Egypt’s First IP Fund: Progressio and Falak Invest $10M in Research Innovation

Malaz Madani

Last updated 1-09-2025

3 min

Egypt’s first $10 million fund targets research-based innovation and patent-driven enterprises.

The fund focuses on research and patents rather than existing products, supporting universities and inventors.

It uses a royalty-based model to pay inventors from sales, boosting ecosystem reinvestment.

Progressio and Falak Startups bring expertise, aiming to create a new investment asset class.

An additional $2.

7 million in debt financing is set aside to further support SMEs.

There’s been a new buzz in Egypt’s startup landscape as Progressio and Falak Startups join forces to roll out the country’s first ever fund dedicated to intellectual property—specifically, a $10 million venture aimed at research-based innovation and patent-driven enterprises. People sometimes talk a good game about “bridging the gap between academia and industry”, but in this case, it looks like the effort is genuinely spot on.

What really sets this fund apart is its approach. Instead of focusing on startups that already have a product in the wild or a flashy team, it throws its weight behind raw research and smart ideas locked up as patents—bit of a game-changer, if you ask me. Progressio and Falak are keen on helping Egyptian universities, inventors, and SMEs turn their clever findings into businesses that don’t just stay in the lab or on a shelf.

They’re utilising a royalty-based model (which can sound a bit dry, but it basically means inventors and institutions get paid back from any sales, rather than just giving up equity). This seems to take the edge off the risks, and—at least in theory—should speed up getting money back into the ecosystem. And believe it or not, that also includes some hands-on support and help with navigating the maze of distribution, which, as anyone at Arageek could tell you, is often a bit of a faff for early stage innovators.

On the flip side, it’s not just researchers and university professors in line to benefit. The new vehicle is also calling on SMEs and entrepreneurs who fancy the challenge of co-founding deep-tech spinouts or scaling up ventures built on intellectual property. In my own experience cheering on the region’s startups, there’s a tonne of untapped potential just waiting for a nudge.

Progressio is bringing its know-how on getting R&D off the ground, while Falak Startups lends its investment toolkit and network. Together, they’re hoping to set down the marker for a whole new asset class within Egypt’s investment scene. To get really specific, Progressio’s 1 Million Minds initiative is already working to shift the conversation on innovation, encouraging local inventors to think global from the get-go.

I reckon this could be the kickstart Egypt’s innovators need—though, as always, the devil’s in the detail when it comes to converting patents into profit. Interestingly, there’s also chatter about an extra $2.7 million being set aside for debt financing, hinting at even more support for SMEs down the line. Honestly, it’s initiatives like this one that remind me why I’m chuffed to bits to follow the region’s relentless pursuit of progress, even if the journey is sometimes, well… a little bit messy.

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