Latest news with #FemaleEntrepreneurship
bnok24
5 days ago
- Business
- bnok24
Standard Chartered AUC Venture Lab and Village Capital Launch Futuremakers Women in Tech for Egyptian Entrepreneurs
Standard Chartered, AUC Venture Lab and Village Capital are thrilled to announce the launch of the inaugural Futuremakers Women in Tech accelerator program in Egypt, part of the Bank's global Futuremakers initiative and funded by the Standard Chartered Foundation. Standard Chartered is collaborating with the American University in Cairo's award-winning startup accelerator AUC Venture Lab and Village Capital to bring to Egypt, for the first time, a three-month global accelerator programme, designed specifically for visionary women entrepreneurs The groundbreaking initiative aims at fostering female entrepreneurship and innovation in the Egyptian tech-enabled sectors. The programme marks a significant step towards promoting gender diversity and inclusivity in the Egyptian technology industry Speaking at an event marking the inauguration of the programme, Mohammed Gad, CEO and Head of Banking & Coverage, Standard Chartered, Egypt, said: 'Launching Futuremakers Women in Tech in Egypt is a proud and powerful moment for us. We believe women entrepreneurs are catalysts for innovation and inclusive growth. Through this programme, we're opening doors for bold ideas and brighter futures—and we're excited to see Egypt's talent rise and lead Over the course of the next three years, Futuremakers Women in Tech Egypt will provide impact-creating, women-led startups with the tools, resources and networks needed to thrive in the rapidly evolving entrepreneurship landscape. Through a series of masterclasses, hands-on mentorship sessions and tailored investment readiness support, participants will have access to an unrivalled world-class acceleration experience while boosting their business survival rate. At the end of the programme, participants will also compete for up to USD 10,000 in equity-free funding, supporting them to grow sustainably and create long-lasting community impact 'Since 2013, we have been committed to championing Egyptian entrepreneurs and our newest program with Standard Chartered and Village Capital is another testament to that. Our programmes have helped more than 1,000 founders to date and this accelerator will help many other women build their tech-enabled ventures and connect them with investment opportunities,' said Ayman Ismail, Founding Director at AUC Venture Lab and Abdul Latif Jameel Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship at the American University in Cairo The launch event featured keynote speeches by Rola Abu Manneh, CEO, MENAP, Standard Chartered and Sherif Kamel, Dean at AUC Onsi Sawiris School of Business as well as an enriching panel discussion about the future of female-led startups in the region featuring: AUC Venture Lab Director Ayman Ismail, Standard Chartered Egypt's CEO Mohamed Gad, Dr. Azza El Shinnawy, Co-founder and CEO of PortfolioTECH, Farah Emara, Founder of Fresh Source, and moderated by Village Capital's Senior Program Manager Ahmed Fadl While this is the first cohort in Egypt, Futuremakers by Standard Chartered has been longstanding in other markets including Bahrain, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia , South Africa*, UAE, Uganda and Zambia. To date, the initiative has supported 4,000 women founders across 17 markets Google News تابعونا على تابعونا على تطبيق نبض
Zawya
5 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Standard Chartered, AUC Venture Lab and Village Capital launch Futuremakers Women in Tech for Egyptian entrepreneurs
Cairo, Egypt – Standard Chartered, AUC Venture Lab and Village Capital are thrilled to announce the launch of the inaugural Futuremakers Women in Tech accelerator program in Egypt, part of the Bank's global Futuremakers initiative and funded by the Standard Chartered Foundation. Standard Chartered is collaborating with the American University in Cairo's award-winning startup accelerator AUC Venture Lab and Village Capital to bring to Egypt, for the first time, a three-month global accelerator programme, designed specifically for visionary women entrepreneurs. The groundbreaking initiative aims at fostering female entrepreneurship and innovation in the Egyptian tech-enabled sectors. The programme marks a significant step towards promoting gender diversity and inclusivity in the Egyptian technology industry. Speaking at an event marking the inauguration of the programme, Mohammed Gad, CEO and Head of Banking & Coverage, Standard Chartered, Egypt, said: 'Launching Futuremakers Women in Tech in Egypt is a proud and powerful moment for us. We believe women entrepreneurs are catalysts for innovation and inclusive growth. Through this programme, we're opening doors for bold ideas and brighter futures—and we're excited to see Egypt's talent rise and lead.' Over the course of the next three years, Futuremakers Women in Tech Egypt will provide impact-creating, women-led startups with the tools, resources and networks needed to thrive in the rapidly evolving entrepreneurship landscape. Through a series of masterclasses, hands-on mentorship sessions and tailored investment readiness support, participants will have access to an unrivalled world-class acceleration experience while boosting their business survival rate. At the end of the programme, participants will also compete for up to USD 10,000 in equity-free funding, supporting them to grow sustainably and create long-lasting community impact. 