• Universities of Canada in Egypt (UofCanada) and Ryerson University’s business incubator DMZ,  have partnered up to launch an incubator to support the growth of high-potential tech startups based in Cairo.

• The sector-agnostic incubator will provide Egyptian tech startups with fully furnished workspaces, one-on-one guidance from dedicated programme leads and mentors, peer-to-peer sessions, expert-led workshops, networking opportunities and more.

• Earlier this year, Ryerson University and UofCanada launched a campus in Cairo to provide students in the region with access to programming and global learning experiences.

• The Toronto-based DMZ claims to have helped more than 500 of its alumni startups raise $1.24 billion in capital. 

• All entrepreneurs who meet eligibility criteria are welcome to apply to the incubator programme; they do not have to be current students or affiliated with UofCanada.

Press release:

Universities of Canada in Egypt (UofCanada) and Ryerson University’s the DMZ are announcing a new partnership that will attract scalable startups and ignite a new wave of innovation in Cairo.

Launched today, the DMZ Cairo sector-agnostic incubator will support the growth of high-potential tech startups based in Egypt’s capital. The incubator will offer fully furnished workspaces, one-on-one guidance from dedicated Programme Leads and mentors, peer-to-peer sessions, expert-led workshops, networking opportunities and more to accelerate their success. 

As an ecosystem, Cairo offers an attractive landscape for entrepreneurs to grow and scale their businesses. Backed by a strong economy and social influence, startups are well-positioned to create strong business trajectories with access to new markets and investment opportunities. Cairo is well connected to the rest of the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, as well as to Europe and North America, which offers startups great scaling opportunities. In 2020, startups in Egypt received a record $190 million in funding — more than one-fifth of every venture capital deal in the broader Mena region. 

Earlier this year, Ryerson University and UofCanada announced a new partnership and launched a campus in Cairo to provide students in the region with access to top-tier programming and global learning experiences. By introducing a world-class incubator, the DMZ, to Cairo, UofCanada is further building on its vision to drive an entrepreneurial and innovative ecosystem through experiential learning, state-of-the-art facilities, and cutting-edge technology.

“The DMZ has a proven incubation model, as evidenced by the 500+ alumni startups that have raised over $1.24 billion dollars in only 10 years,” explained Hadia H. Abdel Aziz, Vice President at Universities of Canada in Egypt. “We are confident that DMZ’s presence in Egypt will greatly contribute to the development of the Egyptian entrepreneurship ecosystem, especially in supporting globally oriented tech startups.”

“We are thrilled to be expanding the DMZ’s global presence and supporting Universities of Canada in Egypt to create a launching pad for entrepreneurs,” said Sherif El Tawil, Senior Director of Programmes and Partnerships at the DMZ. “Cairo has quickly become a competitive and vibrant centre for innovators. DMZ Cairo’s programming, mentorship and connections will give startup founders the tools they need to hit the ground running and grow their global footprint.” 

While DMZ Cairo is based at UofCanada’s campus, participants do not need to be current students or affiliated with UofCanada to join the incubator programme. Any entrepreneur who meets eligibility criteria is welcome to apply.

DMZ Cairo’s inaugural cohort kicks off this October. Cairo-based tech startups are welcome to apply by September 9, 2021. For more information and program eligibility requirements, visit dmz.to/DMZCairo.