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Egypt 🇪🇬

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Breadfast raised $50 million, edging closer to a potential global IPO. 
It evolved from bread delivery into a vertically integrated e-commerce platform. 
Private-label goods now drive 40% of grocery sales, boosting margins. 
Funds will strengthen logistics and support expansion across African markets. 
The company targets 3% of Egypt’s $100 billion grocery market.

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Raya Holding ended its GIZ partnership and launched “FutureTECH by Raya” in Cairo. 
The shift means “less theory, more market access” for growth-stage startups. 
Over two years, 46 ventures created 238 jobs and raised $2.3 million. 
Founders gained “real operators and real markets”, moving towards commercial traction. 
An EV Accelerator signals a push into clean mobility and deeper corporate ties.

Ai Everything MEA Egypt 2026 drew startups, investors and policymakers to Cairo. 
Talks focused on infrastructure, regulation and turning AI hype into economics. 
More than 250 startups showcased applied AI across agriculture, healthcare and finance. 
Leaders said AI is “already reshaping governments, markets and societies”. 
Backed by national strategy, Egypt signalled serious, long-term AI ambitions.

WideBot is partnering with “Al-Daheeh” presenter Ahmad Al-Ghandour on a new AI series. 
The aim is to make artificial intelligence less intimidating and more relatable. 
Al-Ghandour brings 4.7 billion views and strong regional trust. 
The collaboration seeks to shift perceptions “from fear to familiarity”. 
It reflects a broader push for AI literacy across the Middle East.

Raya Electronics has launched Raya Elite, Egypt’s first fully integrated B2E finance app. 
Employees get instant credit up to EGP 300,000, repayable over 48 months. 
The hybrid model blends in-store browsing with digital financing and exclusive deals. 
Raya aims to embed lending into workplaces and gated communities. 
The move tightens links between “shopping and financing” in Egypt’s retail market.

Tactful AI raised $1 million pre-Series A to advance “agentic AI” for customer service. 
Platform usage grew “more than 100 times” after focusing on fewer enterprise clients. 
Customers span retail, fintech and logistics, showing flexibility beyond a “one‑trick pony”. 
Agentic AI lets systems resolve requests end to end, not just assist human agents. 
Funding will support Egypt-based growth, wider EMEA expansion and heavier R&amp;D investment.

SIDEUP has launched Marhba, a new e‑commerce brand putting Egyptian-made products &#8220;front and centre&#8221;. 
Marhba brings trusted local brands together, offering fashion, accessories and home products online. 
The platform starts in Egypt, with plans to expand into other markets later on. 
CEO Waleed Rashed says it aims to give local brands &#8220;a proper space to compete&#8221;. 
Marhba relies on SIDEUP’s logistics, payments and fulfilment network built over seven years.

RiseUp Summit 2026 gathered founders and investors in Cairo under the theme “The Turning Point”. 
A strategic RiseUp–Bosta partnership aims to ease startups’ “most painful” scaling challenge: logistics. 
Founders gain access to Bosta’s “tech‑driven” delivery and fulfilment, plus knowledge sharing. 
Mohamed Ezzat debated “M&amp;A or IPO?”, stressing timing, governance and sustainable growth. 
He urged startups to build products that “travel well” beyond Egypt from day one.

Egypt launched the “Startup Charter” after wide consultations across government, founders and investors. 
The framework targets 5,000 startups and “around 500,000 jobs” over five years. 
A unified startup definition unlocks incentives, funding access and clearer regulation. 
The plan aims to mobilise $1 billion, pairing public finance with venture capital. 
Oversight comes via an observatory and “Council of Elders” to track real-world impact.

Startup Gate plans nine new programmes to support early- and growth-stage Egyptian startups. 
The initiatives aim to help startups attract up to EGP 450 million in funding. 
Partnerships link corporates, NGOs and startups across fintech, healthtech and beyond. 
Founders will gain mentoring, business support and “crucially, access to capital”. 
The platform targets 3,000 members, stressing quality control and structured mentoring.

MDP has reintroduced itself as Modupay, a move that feels like “catching up” with reality. 
The company now offers a modular, end‑to‑end payments platform across the Middle East and Africa. 
Leaders stress this is a “brand evolution, not an operational change”, with scale in over 40 countries. 
The flexible model aims to ease compliance headaches for banks, fintechs and telcos. 
The rebrand sets higher expectations as the market watches if the promise matches day‑to‑day delivery.

