Venture capital firm 500 Global and Egypt’s Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) have officially celebrated the conclusion of a three-year collaboration aimed at accelerating the country’s startup ecosystem. The partnership, which focused on building talent pipelines and investment pathways, successfully translated national priorities into scalable outcomes, fostering a more resilient infrastructure for digital transformation.
Scaling Startups and Securing Capital
Since the launch of the collaboration, the partnership has supported 197 startups and over 380 entrepreneurs through nine cohorts of Seed Bootcamps and Scale-Up Programs. These initiatives have yielded significant financial results, with participating founders securing $6 million in direct investment and over $54 million in follow-on funding. Additionally, the startups attracted $1.3 million in grants and awards while generating more than 1,300 full-time jobs. Notable portfolio companies highlighted during the celebration included Rahet Bally, Dayra, Khazenly, and Blnk, which are developing solutions across logistics, fintech, and HR tech.
Strengthening Institutional Infrastructure
Beyond direct support for founders, the partnership focused on building long-term institutional capability through the Bootcamp for Accelerator Managers (BAM). This program transferred global accelerator management expertise to local operators, training 126 managers and staff from 55 accelerators nationwide. The impact of this training was measurable, with 56% of graduates improving their accelerator strategies and 51% strengthening program quality, ensuring that the ecosystem can sustain high-quality support for future generations of founders.
Decentralizing Opportunity and Digital Transformation
A core objective of the collaboration was to decentralize innovation beyond Cairo, leveraging the Creativa network to reach talent across the entire country. By co-designing programs that aligned public priorities with private capital, 500 Global and ITIDA aimed to develop investable market architectures and position Egypt’s emerging innovation hubs for regional competitiveness. Eng. Ahmed El-Zaher, CEO of ITIDA, emphasized that expanding the startup ecosystem and uplifting freelancers remain central pillars of Egypt’s digital transformation strategy.
About 500 Global
500 Global is a venture capital firm that partners with governments and institutions worldwide to build systems, talent pipelines, and investment pathways that allow innovation ecosystems to thrive. With a presence in over 80 markets, the firm combines global venture expertise with on-the-ground ecosystem-building capabilities to support founders and creating commercially investable opportunities.
Source: 500 Global
