The “Orange Corners Egypt” program announced the graduation of 100 startups in the first cohort of the 2025 program in the Delta region, during a ceremony held under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, and H.E. Ambassador Peter Mollema, Ambassador of the Netherlands in Cairo, at the Dutch Embassy in Cairo, in partnership with a number of private sector companies. This comes within the framework of promoting the concept of innovation and entrepreneurship among Egyptian youth. The ceremony was attended by a distinguished group of government representatives, development partners, and private sector leaders.
In this context, H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, noted that empowering entrepreneurs by promoting innovation and creating new job opportunities is one of the main pillars of Egypt’s economic development model, which is based on increasing private sector participation in development. The graduation of 100 startups within the Orange Corners program, is a real example of how international cooperation and private sector partnerships can create opportunities at the local level and contribute to inclusive growth in vital sectors such as agritech, education, and climate smart solutions.
Among the graduating startups in the program’s first cohort, 52 are led by women, reflecting the program’s strong commitment to women’s empowerment and inclusive economic growth. The program ensures that women constitute over 50% of total participants, in affirmation of its belief in the importance of integrating women into the economic development process and enabling them to build prosperous professional futures.
This specific cohort was characterized by its focus on vital sectors that affect the future of the national economy, including smart agriculture, innovation in the food industry, sustainable technological solutions, green entrepreneurship, education, health, and creative industries.
The program is a comprehensive platform that supports young entrepreneurs by providing specialized business development training, career guidance and mentorship, access to networks and investment opportunities, and the necessary support to establish viable and sustainable businesses.
It is expected that the program will support around 130 startups during 2025, including 100 companies in the Delta region across the governorates of Alexandria, Beheira, Kafr El-Sheikh, Dakahlia, and Menoufia, in addition to 30 companies in Upper Egypt in the governorates of Assiut and Luxor. Each graduating project is estimated to create between two to five new jobs, which means the program has the potential to create more than 3,000 direct and indirect jobs.
It is worth noting that the “Orange Corners” program was launched in 2021 as part of a global initiative by the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and is implemented locally by Outreach Egypt Foundation, with the support of key partners at Al Qatta. The program aims to empower young people between the ages of 18 and 35 in marginalized areas and turn their ideas into innovative, scalable projects, in line with Egypt’s Vision 2030 and five key UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 4, 5, 8, 9, and 13). The program contributes directly to supporting inclusive growth, entrenching a culture of innovation, and promoting the principle of sustainability, based on a firm belief that youth are the key drivers of Egypt’s future.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation – Egypt.
