acres and set to house over 100,000 artifacts! Thank you, RiseUp. It was an honor to work and spend time with you guys in Cairo 🇪🇬 👏 (Photo creds to Michael Blankenship's superb photography skills and his camera 😆) Upcoming tour: Northeast Europe / May 11 - 17, 2025 Helsinki, Tallinn Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/gmtjHxwP

Next up in Cairo, our amazing host, RiseUp, curated an action-packed day for our Geeks. We kicked things off with a tour of the Giza Pyramids then the adventure continued at the breathtaking Grand Egyptian Museum—where our pitch event took place! Geeks Meet the Pharaohs 2025 was made possible by the incredible RiseUp team—Malak El Masry, Ibrahim Heikal, Mariam Hatem, and the founder and CEO, Abdelhameed Sharara. Thank you to the startup founders that joined us for the evening and the RiseUp team, it was truly an exhilarating start to the East Africa Tour 🥰

East Africa, what an incredible tour! We are kicking off our tour recap with our first city: Cairo, Egypt 🇪🇬 Our first stop was The GrEEK Campus, an innovation hub in Cairo, Egypt. The campus provides workspaces for rent, for startups, as well as established local and multinational companies. We are beyond grateful for the GrEEK Campus team for such a warm welcome and for organizing a day of incredible panels - a big thank you to Nayra Elberry Hana Amr and Muhammad Nagi! Thank you for our speakers and panelists:  Egyptian Ecosystem Overview by Ameer Sherif (Founder, Chairman, BasharSoft) Egyptian Investment Landscape Panel: Bassem Raafat (Principal, A15) Ayman El Tanbouly(Co-founder & CEO, Exits MENA) Ahmed Hazem Dakroury (Managing Director, Falak Startups) Hany Al-Sonbaty (Managing Director, Sawari Ventures) Moderated by Nichol Bradford (Founder & Partner, NIREMIA Collective) Saudi - Egyptian Business Dynamic Panel: Bahy Aboelezz (Co-founder & CEO, Kijamii) Ahella El Saban (Co-Founder & V. Executive Chairman, Exits MENA) Dr. Khalid Alballaa (Founder & CEO, Elite Solutions MD) Ameer Sherif (Founder & Chairman, BasharSoft) Moderated by Dave McClure (Founder: Practical VC, 500 Startups, ex-PayPal, ex-Founders Fund) Female Founders Panel: Dalia Laz (Founder & CEO, Esorus) Malak El Masry (Director of Programs, RiseUp) Sabrina Salama (Head of MENA Partnerships, Seedstars)  Rania Ayman (Founder & CEO, Entreprenelle) The Role of the Egyptian Government in the Startup Ecosystem: Amr El Abd (CEO, Endeavor Egypt) Honorable Ambassador Hisham Badr (National Coordinator, National Initiative for Smart Green Projects) Moderated by Peter Wokwicz(CEO, Positron Capital Management) An amazing start to our Africa Tour and we couldn't have done it without The GrEEK Campus 🥰 Also, thank you to mobica. furniture for helping put together a great event space! Upcoming tour: Northeast Europe / May 11 - 17, 2025 Helsinki, Tallinn Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/gmtjHxwP

GeeksTap has returned from Africa! Join us this Wednesday with Eli Blee-Goldman! Why Every Founder Should be Using Design Sprint Originally developed at Google, the Design Sprint is a five-day process that helps teams design products, services, or features. Eli, Co-Founder and General Partner at Character Capital, will talk about how the Design Sprint can help founders save time and resources and how AI enhances the process. When: Wed February 26, 2025 @ 10AM CST Where: Zoom! Please register in advance on our website or in the comments.

