4 Egyptian Startups Among 9 Selected for 500 Falcons’ First Annual MENA Accelerator Programme

500 Startups’ MENA fund, known as ‘500 Falcons,’ in partnership with Qatar Science & Technology Park, is about to conclude its inaugural “Doha Dojo” residential accelerator programme. Doha Dojo is 500 Falcons’ MENA edition of 500 Startups’ renowned Series A accelerator, which is to be held once a year in Doha, Qatar. Nine companies were selected for the competitive programme, and they wrapped their first Investors Day on May 23^rd at the Qatar National Convention Center. Of the nine companies from all around MENA, four are from Egypt, and some of them may be companies with services you already know.

Doha Dojo is a highly selective three-month long investment programme that gives extensive personalised training to its participants, covering various business topics including growth strategy, marketing, conversion optimisation, and pitching to investors. All startups accepted to the programme are companies that have already raised seed capital and are seeking Series A financing.

The four Egyptian companies which attended Doha Dojo are Eventtus, Edfa3ly, Taskty, and Mumm. Eventtus is an interactive event sharing and networking app, founded by Mai Medhat in Egypt in 2011, and has achieved international recognition, particularly at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in 2016, when the founder shared a stage with Barack Obama and Mark Zuckerberg. Edfa3ly is an online shopping and delivery service that places orders to businesses around the world for its customers and has the items shipped to Egypt. Founded in 2010 by Mohamed Atteya, previously a laptop importer, the company solves the problem of international shipping logistics and Egyptians rarely having internationally recognised credit cards. Another web-based helper service, Taskty, also participated in Doha Dojo. Taskty is a service sourcing platform that connects freelance service providers with people who need housecleaning, home maintenance, pest removal, or a host of other odd jobs. And Mumm, the other Egyptian startup in the group, is well-known for being the service that delivers home-cooked meals from (someone’s) mom’s kitchen straight to your door. Each of these startups is recognised by 500 Falcons for achieving a product/market fit and having potential for continued growth and development.

Pictured above: Qatar National Convention Center, photo credit Robert Raines.