As the Web Summit returns to physical form today in Lisbon, Portugal, Egypt was represented with a large group of Egyptian delegates including 10 local tech companies and 18 Egyptian startups, which were hosted at a dedicated exhibit pavilion.

Egypt’s heavy participation at the international tech event aims to enforce Egypt's position on the global map of innovation and entrepreneurship, promote the innovative solutions of the local tech startups, and highlight the incentives and benefits that Egypt offers in this field.

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Representing Egypt’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) was the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) which “sponsors and supports Egypt’s participation in the largest tech conference in the world, in cooperation with the Digital Economy and Technology General Division (DETGD) of The Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce.”

ITIDA is looking to attract more investments into Egypt’s thriving tech-enable innovation system and startup scene, as well as expand the base of venture capital funds, major investors, and specialized platforms in supporting entrepreneurs in Egypt.

The companies exhibiting their applications and platforms under Egypt’s pavilion include 5 companies in their growth stages and 13 other companies in their alpha and beta stages.

Startups included Egyptian digital freight/trucking marketplace Trella, utility management platform for water and electricity companies in emerging markets Pylon, next-gen F&B platform Koinz, FinTechs Money Fellow and CreditGo, grocery delivery platform GoodsMart, secure blockchain-based digital communication suite provider Pravica, and medical supplies marketplace DentaCarts.

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This all comes in line with an array of private and governmental support services available to Egyptian entrepreneurs, including nationwide digital innovation hubs, incubators, and initiatives executed by the government, multinational corporations, and universities to instill entrepreneurial spirit and innovation among Egypt’s youth.

Web Summit is the largest tech conference in the world, bringing together start-ups and high-level speakers from the tech community. The summit returns this year to its real-world form for 4 days, from 1st to 4th of November.