Launched in November 2016, Entrepreneurship track provides participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to transform ideas into sustainable businesses. It covers various aspects such as entrepreneurial planning, governance, management, marketing, and finance, and includes personalized mentoring sessions and practical field visits.
Eighteen fellows were selected in the inaugural intake. The selection process involved assessing candidates’ passion for STEM, entrepreneurial potential, and commitment to the program’s objectives.
Al Alfi Foundation planned an ‘Entrepreneurship Talks’ series for the participants to understand the challenges that entrepreneurs face and provide them with vital skills. Al Alfi Foundation also sponsored some of the outstanding participants to attend seminars and workshops abroad to further develop their capabilities and exposure.
Our Notable Initiatives
The Entrepreneurial Exhibition and Competition at GFHS
The two editions of the Global Forum for Higher Education and Scientific Research 2019 and 2021 (GFHS) were hosted by The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research under the auspices of H.E. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at Egypt’s New Administrative Capital. In both editions, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research hosted a Youth Dome powered by Al Alfi Foundation.
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The Global Forum for Higher Education and Scientific Research 2019
In the 2019 edition, the Dome hosted an exhibition of some of Egypt’s most exciting startups. Twenty booths were erected to allow them to showcase their projects to inspire and motivate student attendees. They also had the opportunity to explore funding opportunities with venture capitalists and investors and to network with academics and other successful entrepreneurs, comparing experiences and receiving valuable advice.
The exhibition also allowed them to meet with ministers and government officials to voice their problems and understand more about government opportunities and plans for different sectors.
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The Global Forum for Higher Education and Scientific Research 2021
In the 2021 edition, Al Alfi Youth Dome hosted a competition for teams with entrepreneurial ideas from different Egyptian national and private universities. The competition promoted creativity, idea generation, and entrepreneurship by recognizing innovative ideas for new products, services, and technology.
Twenty teams participated in an exhibition-style showcase where they interacted with different event attendees interested in learning more about their ideas. Each team was provided with a booth in the Youth Talks Dome branded with its logo. Teams were encouraged to use the designated space wisely and effectively to help judges and dome visitors learn about their entrepreneurial ideas and engage with them.
They also had access to a dynamic and diverse platform of young entrepreneurs. They were able to build connections and become part of a community of young entrepreneurs and business professionals where ideas, information, and support could be exchanged. The renowned judges were entrepreneurs, experts, university professors, and visionaries who studied all ideas and projects and assessed them according to specific criteria, including consistency with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), entrepreneurial vision, feasibility, innovation, communal benefit, and sustainability, among other factors. When the experienced judges voted on their favorite ideas, two teams from Ain Shams University and Mansoura University received equal votes. Each of the top-ranked ideas received an award of EGP 30,000 in prize money from Al Alfi Foundation.
Rally Competition
The Competition was initiated to provide guidance, mentorship, and possible scale-up opportunities to individuals and teams eager to follow their dreams and start their businesses.
The Competition offered tracks for university students in various industries focusing on innovation. After the first filtration phase, the candidates attended a Bootcamp training. Then, candidates got to pitch their startup ideas to business leaders, investors, and members of the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Egypt. The winners received in-kind prizes.
In coordination with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and ISF (Innovators Support Fund), Al Alfi organized one boot camp for the shortlisted business plan finalists (72 individuals from 36 teams) to provide them with the essentials of developing their enterprise including having an entrepreneurial mindset, validating their business plan idea, creating business models, knowledge on business and legal structures, building a successful team, financial projections, startup valuations and access to finance; and the art of pitching and storytelling.