Egypt’s Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) has concluded the Aswan Bootcamp Series program in partnership with Plug and Play, supporting 61 startups across Upper Egypt with EGP200 million (US$3.7 million) in funding.
Disrupt Africa reported in December 2024 on the launch of the Aswan Bootcamp Series, an initiative aimed at empowering Upper Egypt’s entrepreneurs and supporting the region’s tech-driven growth, supported by ITIDA, Plug and Play Egypt, and USAID.
The programme has now concluded, with several of the 61 participating companies collectively securing investments estimated at EGP200 million (US$3.7 million), a signal of growing investor confidence in a new generation of entrepreneurs emerging from the country’s southern governorates.
“This is not simply the conclusion of a programme,” said Ahmed El-Zaher, CEO of ITIDA. “It is a demonstration of a broader national direction – one that places startup growth and entrepreneurial empowerment at the center of economic development, particularly in Upper Egypt, where the potential to build globally competitive companies is significant.”
He added that supporting technology startups and IT-enabled ventures remains a core pillar of ITIDA’s strategy to develop Egypt’s ICT sector, describing such companies as “key drivers of sustainable innovation and long-term competitiveness”.
El-Zaher also pointed to the role of international partnerships, noting that collaboration with global accelerators such as Plug and Play has been instrumental in connecting Egyptian startups to markets, expertise, and investment networks.