'Since 2013, we have been committed to championing Egyptian entrepreneurs and our newest program with Standard Chartered and Village Capital is another testament to that. Our programmes have helped more than 1,000 founders to date and this accelerator will help many other women build their tech-enabled ventures and connect them with investment opportunities,' said Ayman Ismail, Founding Director at AUC Venture Lab and Abdul Latif Jameel Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship at the American University in Cairo. The launch event featured keynote speeches by Rola Abu Manneh, CEO, MENAP, Standard Chartered and Sherif Kamel, Dean at AUC Onsi Sawiris School of Business as well as an enriching panel discussion about the future of female-led startups in the region featuring: AUC Venture Lab Director Ayman Ismail, Standard Chartered Egypt's CEO Mohamed Gad, Dr. Azza El Shinnawy, Co-founder and CEO of PortfolioTECH, Farah Emara, Founder of Fresh Source, and moderated by Village Capital's Senior Program Manager Ahmed Fadl. While this is the first cohort in Egypt, Futuremakers by Standard Chartered has been longstanding in other markets including Bahrain, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabiai, South Africa*, UAE, Uganda and Zambia. To date, the initiative has supported 4,000 women founders across 17 markets. *Funding for Futuremakers Women in Tech in Saudi Arabia and South Africa is from Standard Chartered not Standard Chartered Foundation. Further Information Media Contacts Wasim Benkhadra Head of Communications, UAE, ME & Pakistan and Africa Corporate & Investment Banking Communications Lead Standard Chartered Nour Ibrahim Marketing and Communications Manager, AUC Venture Lab About Standard Chartered Foundation The Standard Chartered Foundation (SCF) is a charitable organization that tackles inequality by promoting greater economic inclusion for disadvantaged young people, particularly young women, and people with disabilities. Its programmes focus on employability and entrepreneurship, helping young entrepreneurs and jobseekers access the skills, networks, opportunities, and support they need to achieve economic power and participation. Established in 2019, SCF is a registered charity in England and Wales (charity number 1184946) and is the lead delivery partner for Futuremakers by Standard Chartered, a global youth economic empowerment initiative. About Standard Chartered We are a leading international banking group, with a presence in 53 of the world's most dynamic markets. Our purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, and our heritage and values are expressed in our brand promise, here for good. Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong stock exchanges. For more stories and expert opinions please visit Insights at Follow Standard Chartered on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook. About the American University in Cairo and Venture Lab Founded in 1919, The American University in Cairo (AUC) is a leading English-language, American- accredited institution of higher education and center of the intellectual, social, and cultural life of the Arab world. It is a vital bridge between East and West, linking Egypt and the region to the world through scholarly research, partnerships with academic and research institutions and study abroad programs. The University offers 39 undergraduate, 52 master's and two PhD programs rooted in a liberal arts education that encourages students to think critically and find creative solutions to conflicts and challenges facing both the region and the world. An independent, nonprofit, politically non-partisan, non-sectarian and equal opportunity institution, AUC is fully accredited in Egypt and the United States. AUC Venture Lab (V-Lab) is Egypt's first university-based accelerator and a holder of 10 international awards as the top accelerator in the Middle East and Africa. With a mission to help entrepreneurs launch, grow and scale their innovative startups and provide a learning and research platform for the AUC community to engage with entrepreneurs, V-Lab has supported thousands of founders turn their business solutions into viable, scalable and investment-ready tech startups. Since 2013, V-Lab has graduated 300+ startups from its flagship accelerators which went on to create 12K+ job opportunities and raise more than 5 Billion EGP in funding. V-Lab's portfolio includes: Swvl (the first Egyptian unicorn to list on Nasdaq - tech and mobility), Koinz (F&B), ElGameya (fintech), Rology (health-tech), Dentacarts (e-commerce), Klickit (payments) and Orcas (education). Learn more at About Village Capital Village Capital (VilCap) is reinventing the system to back the entrepreneurs of the future. Known for its groundbreaking approaches to supporting founders who are building solutions to emergent environmental, social, and economic challenges, VilCap unlocks critical social and financial capital for early-stage companies to maximize business and impact growth. Village Capital has operated in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) since 2018, running over 11 accelerator programs. VilCap has supported more than 120 locally-based startups working in sectors such as data tech, financial health, green tech, and health equity. Learn more at and follow @villagecapital.
