Karim El Sewedy announces new venture to link Egyptian manufacturing to US market

Egyptian entrepreneur Karim El Sewedy has announced a new consumer venture aimed at linking Egyptian manufacturing to the US market, after leading several key operational and commercial projects at Silicon Valley software company Retool.

He told Ahram Online that the venture will sell consumer goods to American customers, drawing on Egypt’s manufacturing base for sourcing and production.

“Egypt doesn’t come up enough when discussing diversifying manufacturing in the US. As one of the US’s allies and with our manufacturing base, Egypt has an opportunity to serve as a commercial and strategic partner,” El Sewedy said.

He didn’t disclose further details, but said that the venture will be headquartered in New York and will begin operations later in 2026. The announcement marks a new chapter for El Sewedy, whose career began at multi-national consulting firm McKinsey & Company and is currently driving operations at Retool, a Silicon Valley company that reached a $3.2 billion valuation within five years of founding.

This move comes at a time when Egypt increases efforts to attract US investment in its manufacturing sector. Total US-Egypt goods trade reached $12.3 billion in 2025, according to the Office of the US Trade Representative, with US goods exports to Egypt rising 50.5 percent year-on-year to $9.5 billion and Egyptian goods exports to the US increasing 12 percent to $2.9 billion.

In June 2025, more than 55 American companies participated in the US-Egypt Policy Leaders Forum in Cairo, where officials from both governments discussed a customs agreement and broader measures to deepen bilateral trade. Egyptian policymakers have identified manufacturing exports as a priority under the country’s Narrative for Economic Development, which sets out an economic vision through 2030.

With experience across consulting and enterprise technology, El Sewedy has focused his career on scaling commercial operations and launching new products for US businesses. Retool, his current employer and where he has spent nearly four years, is backed by Sequoia Capital and Y Combinator. The company provides low-code software used by enterprises to build internal tools and AI-powered applications.

At Retool, El Sewedy led the launch of its AI Agents platform, which was adopted by Boston Consulting Group, Amazon Web Services, and Databricks. He built the business foundation behind the new technology that the company described as the most significant release since its founding. More recently, El Sewedy drove growth efforts for Retool Assist – the company’s newest product – and the focus of its enterprise AI strategy.

Prior to Retool, El Sewedy was a consultant at McKinsey & Company in New York, where he advised US technology and media clients. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Wharton School and in engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.

El Sewedy said that he will continue in his current role at Retool until the new venture launches later in 2026.