The following Egyptian startups have entered tricky markets where evidently none or only a handful of entrepreneurs have dared to tread. They span from electric scooters trying to help save the planet to providing technological solutions in fields where they are scarce. They should definitely be on your watch list this coming year.
1. MerQ
A picture of Sally – the MerQ chatbot dedicated to credit cards. Image via the Facebook page ‘Sally Credit Card’.
This startup delivers an artificial intelligence-powered system that allows consumers to consult chatbots in matters and terminologies related to financial and insurance services. One of the bots, Sally, has already been activated and used by over 200,000 people. You can try Sally through clicking here and starting a conversation with her!
Back in April this year, MerQ disclosed to Menabytes that they’ve raised a six-figure USD investment from Ahmed Kamal Selim. They’ve also won second place at InsurTech Egypt’s InsurHack – Egypt’s first Insurance technology hackathon – scoring them EGP 40,000.
2. Avocato
Avocato’s app allows you to hire lawyers snd consult legal experts on a diverse range of issues.
Would you hire a lawyer through an app or use it to consult experts on your legal issues? Avocato has now made that possible. The new startup is an app-based legal service that allows its user to do just that!
They operate in both Egypt and Saudi Arabia currently. According to a WAYA interview with members of the startups’ team, the biggest challenge this startup faces is the culture around legal services in Egypt.
3. Wuilt
Wuilt allows you to build a highly customized website and – later on – modify it without any prior technical knowledge in website development or design and in just a few clicks and possibly in under five minutes! It’s also integrated with Google Translate and hence could transform the language of your website to any language you like.
They recently graduated from the Flat6Labs Fall 2019 acceleration cycle. You can learn more about them and Flat6Labs by watching our interview with their founder and CEO Ahmed Rostom at the Flat6Labs Fall 2019 cycle demo day. Just click here!
4. AlDoctor
An image via AlDoctor App’s Facebook page highlighting how much time it saves those who utilize it.
Al Doctor allows you to utilize the services of medical doctors and medical analyses, diagnostic and imaging centers. The founder, Wael Galal, cited long waiting hours, a numerous number of graduated medical doctors in Egypt who could use the money and the struggle of patients with difficult illnesses in finding medical services in hospitals as the inspiration behind the win-win relationships that are behind the startup’s business model.
They recently graduated from one of AUC Venture Lab’s intense acceleration cycles. If you’d like to learn more about the cycle and Al Doctor app, click here!
5. GBarena
An image of GBarena’s logo via their Facebook page.
The Egypt-based e-sports startup has made headlines back in March of 2019 for raising six-figure USD seed funding whose exact size they didn’t wish to disclose, according to Menabytes.
The gaming industry has entered the mainstream and it no longer belongs to a narrow niche as one might expect is still the case. According to Business Insider Intelligence, the global growth forecast of the industry is expected to rise to more than $1.5 billion by 2023! Their stated goal – according to their Facebook page – is to “…help gamers connect and interact by finding high quality content and tournaments, where they can compete for rewards and put their skills to test.”
6. Inploy
An image via Inploy’s Facebook page advertising the availability of make up artists on their website who are ready to do freelance work.
Being a freelancer in Egypt is difficult. Besides difficulties related to the legalities and regulations of being a freelancer, finding work in the gig economy is tricky. Inploy, an Egyptian startup, launched a website where freelancers of work from a variety of professions can easily meet and find their clients.
They had a booth at the 2019 version of RiseUp Summit and are expected to launch an app soon. They even partnered up with RiseUp to offer a promo code that gives its user a 65% discount on their late owl RiseUp tickets.
7. Rabbit Scooters
A snapshot via Rabbit Scooters displaying how the app works.
Getting around with scooters is – at least seemingly – not one of Egyptians’ popular pastimes or methods of transportation. But Rabbit’s is a startup that aims to change that and help save the planet through e-scooters. At the 2019 edition of RiseUp Summit, Rabbit Scooters were how you easily got around the massive AUC New Cairo Campus.
The Rabbit Scooters app allows you to start a ride through simply scanning the QR code on the scooter. It calculates the time you spent on the scooter, the fare you need to pay at the end of the ride and the amount of grams of CO2 you would’ve emitted if you weren’t using a clean means of transportation.
