Startups Without Borders holds 1st summit in Cairo

CAIRO – 31 October 2019: Startups Without Borders holds its first summit under the theme “Think Global, Inside Out,” at the American University in Cairo, Egypt on November 8, 9.

Hosting three main tracks, Tech to Scale, Female Leadership, and Creative Economies, the summit will bring international actors in the startup scene to the heart of Cairo and gather newcomer and Egyptian upcoming entrepreneurs who hack their way to scale globally.

This summit is organized in partnership with AUC V-Lab, UNDP, and Facebook, and is co-hosted by Telling the Real Story Project - Facilitated by UNHCR to enhance intra-community dialogue. It will place particular emphasis on refugee-lens investing and diversity as an asset for startups.

“If we look at unicorns in Silicon Valley, 55 percentof those $ 1 billion startups were created by at least one immigrant. 43percentof Fortune's 500 companies were started by immigrants and their children.

On the other hand, the tech ecosystem is missing out on a huge opportunity; it’s been reported that the tech industry today is losing an opportunity worth $400 billion due to its lack of diversity. As Egypt’s startups set off to scale globally, it’s time to build a strong ecosystem that capitalizes on diversity as an opportunity,” said Valentina Primo, founder and CEO of Startups Without Borders.

The summit will feature prominent international speakers, including Managing Director of the Refugee Investment Network Tim Docking, Investment Associate Principal at the Soros Economic Development FundAnulikaAjufo, and founder of Humanity Lab and the Global People’s SummitHazamiBarmada.

The summit will also shed light on one of the main challenges migrant entrepreneurs face: Funding. In partnership with UNDP, the summit will host a panel on impact investment, as well as a discussion on alternative finance for startups.

In partnership with MedAngels and AUC Angels, the Mediterranean Business Angel Investment Network, the summit will feature an Investment Track for investors interested in the impact investment sector, featuring participants from angel investment networks from across the Mediterranean.

Startups Without Borders was launched in 2018 in Cairo as a global platform connecting migrant and refugee entrepreneurs to opportunities and resources to build their businesses, wherever they are.

The platform aims to build the startup ecosystem for entrepreneurs on the move, not only changing perceptions on refugees and migrants, but also crystallizing a growing entrepreneurial trend amongst refugees and migrants.