NVIDIA Startup Programme Makes Egypt Debut With Cairo Event

NVIDIA, the US semiconductor and AI computing company, has brought its global startup ecosystem to Egypt for the first time through a collaboration with Egyptian startup platform RiseUp, venture capital firm A15 and innovation company BitRoot.

Held at the Grand Egyptian Museum, the event marked the country's first NVIDIA SIGNALS session and the first local edition of NVIDIA Inception, the company's global startup programme, bringing Egyptian founders together with NVIDIA's technical teams, regional Inception startups and investors.

The session was led by Basil Fateen, NVIDIA's Head of Startups and Venture Capital for the Middle East and Africa, who discussed emerging AI trends, lessons from regional startups building on NVIDIA's technology stack, and the qualities investors look for in AI companies.

Founders also took part in an open Q&A covering the NVIDIA Inception programme, which offers benefits including GPU credits, technical training and go-to-market support.

The event also featured a panel discussion moderated by Fateen, with Omar Mansour, Chief Technology Officer at Intella; Omar Abdelwahed, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Valify Solutions; Moustafa Menessy, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer at Paymob; and Farah Osman, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Bluworks, who shared their experiences building AI-driven companies in the region.

"Egypt's AI ecosystem is growing rapidly. Through NVIDIA SIGNALS, we're helping founders access the knowledge, partnerships, and opportunities they need to compete globally," Abdelhameed Sharara, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of RiseUp, said.

Fateen added that Egypt is home to a growing community of AI startups tackling meaningful challenges across sectors, with the launch of NVIDIA SIGNALS intended to give founders greater access to technology, technical expertise and the wider NVIDIA Inception network.