Icealex Puts Impact Investing in the Egyptian Startup Map

In partnership with Hivos, Icealex is gathering entrepreneurs and investors at KMT House tonight, June the 28^th, for a networking event titled Impact Investing and the Future of Startups. The event marks the conclusion of the second part of Icealex's Mentoring Up programme, and will feature a pool of active, well-respected investors, as well as a variety of purpose-driven startups and supporting organisations, as a seed for putting impact in investment in the Egyptian ecosystem.

"What I would like to see is companies to have greater turnover, more employees and hopefully some might even earn money from interested parties which could be an investment or grant or could even be a loan because the companies are exceptionally gifted," says Keith Wallace, Senior Investment Manager at Hivos Impact Investment.

The Netherlands Ambassador in Egypt Laurens Westhoff will be giving a keynote opening speech, emphasising the importance of impact investing and social entrepreneurship in Holland and Egypt. Following the ambassador's speech, Ahmed Bastawy, the founder and managing director of Icealex will give his welcome note, highlighting Icealex's mission to reshape the entrepreneurial culture not only locally, but also regionally, as well as their dedication of taking the topic of impact investment further into action collaboratively with different ecosystem key players.

The event will also comprise a panel discussion exploring the impact investments climate and ecosystem in Egypt, additional highlights from the Mentoring Up programme as well as allowing time for the entrepreneurs and investors to meet and network. Launched in February, Mentoring Up is a tailored programme dedicated for upcoming entrepreneurs and startups. Like the name suggests, it includes mentoring, coaching, and guidance sessions.

Main Image: Courtesy of Icealex.