AGX Consultant Studio is “doubling down on Africa”, prioritising North and West African markets. 
Operating from Cairo and Rwanda, it supports 50 startups across more than 15 markets. 
AGX acts as a hands-on venture builder, offering “boots-on-the-ground” expansion support. 
Its portfolio targets fintech, cybersecurity, and agritech tied to food security needs. 
The firm aims to unlock regional growth and strengthen Africa’s technological sovereignty.

Egypt’s central bank launched a Soft POS service turning smartphones into payment acceptance points. 
Merchants can accept contactless card payments with no “bulky machines” or extra wiring. 
The move cuts costs and eases access for micro and small businesses. 
Secure PIN entry meets “internationally recognised security standards”. 
The initiative supports a cash‑lighter economy and Egypt’s Vision 2030 goals.

Bosta unveiled the Middle East’s “largest automated sorting machine” at a ceremony in Cairo. 
The system aims to “speed up parcel handling” and cut costly manual delivery errors. 
It can process 11,000 parcels an hour across more than 50 hubs nationwide. 
Bosta invested over $5m, reinforcing technology as core to Egypt’s e-commerce growth. 
Executives say automation will help merchants scale without operations “falling apart”.

Taly secured ISO 22301 certification with ZeroSploit, strengthening its business continuity and resilience. 
The standard ensures payments stay running, protecting “uninterrupted access and data integrity”. 
Executives say it builds trust and shows operational maturity, not just box‑ticking compliance. 
The certification followed a two-year journey covering risks, recovery planning and testing. 
It reflects a wider MENA fintech shift from rapid growth towards long-term stability.

Mogo signed a strategic deal with Geidea to strengthen Egypt’s fast-growing fintech ecosystem. 
The partnership blends “smart POS devices” with instalments for smoother, more secure payments. 
SMEs gain flexible checkout options, reducing payment friction where cash still dominates. 
Mogo says the deal supports a “digital payment ecosystem” tailored to real market needs. 
Geidea sees it advancing financial inclusion as merchants and consumers demand smarter solutions.

Mastercard and iscore are exploring a new credit scoring model for Egypt’s digital lending market. 
The plan uses “smarter data and analytics” to improve risk assessment and expand access to credit. 
The focus is on people with “thin credit files” often overlooked by traditional banks. 
Backed by Mastercard’s network and iscore’s infrastructure, the model aims for national scale. 
Success will hinge on data quality and whether lenders actually adopt the system.

Bel has invested nearly €150 million in Egypt, signalling a long-term manufacturing commitment. 
About 80% of output is exported to 19 countries, positioning Egypt as a regional production hub. 
The 10th of Ramadan plant keeps expanding, balancing “profitability and sustainability” in its growth model. 
Products are locally adapted, with fortified recipes reflecting regional nutritional needs. 
Strong local employment, partnerships and greener operations reinforce Egypt’s strategic importance.

eYouth is entering Iraq, launching an Arabic-first platform focused on labour market skills. 
The move comes through a partnership with local private sector player Al-Majal Group. 
Training targets youth, graduates and professionals, linking learning to “what employers actually want”. 
The platform aims to build “future-ready skills” aligned with key economic sectors. 
Programmes will roll out through 2026, supporting local talent pipelines and private sector growth.

Meska Spark Vol.2 gathered Egypt’s AI founders, investors and corporates at Cairo’s Creativa Innovation Hub. 
The event mixed panels, demos and workshops to move startups from “hype to real products”. 
Speakers challenged AI “noise”, stressing business models, customer value and scalability. 
Nine startups pitched, while partners like Huawei Cloud pushed practical cloud adoption. 
A Meska AI and PTS Holdings partnership promised real funding and venture studio support.

Granite won an FRA fintech licence, enabling Egypt’s first fully digital money market account. 
The app offers paperless onboarding, e-KYC in minutes, and 24/7 access with daily returns. 
It targets idle cash as EGP 1,3 trillion in savings certificates mature. 
Businesses get real-time dashboards, tax-free returns, and links to any Egyptian bank. 
Founders stress “regulated”, security-first design, blending institutional protection with simple digital experiences.