Cairo (Egypt), 19 June 2019 - From June 19 to 20, 2019, Cairo hosts a major set of events
initiated by THE NEXT SOCIETY and ANIMA to support and spread the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in
Egypt and in the Euro-Mediterranean region.
Organised by ANIMA, TIEC and ITIDA, this 2-day round of activities will promote Egyptian stakeholders of the
innovation ecosystem to an international delegation of business and innovation support organisations, thus
strengthening the Euro-Mediterranean community with creative and inspiring exchanges.
THE NEXT SOCIETY gathers in Cairo, Egypt, its Euro-Mediterranean community of innovation and investment for a 2-day
round of events to promote business opportunities in the region and support Egyptian innovation ecosystem. It will
start on June 19, 2019, with the launch of THE NEXT SOCIETY Matchmaking Forum for Investment and Innovation,
supported by ANIMA Investment Network and ITIDA. This open forum will bring together all stakeholders of Egypt
innovation and investment ecosystem to present business and innovation opportunities to an international
audience.
Several international high-level speakers will share their vision on the state of the art of MENA innovation and
investment: MAGNiTT's founder and CEO, Philip Bahoshy; Paul Wessendorp, chief of the Investment Promotion Section
Division on Investment and Enterprise of UNCTAD; Rachid Maaninou, Deputy secretary General of the Union for the
Mediterranean, Ingrid Schwaiger, Deputy Head of Unit for Regional Programmes Neighbourhood South, DG NEAR, European
Commission; and representatives of THE NEXT SOCIETY community Flow (Palestine), Flat6Labs (Egypt), Brenco (Algeria),
StartUp Maroc (Morocco), Berytech Fund (Lebanon), Alexandria Angels (Egypt), Bpifrance (France) and Yomken
(Egypt).
During the day, the participants will have the opportunity to share and exchange their practices, expertise and
technologies, encouraging cooperation, potential partnerships and peer learning during the event. BtoB meetings and
networking sessions will be at the core of the agenda!
THE NEXT SOCIETY round of events in Cairo will end on June 20, 2019 with 3rd Annual Meeting of the initiative.
Organised by TIEC on its premises, the event will bring together all partner organisations of THE NEXT SOCIETY where
they present the key achievements, challenges and successes of the consortia after two years of activities in Egypt
and in the MENA region.
THE NEXT SOCIETY community grows!
The Egyptian gathering is also the perfect time to celebrate the growth of THE NEXT SOCIETY community. Indeed, after
two years of activities, several organisations have joined THE NEXT SOCIETY as ecosystem partners or members of THE
NEXT SOCIETY Club (click here to know more about them).
Yomken.com (Egypt), Aix-Marseille University (France), Emerging Valley (France), Marseille Innovation (France), and
Flow (Palestine), Factory 619 (Tunisia), Factory 319 (France), Zebox (France), P.Factory (France), Brenco (Algeria),
Seedstars, Welcoming Diaspora (France) have recently integrated the ecosystem partners, making the community grow
and spreading innovation culture all around the Mediterranean!
In addition, thecamp and GM Consultant have joined forces with Bpifrance, the Region Sud – Provence Alpes Côte
d'Azur and GreenFlex, founder members of THE NEXT SOCIETY Club which associate public and private organisations
committed to create value in the region to take part in the innovation dynamics and trends between Europe, the
Mediterranean and Africa!
About THE NEXT SOCIETY
THE NEXT SOCIETY is an open community of change makers engaged in innovation and economic development. It gathers
entrepreneurs, investors, corporates, NGOs, public and private innovation, research and economic development hubs
from Europe and the Mediterranean countries.
THE NEXT SOCIETY gathers already a large network of over 300 business & innovation, research and investment
organisations, 2,500 international SMEs and entrepreneurs from 30 countries.
THE NEXT SOCIETY is launching a four-year action plan (2017-2020), co-funded by the EU up to 90% for a global amount
of EUR 7.8 million budget. www.thenextsociety.co
A propos d'ANIMA Investment Network
ANIMA Investment Network is an international economic development network that aims to work to the promotion and
development of the Mediterranean. The ANIMA network brings together 80 members from 18 countries of the
Euro-Mediterranean area, including national and regional investment promotion and economic development agencies,
business federations, innovation centres, international investors and research institutes. ANIMA's objective is to
contribute to the continued improvement of the business and investment climate, as well as encourage shared and
sustainable economic development in the Mediterranean.
The network provides expertise in economic development, organises training and sharing of experience, does valuable
work on economic promotion, acts as a cooperation agency for its members and partners and supports companies in
their development and impact on the region’s markets. www.anima.coop
About ITIDA
Egypt’s Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) was founded in 2004 in a public-private
partnership between the government and the private sector. ITIDA is the executive IT arm of the MCIT and plays a
fundamental role as a one-stop-shop for foreign direct investors seeking to enhance their global offering, where it
also extends a helping hand to business and provides the Egyptian IT industry with the right tools to increase IT/
ITES exports.
ITIDA is aware of the importance of innovation and talent that is why ITIDA leaves no stone unturned to ensure
sustainable talent supply and great innovations.
Through its affiliate body; The Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (TIEC), the agency aims to drive
innovation and entrepreneurship in ICT for the benefit of national economy. The center has been launched in 2010 to
with a mission to stimulate an innovation-based economy through strategizing, facilitating, and promoting
innovation, entrepreneurship, and the creation of intellectual property in ICT and its applications.
