Nada Helmy is a Value Creation Manager at HALA Capital, where she works closely with portfolio companies to unlock growth through strategic partnerships, business development, and access to new opportunities across the MENA ecosystem. She has spent the past decade working across the venture capital and startup ecosystem. Before moving into VC, Nada was a startup founder herself, giving her firsthand experience of building and scaling a business. Nada is also a business content creator and host of The Real Preneur. With 50+ podcast episodes and 120K+ followers across social media, she shares insights on entrepreneurship, startups, and business.

Interior Designer | Board Member at Ministry of Youth & Sports' "Be Shababha" Federation | Founder of Dai Online Training Platform | Member of Business Women of Egypt (BWE21) | Host of Oswa Podcast / country Advisory Council at youth engagment Wing at g100

Mohamed Seif is a Partner and Development Director at Instinct Games, with over 20 years of experience in game development. He has led and contributed to large-scale game projects across production, technical leadership, studio management, and team development. He is also passionate about supporting game development talent and helping grow the industry in Egypt and the MENA region.

Regional Sales Manager at Fawry, where I lead the acceptance product for my business unit in addition to overseeing sales, partnerships, and operational teams. I manage a diverse portfolio including payroll, payouts, SaaS solutions, acceptance, and cash management, with a strong focus on enabling seamless B2B fintech solutions and building strategic collaborations that drive growth, with a proven track record of contributing to high-performing teams and achieving business objectives in complex, fast-paced environments. Committed to delivering innovative solutions that align with organizational goals and enhance customer experiences.

Investing globally through venture funds while still selectively backing founders directly in markets where I have strong market exposure (DACH, CEE, MENA). Former entrepreneur, startup founder and venture operator with hands-on experience across investor relations, M&A, fund management, growth- and late-stage fundraising, and strategic business development. Focused on industrial deep tech, semiconductors, photonics, robotics, energy transformation, advanced manufacturing, climate technologies and, occasionally, enterprise software.

The Co-founder & CEO of Lucky, Egypt’s leading consumer fintech platform. In 2022, Lucky was recognized by forbes as one of the top 10 most funded fintechs in the middle east. Ayman also founded Connect Money, the rising banking one-stop-shop providing embedded finance as a service. As a serial entrepreneur in MEA region for over a decade & before embarking on the journey to build Connect & Lucky, co-founded Dsquares, currently the leading loyalty solutions provider in the region operating in 7 markets. In addition, Ayman's corporate career includes leadership roles at Vodafone & Temasek, angel invests & sits on the board of a few tech startups in Egypt. Endeavor Egypt entrepreneur & board member. Columbia business school alumni & studied electronics engineering.

Most software leaders talk about digital transformation. I've spent 20 years actually building it at a national scale, in sectors where failure is not an option. I'm the CEO of Lumin Soft, where we architect and deliver mission-critical digital platforms for government institutions and financial organizations across the region. My path here wasn't a straight line; it was 20 years of engineering, leading, failing fast, and building things that had to work. I started as a Software Engineer straight out of Ain Shams University with a degree in Computer & Systems Engineering. I wrote code, managed teams, and eventually led as CTO before stepping into the CEO role. That full-stack career, technical to executive, is exactly why I lead differently. Most CEOs in tech either grew up in business and learned to talk about engineering, or grew up in engineering and never really learned to lead. I did both, and that's what makes Lumin Soft different. We don't just deliver software. We architect platforms that become the digital backbone of the organizations we serve. At Lumin Soft, we operate in high-stakes environments where the margin for error is razor-thin. Our clients don't just need software; they need a partner who understands the weight of what they're building and delivers without excuses. That's the standard I set for myself and for every engineer on my team.

Mayada Maged is a globally recognized HR outsourcing and workforce transformation leader with over 20 years of experience in strategic growth, operational excellence, and cross-border workforce solutions. As Managing Partner of Staff Arabia, she leads integrated HR outsourcing services, including EOR, payroll, compliance, and talent management across 18+ countries. She holds an MBA in Global Management and advanced HR and management qualifications from ESLSCA Paris and AUC, and is currently pursuing a DBA in Management. Mayada has received international recognition from platforms including the Forttuna Global Excellence Awards, Stevie Awards, Global Payroll Association, CIPD PMA UK, UKCXA, and Saudi Event Awards. She also serves as Chair of Judges for the Stevie Awards in MENA and as an international jury member across leading global award platforms.

El-Moataz Bellah Osama is a global multi-disciplinary leader and IFC-certified board director with over a decade of cybersecurity experience spanning consulting, corporate environments, and advisory boards. He brings a proven track record of driving high-stakes engagements for BFSI institutions, directing the full spectrum of cybersecurity in the FinTech sector, governing group cybersecurity architecture for Valeo, and advising PE/VC portfolio companies on leveraging cybersecurity as a competitive advantage and value creator. Strategically positioned at the intersection of cybersecurity, business strategy, and investment operations, his expertise lies in translating complex technical risks into business-driven decisions that serve as a growth enabler, EBITDA protector, and risk management anchor. This authoritative industry voice is backed by an elite portfolio of advanced credentials, including ISSAP, CSSLP, CISSP, CISM, and CMU CERT-certified.

