Luxor-Based Startup Solar Aeros Wins EGP 25,000 At Techne Drifts 2018

Luxor-based entrepreneur Sohaila Moussa has just won first place in 2018's Techne Drifts, which concluded it cruising from the Delta and Canal Cities to Upper Egypt last week. The entrepreneurial roadshows took 25 Startups from all over Egypt through a 5-day boot camp on a Nile Cruise from Luxor to Aswan with an exclusive selection of entrepreneurial mentors and expert speakers.

Having toured across 8 cities of the Delta, Canal and Upper Egypt regions, 10 Egyptian startups competed in the Final Pitch in Aswan. The second prize - consisting of 50,000 EGP in cash - was awarded to Enkaaz from Mansoura, while the third place winner was Sanna3ly from Tanta.

Hosting more than 50 speakers and Egyptian entrepreneurs, the event followed last year's success, to empower more than 200 startups, driven by the belief in the significance of the role entrepreneurship can play to contribute in the business and economic development of Egypt.

Kick starting from Tanta; one-day events were held at different venues in the cities of Mansoura, Port Said, Suez, Assiut and Sohag, concluding an agenda that varied between talks, workshops, and panel discussions as well as a closing pitch event for startups in each city, where selected finalists joined the Techne Drifts Nile Cruise on a one of a kind five-day journey from Luxor to Aswan. 

The Cruise programme consisted of 'Startups & Businesses Track', which was designed in a mix of workshops, one-on-one training, panel discussions and talks; offered various sessions and topics including Customer Development Strategy, Customer Acquisition and Product-Market Fit. The programme also included a Boot Camp where startups engaged in dynamic workshops which helped them developed both their business models and significantly enhanced their pitch decks!

An “Investment track” also took place during Techne Drifts 2018, the track aimed to raise awareness about Angel Investing, get onboard more Angles to the ecosystem and shed the light on the significance of investing in early stage startups. Held only in the cities of Mansoura, Port Said, Assiut and Aswan, where high net worth individuals, members of various business associations, investment associations, and government officials participated. 

The Assiut event also witnessed the launch of "Nile Angels", the Assiut-based Angel Network consisting of the finest group of founding members, with an impressive experience in business and a passion for the wellbeing of entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Main photo: Courtesy of Techne Drifts.