Have you ever had an idea that can be developed into a business. Well, this article presents four successful “startups” by young Egyptians; a “startup” being an entrepreneurial venture or a new business in the first stage of its operations.
Check this video to help you turn your idea into a successful business:
Raye7
Egyptians spend long hours stuck in traffic. Commuting costs significant amount of time and money, and vehicle exhaust fumes cause significant damage to the environment. On average, the total wasted fuel amounts to EGP 50 billion.
Raye7 is a culturally-sensitive ride-sharing service. Through the Raye7 mobile application, commuters can connect with nearby colleagues and acquaintances to share their everyday trips. Because security is a priority, commuters can only share rides with someone they trust. The result is an enjoyable, cost and time-efficient ride.
Young entrepreneurial siblings Samira and Ahmed Negm co-founded the carpooling application Raye7 in 2014. Having participated at the Arab World Mobile Challenge in 2015, Algeria, the startup founders reached the Global Mobile Challenge finals, where they competed against nine other startups from Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. They were awarded second place at the world’s leading mobile event in Barcelona in 2015.
Check this interview with Samira Negm to know more about the application.
Recyclobekia
Mostafa Hemdan was a 20 year-old student when he set up his recycling project in a garage in Tanta, Egypt. Recyclobekia is the first company in the Arab world offering green recycling of electronic waste and safe data destruction services.
Starting with a capital of only EGP 6,000 and a mentorship by Injaz Egypt, the startup managed to exponentially grow, currently processing 40 tons of waste per month. Recyclobekia was featured by Forbes as one of the Middle East’s top ten startups.
To know more about this startup, watch the following video.
Tagaddod
At the age of 24, these determined entrepreneurs not only produced biodiesel, but also exported it to Europe and the Arab world. Their startup, Tagaddod, began as a graduation project for Cairo University students Raafat and El-Assal, who thought of re-using cooking oil to substitute traditional petroleum diesel, enabling the production of alternative clean fuels.
Partnering with business graduate Tarek Afifi, their startup launched in 2013 and now exports to Jordan, Lebanon, and across the European continent.
SolarizEgypt
At a time when solar energy in Egypt is at its peak demand, Yassin Abdelghafar and Rana Alaa set up their first solar plant in 2014, calling it SolarizEgypt. It is a power generation company that uses grid-tie photovoltaic technology in the form of solar plants; it designs, installs and commissions photovoltaic solar power systems.
Watch an interview with Yassin after winning Seedstars Cairo:
References
recyclobekia.com
www.raye7.com
www.investopedia.com
www.cairoscene.com