In a rare admission that governments aren’t always the best stewards of startup data, Egypt’s Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) has officially handed the keys to its national innovation platform to a private sector consortium.
The revamp of Egypt Innovate, announced today at the AI Everything Middle East & Africa summit in Cairo, marks a pivot from a static government directory to what officials are calling an “AI-driven ecosystem engine.”
The platform will now be operated by a consortium led by Cairo-based think tank Entlaq, alongside tech house Robusta and venture studio Kamelizer.
For investors and founders on the ground, the move signals a shift in strategy: Egypt is trying to professionalize how it sells its startup ecosystem to the world, moving away from bureaucratic oversight toward a model run by the people actually building the companies.
The “AI” Pivot
The timing of the launch — at an AI summit attended by global policymakers — is no accident. Egypt has been aggressively positioning itself as an AI hub for Africa, having released its second National AI Strategy last year.
The new Egypt Innovate isn’t just a list of names. It features an AI-powered “smart assistant” designed to guide entrepreneurs through the often-labyrinthine process of registering IP or finding state-backed incentives.
More importantly for VCs, the platform claims to use “intelligent data-driven matching” to pair startups with investors. If it works, it could reduce the due diligence headache in a market that saw over $614m in funding in 2025, according to Ministry of Planning figures.
“The platform serves as a unified digital meeting point,” said Ahmed ElZaher, CEO of ITIDA, who framed the launch as a move to “leverage data as a cornerstone for economic growth.”
The Consortium: Who is running the show?
The decision to bring in private operators is the most significant change. ITIDA has effectively outsourced the platform’s brain and nervous system to three well-known local players:
- Entlaq: Led by Mohamed Ehab, this think tank has become a go-to for ecosystem data and policy advocacy. They are responsible for the platform’s operational strategy and data integrity.
- Robusta: A heavy-hitter in Egypt’s tech scene, Robusta is building the infrastructure. Known for their work with e-commerce giants and digital transformation, their involvement suggests the platform might actually work this time — a common complaint with previous government portals.
- Kamelizer: Headed by veteran angel investor Hanan Abdel Meguid, Kamelizer is handling the digital identity and marketing. Their role is likely to ensure the platform speaks the language of investors, not civil servants.
“This alliance represents an integrated public-private partnership model,” said Entlaq CEO Mohamed Ehab. He emphasized that the platform currently hosts data on 780 entities and over 81,000 registered users, a baseline the consortium aims to scale aggressively.
Why it matters
Data transparency has long been a sticking point in MENA tech. Valuation numbers are often hushed, and funding rounds can be opaque.
By moving to a “self-verification” model — where startups update their own profiles — the platform is betting on community policing over top-down verification. It’s a risky bet: while it reduces bottlenecks, it opens the door for inflated metrics unless the consortium enforces strict checks.
However, the need for a central source of truth is urgent. After a record-breaking 2025, where Egyptian startups like Nawy ($75m raise) and MNT-Halan continued to pull in capital, international interest is high. But foreign investors often struggle to navigate the local landscape without a “fixer.”
If Entlaq and its partners can turn Egypt Innovate into a reliable “digital fixer” — rather than just another bookmark in a browser — it could streamline capital deployment significantly.
The Bottom Line
The skepticism here is natural. Government-backed “innovation hubs” often end up as digital ghost towns once the ribbon-cutting ceremony is over.
But the “Egypt Innovate” reboot has two things going for it:
- Private Incentives: The operators (Entlaq, Robusta, Kamelizer) have reputations to lose. They are embedded in the ecosystem and have a vested interest in the data being accurate.
- The Language Play: By prioritizing Arabic technical content, the platform is acknowledging a massive gap in the market. It’s a move that strengthens Egypt’s “digital sovereignty” narrative — a key theme of the AI Everything summit — while making the ecosystem more accessible to talent outside the polished, English-speaking bubble of Cairo’s elite incubators.
For now, the platform is live. Whether it becomes the daily utility for founders or just another press release archive depends entirely on the execution of the private consortium now holding the reins.