• Ramzy: “We were happy to sponsor the 10th edition of RiseUp at GEM and, at the same time, we are announcing the first RiseUp Retail at District Five, taking place at our flagship development.”
  • Sharara: “Over the past ten years, RiseUp boosted foreign investment in Egypt, & encouraged young people to start their startups.. I am happy to announce the launch of the 1st RiseUp Retail at District Five.”
  • Maklad: ” At MARAKEZ innovation is at the center of everything we do. That is why a collaboration with RiseUp to bring the innovators of our generation to District 5 made perfect sense for us.”

CAIRO, Egypt:– MARAKEZ – the leading award-winning mixed-use real estate developer,  and the platinum sponsor of the 10th edition of the RiseUp Summit, has proudly announced launching the first vertical event for (RiseUp Retail), live from District Five from May 25th to 27th 2023.

The RiseUp Summit – the largest entrepreneurship event in the Middle East – has been recently inaugurated at the Grand Egyptian Museum from the 16th-18th of March, 2023, with more than 14,000 attendees from 60 countries around the world.

Over the past ten years, RiseUp has been dedicated to inspiring entrepreneurs to dream big, break barriers, and reach new heights. With this year’s theme #StayingReal, it focused on reality and achieving results bringing over 250+ speakers from around the world to speak on this centralized topic. It also brought together 150+ startups to showcase their brands to thousands of attendees, including potential customers, partners and investors. With more than 400 investment opportunities for startups, the summit has successfully providedd solutions and serious steps to advance entrepreneurship.

Commenting on the sponsorship and the event, MARAKEZ Chief Executive Officer Basil Ramzy said, “We were happy to sponsor the 10th edition of RiseUp at the Grand Egyptian Museum and, at the same time, we are announcing the first RiseUp Retail at District Five, taking place at our flagship development from May 25th to May 27th. We value entrepreneurship in our organization and outside of it, we encourage and promote innovation, and we join hands with outstanding entrepreneurs in the ecosystem.” Commenting on the significance of the Summit, Abdel Hameed Sharara, Founder and CEO of RiseUp, said, “Over the past ten years, RiseUp managed to attract 5000 investors, and Egyptian startups were able to collect about $3.5bn, which contributed to boosting foreign investment in Egypt, encouraged young people to start their startups, and spread the culture of entrepreneurship in the Middle East and Africa. I am happy to partner up with MARAKEZ and announce the first RiseUp vertical event – RiseUp Retail at District happening on the 25th, 26th and 27th of May of this year at District Five where one can register here”.

The Summit has always been endorsed by the presence of esteemed government officials in its past rounds, and this year it was honored with the presence of Dr. Amr Talaat – Minister of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), Dr. Rania Al-Mashat – Minister of International Cooperation, Mr Hossam Heiba – President of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), Mr. Rami El-Dokany – Chairman of The Egyptian Stock Exchange (EGX), Mr. Diaa Rashwan – Head of the State Information Service (SIS), and Mr. Mohamed Farid – Head of Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA).

Aligned with the Summit’s objectives, MARAKEZ has entrepreneurship and innovation as its core values, placing them at the forefront of its strategy.

District 5, MARAKEZ’s flagship project in New Katameya, East Cairo, marks a complementary living facility with a 250,000 sqm office ground, 340,000 sqm residential area, and a recreational area devoted to public visitors to share unforgettable moments with the compound residents and office goers.

MARAKEZ has a passion for excellence and a track record of seizing untapped opportunities and venturing where others have not. Ashraf Maklad, MARAKEZ Chief Commercial Officer noted, “At MARAKEZ innovation is at the center of everything we do. That is why a collaboration with RiseUp to bring the innovators of our generation to District 5 made perfect sense for us. The integration we have managed to put together at the District 5 office campus will change the work life experience in Egypt and be the model for years to come.” It is worth mentioning that the 10th edition of the summit came with a distinctive character in terms of events, venue, and partners bringing together all parties working in the field of entrepreneurship, including entrepreneurs, investors, and business incubators. It featured more than 250 speakers and experts from all over the world, most notably Ronaldo Mouchawar, Vice President of Amazon in MENA and Founder of Souq.com, Shinez Chalabi – Business Acceleration Head – Google, and Shaloo Garg – Managing Director, Late-Stage Startups and Unicorns at Microsoft, in addition to speakers from LinkedIn, Disney, Meta, Snapchat, DreamWorks, and other important local and international companies.