“Yes, we built the pyramids, but let’s build the new pyramids. The new pyramids are not stones. They’re Uber, Facebook and Google; the pyramids of today’s world are all intangibles.”
Back in 2013 when the words ‘startup’ and ‘entrepreneur’ were still somewhat alien to our culture, Abdelhameed Sharara – a young Egyptian who had graduated from the Faculty of Law in 2009 – managed to bring people together to create the RiseUp Summit. The summit has now become one of the most impactful innovation and entrepreneurship summits in Egypt and the MENA region.
Its first edition was successful even though it ran during a time when political unrest and overall instability made Egypt’s future uncertain and scared investors away.
I sat down with Sharara, the CEO of RiseUp Summit, only a few days before RiseUp ’18. We talked about his influences, how he arrived at the first RiseUp, what being a part of the RiseUp team means and the importance of staying human.
The shapers of Sharara’s ambition
The most influential person in Sharara’s life was his father who – unlike Sharara – worked mostly in governmental positions. His work in the government included working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he had to travel a lot. When he was younger, Sharara accompanied his father on his travels which included visits to developed countries. One day, he asked his father curiously, “Why is Egypt not as developed?” Instead of giving him an answer his father replied, “Why do you ask?” “Because when I grow up, I want to do something that changes things for the better,” said Sharara justifying his question.
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And so, he grew up wanting to make a big impact but didn’t know exactly where he was headed. During school and college he successfully started a variety of projects. From a small recycling facility and kicking off a couple of simulation models to running a small PlayStation café, Sharara was already becoming an entrepreneur long before he knew it.
He also entered a competition held by Injaz, a well-known NGO where applicants who have an idea for a startup are guided through turning it into a company. His project was a multi-purpose bag named ‘Smile’ that won him the title of ‘Top Young Entrepreneur.’ The victory came during the same week he opened the Model Arab League in college, and in that same week, his father was diagnosed with brain cancer. “I dropped everything. I graduated in 2009 and he passed away in 2010.”
The first RiseUp Summit
“In 2011, the revolution happened and I felt it was time that I do something macro,” recalled Sharara. He held several jobs in training, development and teaching before he was called back to Injaz as a volunteer. His success as a volunteer made them offer him the mission of revamping their program.
“In 2013, when I was at Injaz, I realized that there was a gap in the ecosystem,” said Sharara describing the birth of RiseUp’s conception. The 25-year old pitched the idea of the summit that would bridge that gap to Ahmed El Alfi, founder of GrEEk Campus, who told him back then, “That’s crazy, I like crazy ideas!”
And then, in the middle of downtown, the first RiseUp Summit was born. It was completely crowd-sourced. Around 100 entrepreneurs who believed in its potential – but who were complete strangers to Sharara, snuck into the GrEEk Campus before the event and did their best to make sure it sees the light.
How the RiseUp team works
An outsider may wonder: with an event that only spans over a few days, what does the RiseUp team do all year? And more importantly, how do they do it?
“We work all year-round with a methodology called design thinking,” said Sharara. “We start by identifying the stakeholders of the event and creating a theme with them in mind. Then, we test that theme and we do a lot of research and get as much input as we can. After that, we start implementing and getting feedback, and so on and so forth,” he elaborated.
But that’s not it. He added that, in parallel to the above, they create a stakeholder engagement plan and start meeting with partners and sending invitations to speakers quite early in the process. This year, RiseUp powered a much needed Startup Manifesto as well. And Sharara asserted that “all of this takes literally 365+ days of work!”
As the CEO of RiseUp, Sharara believes that his role is to make sure that the ship is sailing in the right direction and that the P&L (Profit and Loss) of it all is working well. “At the end of the day, it’s a project and we have to make a profit and guarantee that everyone is happy.”
But taking care of metrics like vision, direction, user satisfaction and P&L is not what makes RiseUp a unique workplace. When I took some pictures to go with this article at the RiseUp office, Sharara insisted that they all include him along with the RiseUp team and never alone. That’s because he is a “lead from behind and eat last” leader who believes in collaboration and teamwork. “Everyone at RiseUp feels 100% ownership of our work.” When I asked him what he does to achieve this, he simply said, “I get out of the way.” Because for Sharara, “It’s not about one person. It’s about building a robust organization.”
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The importance of staying human
Although Sharara’s CV tells of an overwhelming work life, he still recognizes the potential dangers of indulging in our work to the extent of ignoring our emotional needs. “Business and toughness is very important but you have to activate your heart. I’m not referring to the fluff talk about passion and all that,” he remarked. “When you’re burnt out, cry. When you’re unable to work, don’t work. When you’re stretching and successful, celebrate. When you see someone who needs help, help them.”
To remind ourselves that we’re human is really important nowadays. “You deal with a lot of entrepreneurs and founders on getting out of depression more than on how they’re buying.”
