- The summit was the first-ever mega event around the globe to take place in a hybrid format during COVID19. Utilizing AI for its networking activities, through a matchmaking engine that connected both on ground and virtual attendees and created over 1.200 connections in real time.
Alexandria: 13,290 attendees from more than 70 countries, 250 speakers, 188 talks, panels, workshops, 18 Side events and 1200 connections were made: this was the result of Techne Summit, the Mediterranean’s leading tech event that took place last week November 7th and concluded yesterday November 11, at Alexandria’s Bibliotheca Alexandrina.
Running its 6th edition, the summit was organized by Markade agency, and ran through 5 days of conferences, workshops, and side events across the city, bringing together innovators, startup founders, international experts, and investors, to boost the Mediterranean startup ecosystem.
"We’ve had very rich discussions from more than 250 speakers many of which were top management speakers representing local and global brands, such as Dell Technologies, Unilever, Roche, Axa, Tiktok, Microsoft, MasterCard, Angel capital Association, PepsiCo, Siemens, to name a few, and many many more. Some who have joined us on-ground and others virtually” Said Alyaa Kassem, Speakers’ Relations Manager at Techne.
The highlight of the entrepreneurial summit was the hybrid format that distinguished the event where anybody could join almost all activities physically or virtually, whether they were attendees, exhibitors, speakers, and everything was accessible whether at the venue in Alexandria or from the screens of mobile devices or personal computers of attendees.
“All the necessary precautions were taken to ensure our participants’ safety. Indoor halls were at a 50% capacity thanks to Axa who facilitated adding human cardboard cutouts to fill the halls’ seats. Masks were obligatory at all times, temperatures were taken for all participants while hand sanitizers were all over the venue. We’ve also disinfected all rooms during breaks thanks to Mermaid – a home and commercial cleaning startup who partnered with Techne” Said Nada Tarek, head of partnerships and exhibitors at Techne
The investors’ boot camp, sponsored by the Mediterranean Business Angel Investors and co-organized by Alexandria Business Angel Network had more than 20 sessions between panel discussions, masterclasses and fireside chats. Renowned speakers featuring Patrick Gouhin CEO of the Angel Capital Association, Peter Cowley President of the European Business Angel Network, Angels Lee CEO of 37 Angels, Fadi Ghandour Managing Partner of Wamda Capital, Nabeel Koshak CEO of Saudi Venture Capital Company and many more, have joined the talks and discussions.
The boot camp also hosted Alex Angels’ Plus+ Pitch, where eight startups seeking capital ranging from $200,000 to $500,000 came and pitched to investors joining remotely and on ground.
“As we continue to build capacities of investors around the region through our programs, it is very important to continue providing access to capital to early stage startups, and promoting cross-border investment to help startups scale their businesses both locally and regionally” Said Aliaa Saleh, General Manager of Alex Angels.
The summit, backed by GIZ, Hivos, Oxfam, Huawei, Inertia Construction, Roche, Axa Onehealth, Egypt Ventures, the Sanad Fund for SMEs, and many more was under the auspices of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), where H.E. Dr. Amr Talaat gave the opening keynote speech, showcasing the Egyptian ministry’s achievements and future strategy, while reinforcing the continued support for innovation, entrepreneurship, and investment in Egypt
“We’ve had 14 Sponsors, 10 track partners, 96 community partners contribute to this year’s event which took place in such difficult times. While 100 Exhibitors and more than 500 startups engaged and participated throughout the 5 days” Said Mohamed ElDallal, Co-founder of Techne.
Four startup competitions were hosted at Techne, including the Startup World Cup, championed by Egyptian startup "Pravica" which has now secured their spot in Grand Finale in Silicon Valley for a chance to win $1,000,000 in investment.
The "Trip to Stockholm" pitching competition, organized by the Embassy of Sweden in Cairo, saw Lebanese startup Drapp win the first place, while CoatConnect and Eiin took the second and third place.
The "AXA OneHealth" pitching competition also saw Drapp win the first place.
Ashraf won the first prize at the “Future Technopreneurs” pitching competition organized by Egypt’s TIEC, with Hybrid Avatar Interview taking home the second prize.
Other additions this year’s summit included where two exciting new tracks, designed to keep up with growing demands and evolving markets: The Sports Technology Track and Gaming Track which made up the last two of the total nine tracks which included FinTech and E-commerce Track, HealthTech, Marketing and Media Technology, Architecture and Real Estate, Investment, The Startup Business Academy, and the Sustainability and Environment Track.
“Events will no longer be the same post COVID19, having a hybrid component is here to stay. People will be more selective about when and where they travel, which events they will attend in person and which to virtually take part of.” Said Tarek Elkady, Founder and CEO of Techne
-Ends-
About Techne Summit:
Techne Summit is an international multi-industry focused investment & entrepreneurship event that aims to impact multiple sectors and stakeholders of the startup communities in the Mediterranean region through showcasing different technologies and their application in each industry.
About Markade:
Markade is a marketing and advertising agency specialized in numerous ATL & BTL activities since 2007. Its services include building corporate identity, design and art direction, event management and team building activities.
Working with various multinational companies over the past 12 years, the company helps its clients build reputable brands and satisfy their needs & requirements in both local and international markets that serve several industries such as retail, FMCG, construction, logistics, medical & pharmaceutical products, foods, and many others.
For press enquiries:
Farida Ashraf
Email: farida.ashraf@markade.agency
Phone: +2 (0101) 224 06 12
www.markade.agency
© Press Release 2020
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