RiseUp Summit 2026 Concludes with the Launch of Egypt’s National Startup Charter

13th Edition reinforces Egypt’s position as a regional hub for entrepreneurship and innovation

Held under the auspices of the Ministry of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation, the Ministerial Group for Entrepreneurship, the Ministry of Investment, and the Egyptian Tax Authority, RiseUp Summit 2026 concluded its 13th edition at the Grand Egyptian Museum, in partnership with Legacy Development and Management, a Hassan Allam Holding company and the museum’s operator.
The summit welcomed extensive participation from entrepreneurs, investors, government leaders, and representatives of international institutions, further solidifying its position as one of the region’s most influential platforms supporting startups and innovation across the Middle East and Africa.
Over three days, the summit served as a comprehensive platform uniting knowledge, capital, networking, and partnership-building. More than 400 speakers from over 80 countries discussed entrepreneurship, investment, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, and strategies for building scalable companies capable of global expansion.
Launch of Egypt’s Startup Charter on Day Three
On the third day of RiseUp Summit 2026, Egypt officially launched the “Startup Charter” in the presence of H.E. Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister of Egypt, and H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation and Chair of the Ministerial Group for Entrepreneurship.
Notably, H.E. Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister of Egypt, had previously spoken at RiseUp Summit two years ago, during which the summit was also held under his auspices. During a roundtable discussion at that time, the importance of establishing a unified national document to articulate Egypt’s entrepreneurship strategy – as well as a single coordinating entity to represent the ecosystem – was emphasized. These discussions laid important groundwork that ultimately contributed to the development of the National Startup Charter and the formation of the Ministerial Group for Entrepreneurship, marking a significant step toward a more structured and institutionalized startup ecosystem in Egypt.
The Charter marks a first-of-its-kind national framework aimed at institutionalizing engagement with startups, entrepreneurs, and innovators. It is the outcome of more than a year of consultations involving 15 national entities and over 250 representatives from the startup ecosystem, entrepreneurs, and parliamentary councils.
Over the next five years, the Charter aims to empower up to 5,000 startups, contribute to the creation of approximately 500,000 direct and indirect jobs, accelerate international expansion, develop local talent to mitigate brain drain, stimulate venture capital, and attract investments through a unified financing initiative – while also connecting national sector challenges with innovative startup-led solutions.
Strategic Partners and Corporate Participation
The 2026 edition witnessed strong participation from leading corporations, beginning with Madinet Masr as the Main Partner, alongside Seven, Mada, and TikTok, and extending to global players such as Deloitte and IM Motors, among others.
RiseUp continues to position itself as a global opportunities and networking platform. The summit featured innovative investor-startup matchmaking formats, including the “Pitching your startup to an investor in a Car” experience, structured 20-minute sessions designed to explore collaboration opportunities, as well as curated investor meetings where each investor connected with approximately 20 startups.
Investment & Competition Highlights
One of the summit’s key highlights was the A Ventures x RiseUp Summit Pitch Competition, which offered guaranteed funding of up to $500,000 to support promising startups. Live on stage, total investment commitments exceeded that benchmark, with Remi securing $500,000, Shadoo receiving $50,000, and AI Scada awarded $21,000.
The summit also featured Launchpads, where several companies and ecosystem players made major announcements, including Ngage, Bosta, Agora, CC Plus, and others.
Additionally, RiseUp hosted the Red Bull Basement National Qualifier in Egypt. The winning team advanced to the next stage of the competition and will compete in the National Finale for the opportunity to progress to Silicon Valley and compete for the global prize of $100,000.
Employment Opportunities
The summit created tangible employment pathways for youth through the participation of more than 300 companies.
The American Chamber of Commerce Career Development Center (AmCham CDC) played a leading role in facilitating employment connections, alongside major institutions including Commercial International Bank (CIB), which conducted direct interviews with applicants to recruit top talent.
Sharara: RiseUp is about Connecting Startups to the most relevant resources worldwide
AbdelHamid Sherara, CEO & Founder of RiseUp Summit, emphasized that this year’s edition stood out in both scale and impact, noting that RiseUp has evolved into a central platform connecting startups with funding, human capital, and strategic partnerships across government entities and global corporations.
He added that hosting the summit for the fourth consecutive year at the Grand Egyptian Museum reflects the depth of the strategic partnership between RiseUp and Legacy Development and Management, a Hassan Allam Holding company and the museum’s operator in the fields of innovation and entrepreneurship.