Today I had a chance to sit on a panel with some of the most amazing ladies in the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Egypt and discuss the female entrepreneurs we have in Egypt, to the amazing network of 42Geeks at the The GrEEK Campus I am forever grateful to have an opportunity to speak about the concept of inclusion for women, and how the celebration of female entrepreneurs is important to showcase true examples of success, making it more relatable to people considering starting their own business. Side note: Not everyone needs to be an entrepreneur, but we all need to have the entrepreneurial skill sets that help us build within any entity we work in. Challenges for entrepreneurs remain the same across the board. We need to think of how we can open up opportunities for everyone; and have representation across all sectors, genders, cities and more. That’s how we can make starting a business seem accessible, through creating these communities of people that have representation of everyone! Special thank you to the amazing panelists Rania Ayman Dalia Laz and our exceptional moderator Sabrina Salama Thank you Faith Bogue for everything you have done so far and for helping to foster such an amazing connection between everyone from the Geeks to our local ecosystem Excited for what’s to come! RiseUp RiseUp Summit

42Geeks is heading to Northeast Europe! Join us for an exclusive tour of the startup and tech ecosystems in Helsinki and Tallinn from May 11 - May 17, 2025. WHY ESTONIA? Estonia, and particularly Tallinn, has built a reputation as one of the most innovative and entrepreneur-friendly countries in the world, making it an ideal destination for investors and founders seeking inspiration and insight into a unique startup ecosystem. Estonia is often called the "most digital society in the world." The country offers e-Residency, a unique digital identity program that allows global entrepreneurs to establish and run a business online within the European Union. Estonia also has one of the highest numbers of startups per capita in Europe, and it has produced globally recognized success stories like Skype, Wise (formerly TransferWise), Bolt, Pipedrive (CRM) and Veriff (identity verification). WHY FINLAND? The Finnish government actively supports startups through initiatives like Business Finland, which provides grants, loans, and advice for scaling businesses. The Startup Permit program also attracts international founders by enabling them to launch and grow their businesses in Finland with ease. Finland also excels in sustainability-driven innovation, with Helsinki-based startups often leading cleantech, renewable energy, and circular economy solutions. And Helsinki is known as the "gaming capital of Europe", with a thriving game development scene. Learn more and Sign Up here: https://lnkd.in/gHPT29Dv

We were thrilled to host 42Geeks at our campus, a pivotal stop on their Egypt tour! This prominent gathering of visionary investors, trailblazing founders, and ecosystem architects ignited meaningful connections and sparked insightful discussions. As a vibrant hub nestled in the heart of Cairo's thriving startup scene, we take pride in facilitating global conversations that boost the future of tech and entrepreneurship. We're glad to have played a part in showcasing Egypt's promise as a hub for innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship spirit and we look forward to future collaborations that will continue to propel our ecosystem forward. Until next time, 42Geeks!

Big news! 42Geeks—the exclusive invite-only tour for top founders, executives, and investors to discover global startup ecosystems—is coming to The GrEEK Campus on Tuesday, February 11th! 🐧 Formerly known as Geeks on a Plane (GOAP) and founded by Silicon Valley investor Dave McClure, 42Geeks offers an incredible opportunity to connect with influential tech leaders and investors who are driving the future of startups worldwide. 🌎🚀 Can’t wait for 42Geeks to connect with our community, and learn more about the Egyptian tech ecosystem. Note: Event registration is closed due to reaching maximum capacity. Stay tuned for more events.

Can't wait!

On our first day in Kigali, Rwanda, we look forward to visiting Carnegie Mellon University Africa located in the Kigali Innovation City, a key initiative backed by the Rwandan government and Africa50 to establish Rwanda as a Pan-African tech hub. It’s been such a pleasure working with Stanley Mukasa, Associate Director of Entrepreneurship, and Director Conrad Tucker, who have been instrumental in organizing our events in Kigali. We’re looking forward to connecting with Rwanda’s startup community! CMU-Africa is the Africa location of the Carnegie Mellon University's College of Engineering; and offers master’s degrees in information technology, electrical and computer engineering, and engineering artificial intelligence. As of 2024, CMU-Africa has over 300 students and close to 700 alumni from over 20 nationalities across Africa and beyond.   CMU-Africa also runs the Industry Innovation Lab (IIL). This technology-focused startup hub supports startups developing and commercializing technology-enabled products that address well-defined market opportunities with potential for profitability, inclusivity, and scaling. The IIL offers two programs, one of which is a 12-month business incubation program designed to help African tech startups develop scalable, market-ready products and services. To learn more: cmu.edu/africa