The Information Technology Industry
Development Agency (ITIDA) has collaborated with RiseUp, the one-stop-shop for connecting startups in the MENA region with the most relevant
resources worldwide, to launch “African App Launchpad Cup”; ITIDA’s first all-Africa pitch competition.
The competition invites startups working in either gaming or application development from 19 different African
countries to participate in the contest that offers grants totaling $60,000. The African App Launchpad Cup is
striving to set a global stage for thriving early-stage startups to present to hundreds of regional and
international investors and VCs.
Applications are now open for startups in Egypt and Africa to apply via the competition website: http://techleaders.eg/aal/competition/ until
November 18th. The startups will compete on December 7th and the winners will be announced in alignment with RiseUp
summit; MENA’s largest annual entrepreneurship event at the American University in Cairo, new Campus.
“We are excited to launch the African App Launchpad Cup, which will allow us to educate young African calibers and
spur their innovation on the latest app and games technology, in addition, to support the creation of job
opportunities for African youth”, Clarified Hala El-Gohary, CEO of ITIDA.
“It is such a pleasure to be able to host the first African pitch competition in the region during RiseUp Summit.
This is a step towards achieving our vision of creating more opportunities in the entrepreneurship ecosystem through
connecting more stakeholders to the community in Africa. We would like to thank ITIDA for launching and sponsoring
the competition and becoming the supporting arm behind the growth of Africa’s entrepreneurship ecosystem,”
Abdelhameed Sharara, Founder and CEO of RiseUp, says.
The African App Launchpad Cup is not only an Africa-wide pitch competition for startups but also a valuable learning
experience for participating entrepreneurs. The participating startups will get the chance to join an accelerator
program and will be granted exhibition spaces during RiseUp Summit. They will also pitch to a wide audience, as well
as jury members of local and regional VCs and investors, guaranteeing wide regional exposure for the startups.
The competition is part of the Africa App Launchpad
the presidential initiative that targets building the capacity of 10 thousand learners and establishing 100 startups
while positioning Egypt as a hub for startups in Africa by gathering some of the continent’s best startups in one
place.
RiseUp Summit tickets are now available on https://riseupsummit.com/
About ITIDA:
www.itida.gov.eg
ITIDA is the executive IT arm of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, MCIT, and is located in
the heart of a modern business environment at the Smart Village.
With local and international outreach, ITIDA plays a fundamental role as a one-stop-shop for foreign direct
investors seeking to enhance their global offering using what Egypt has to offer and the competitive advantages of
the country.
About RiseUp:
RiseUp was founded in 2013 in Egypt and quickly became a grassroots movement that spread across the MENA region and
beyond. It catalyzed ecosystems and connected regional startups with global resources, beginning with RiseUp Summit
(an annual entrepreneurship event) and growing into a range of products and activities supporting startups, and
developing ecosystems throughout the year, including RiseUp Connect, RiseUp Explore, and RiseUp Meetup.