Visa and Shark Tank Egypt Partner to Power Women Entrepreneurs’ Growth

Mohammed Fathy

Last updated 30-04-2026

4 min

Visa relaunches She’s Next in Egypt, partnering CIB and Shark Tank.

Women founders gain “visibility, strategic backing and real business support”.

New Index shows rising digital adoption, despite 58% reporting bias.

CIB expands lending and inclusion, calling entrepreneurship a “national priority”.

Programme’s real test is turning buzz into lasting, measurable growth.

Visa is bringing back its She’s Next initiative to Egypt for the third year running, and this time it is adding a fresh twist. The global payments giant has teamed up with CIB Business Banking once again, but now also with Shark Tank Egypt, giving women entrepreneurs a high-profile stage to showcase their ideas and, hopefully, fast-track their growth.

Applications opened on 4 April and will close on 9 May 2026. Women founders across Egypt are invited to apply, with the promise of visibility, strategic backing and real business support. For many early-stage entrepreneurs, getting that kind of spotlight can feel like trying to knock on a locked door. This programme, in theory at least, hands over the key.

The launch also comes with new data. Visa has revealed findings from its first Women SMB Digitization Index in Egypt, a 2025 survey focused on women business owners in senior leadership roles. The Index measures five pillars: online presence, acceptance of digital payments, awareness of payment security, customer engagement, and customer retention. In short, it looks at how digitally switched-on these businesses really are.

The results suggest growing awareness and adoption of digital tools and artificial intelligence among women-led SMEs. Despite reporting that 58% face bias, many are leaning into technology as a way to futureproof operations, drive growth and strengthen security. There is something quite powerful in that. When the system is not always spot on, you build your own.

Malak El Baba, Visa’s Vice President and Country Manager for Egypt, Libya and Sudan, said the She’s Next programme is designed to unlock the potential of women business owners and help them scale. She noted that the partnership with Shark Tank Egypt offers a new platform for visibility and strategic support. Referring to the Index findings, she highlighted the broader economic contribution of women-led businesses and their motivation to achieve financial independence while creating supportive workplaces.

From the banking side, Hany El Dieb, Head of SMEs and Commercial Banking at CIB, stressed that the bank remains the exclusive partner for the third consecutive round. He described entrepreneurship as not just a commercial focus but a national priority tied to sustainable development. According to him, women-led enterprises represent a growing share of CIB’s SME portfolio. The bank provides dedicated lending programmes aimed at lowering barriers to finance, along with technical assistance and capacity-building initiatives.

Interestingly, CIB also pointed to its internal Gender Diversity programme. Women now make up 36% of its total workforce and account for the majority of net workforce growth. That internal metric may seem separate, but in reality it signals how seriously institutions are taking inclusion. And believe it or not, those signals matter when founders choose where to bank.

Globally, since 2020, Visa says it has invested $3.8 million in more than 250 grants and coaching programmes for women SME owners. The Egypt edition of She’s Next sits within that broader commitment.

From where I stand, covering startups across MENA, I have seen how access, to networks, to capital, to digital tools, can change the entire trajectory of a small business. I remember meeting a founder in Cairo who told me that setting up digital payments felt like a bit of a faff at first. Six months later, online orders were driving a solid chunk of her revenue. Sometimes tech is not just a shiny add-on; it is survival.

That said, programmes like these are not a magic wand. I reckon the real test will be how many applicants move beyond the competition buzz and secure long-term, sustainable growth. On the flip side, tying the initiative to Shark Tank could inject energy and media attention that many early-stage founders can only dream of.

For readers of Arageek who follow the region’s startup pulse closely, this third round definately signals that corporate-backed initiatives for women entrepreneurs in Egypt are not slowing down. The challenge now is to translate momentum into measurable impact, stronger revenues, safer payment systems, smarter use of AI, and businesses that can weather whatever the market throws at them.

If nothing else, the message is clear: Egyptian women founders are not waiting around. They are digitising, experimenting with AI, and building companies that aim to be both resilient and socially conscious. And in today’s climate, that feels not just timely, but necessary.

🚀 Got exciting news to share?

If you're a startup founder, VC, or PR agency with big updates—funding rounds, product launches 📢, or company milestones 🎉 — AraGeek English wants to hear from you!