Cairo:  The 5th edition of the "Startups Without Borders" program kicks off today under the slogan "Breaking Borders, Building Global Horizons". The program runs from May 10 to 11.

The fifth edition includes more than 5,000 entrepreneurs and innovators from around the world, as well as speakers from London, Italy, Japan, the United States, Senegal, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, in addition to experts in the field of startups such as Ibrahim Sagna, Sadaharu Seko, and Michael Lints

For the first time in Egypt, the fifth edition will include the launch of the AI Salon in partnership with the American VC Jeff Abbot, founding partner of Blitzscaling Ventures. The "Startups Without Borders" program is the exclusive platform for the salon in Egypt and the Middle East. The session will feature a conversation between Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh, General Partner at Blitzscaling.

Reflecting the pivotal role that entertainment now plays in supporting and empowering entrepreneurs, the program includes panel discussions with various Shark Tanks led by Abdullah Salam, President & Chief Executive Officer of Madinet Masr, as well as a session on "Bridging entertainment and business: How Shark Tank is Inspiring Millions to Start their Business". This session will be led by leading figures including Amr Mansy, Founder and CEO of ievents, Ahmed Tarek, Chairman of Allianz Logistics and Services Holding,, and Ahmed Al Qasr, Co-Founder of IMP, moderated by Amy Mowafi, Co-Founder of Mo4Network

The first day's events also include another session on the potential of creative content to change the narrative in the Middle East, featuring Mai Abdel Azim, CEO of Media and More, and Mai Salama, Creative Industry Summit. In addition to a featured collaboration with Egyptian AI startup Widebot, which offers visitors a virtual assistant to navigate the agenda and boost their networking.

The summit features a talk with Wael Altorabi, Saudi entrepreneur and founder of Qewam, who will share his experience founding and exiting 3 companies and his mission to build a strong regional startup ecosystem.

Valentina Primo, the founder of "Startups Without Borders", said: "We strive to provide a platform for prominent speakers to share their experiences and participate in fruitful discussions and exchange ideas that benefit young entrepreneurs and innovators." Primo also expressed her pride in launching the Artificial Intelligence Salon in Cairo, a new format of events reaching the Middle East for the first time, where a series of exciting and innovative conversations and discussions will focus on artificial intelligence and how it can be a game-changer in all industries.

It is worth noting that the summit events will bring together a group of speakers including some leading investors, venture capitalists, and entrepreneurship incubator officials, who will discuss and unveil the new world of investment, in addition to more than 30 workshops that provide entrepreneurs with many ideas and tools needed for growth and expansion, starting from building sales plans to understanding the power of artificial intelligence.