Omar holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Business Management, Class of 2017) from the Ted Rogers School of Management at Toronto Metropolitan University formerly known as Ryerson University. Throughout his studies at TMU he majored in Entrepreneurship and Innovative Strategy and minored in Marketing Management. He also obtained his MMIE (Master in Management, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship, Class of 2021) from the Smith School of Business and Faculty of Science at Queen’s University. Omar is passionate about using the power of entrepreneurship and business to impact and change people's lives. During his undergraduate career, he was able to start his own social entrepreneurship business. This water filtration and sanitation business implemented in Upper Egypt was able to filter more than 150,000 litres of water to 50 different families in its first four months. After graduation, he worked with the DMZ at Ryerson University for 6 years. After the DMZ, Omar joined Highline Beta which is a consultancy group aimed to provide corporate innovation consultancy to Fortune 500 companies. In early 2023, Omar decided to move back to Egypt and join the family business ELARABY GROUP. He currently leads their Corporate Strategy and Business Development departments. In addition to supporting their International Business department by managing the South/Latin American region. Omar was able to develop a corporate innovation program at ELARABY GROUP with the establishment of ELARABY Ventures (elarabyvc.com).

Mohamed Tobar is Co-founder and COO of Makkook AI, where he leads product and delivery for enterprise AI and Decision Intelligence solutions. He is also the creator of BD-OS, a framework for structuring Business Development as an operating system, and writes about growth systems, decision architecture, and enterprise execution.

Abdallah Elshabrawy is the Founder of FitNot Games, a mobile game studio crafting culturally resonant games for the 400M+ Arabic-speaking market. He has 15+ years of experience in game development across PC, web, mobile, and VR. FitNot Games has shipped 10+ games, reached 2.1M+ downloads with no paid user acquisition spend, secured a partnership with MBC Group, and have been featured by the Apple App Store twice. He is also a board member with AGE (Assembly Game Egypt), a non profit industry association for game development built to organize, connect, and grow the Egyptian game dev ecosystem.

Makram Abdel Aziz is a seasoned HR and Operations leader with deep expertise spanning the full people agenda, including organizational development, talent acquisition and management, change management, succession planning, performance management, reward systems, employee relations, and policy design. He holds an MBA in Human Resources from ESLSCA Business School, Paris. At Microsoft, Makram leads People Operations for France, Germany, the Middle East & Africa, and Southeast Europe, where his impact extends well beyond HR processes to act as a catalyst for business transformation and growth. His track record includes building an HR team from the ground up across all Centers of Excellence to support Microsoft's Technical Sales organization for the Cloud business in MEA, a foundation that contributed to a fourfold increase in revenue over three years. He has also formulated and launched a Learning & Development strategy for the MEA SMB organization, led a change-management program that steered the transition of the business model and HR strategy, and coordinated global and regional learning events, HR summits, and business offsites aligned to company strategy. Alongside his corporate role, Makram is an instructor and HR/Business Management consultant known for transformative, high-impact training. Over the past decade he has delivered around 8,000 hours of programs in Organizational Development, Performance Management, Policy Design, Leadership, Coaching, and Business Process Outsourcing, helping shape industry-ready talent and fostering people-centric cultures across the region. Makram is passionate about building positive corporate cultures, leading organizations through change, and turning people strategy into measurable business results.

Alejandro Soumah is the founder of Itô Markets, an Alliance-backed company building market infrastructure for GPU compute. He previously worked in quantitative research and credit trading at Goldman Sachs and founded RISO Data, which he grew to approximately $500K in annual recurring revenue. Alejandro studied Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of California, San Diego, and delivered a TEDxSanDiego talk on the use of AI in cocoa supply chains. His work spans artificial intelligence infrastructure, financial technology, quantitative markets, enterprise software, and technology entrepreneurship. He has also served as a judge for the Agora Agents Hackathon, evaluating AI-agent projects across technical execution, innovation, traction, and commercial potential.

Ahmed Shaboury is the Founder and CEO of Torasna, a heritage development company turning Egypt’s cultural assets into sustainable economic and cultural engines through public-private partnerships. He developed the business model for the Grand Egyptian Museum, the world’s largest museum dedicated to a single civilization, and co-authored the Strategic Management Plan for the Pyramids of Giza, aligning with UNESCO benchmarks and advancing sustainable tourism. As Co-Founder of Shaboury Associates, he has led 70+ visitor center and museum projects across the ancient world, including the Neom Experience Centre in Saudi Arabia and the Mleiha Archaeological Centre in the UAE. As Managing Partner at Citadel for Asset Management, he transformed Cairo’s Salah al-Din Citadel into a vibrant cultural destination through heritage-led regeneration, destination marketing, and cultural programming. Ahmed is a board member of Egypt’s General Authority for Tourism Promotion and serves on the Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities’ Experts Committee. He is a frequent speaker at international forums on heritage development, cultural tourism, and site management. Ahmed holds an M.Sc. in International Tourism Development from the University of Surrey, UK (2016), a B.Sc. in Communication Engineering (1997), and an Executive Education Diploma in Finance from London Business School. His research focuses on the sustainable development of cultural heritage destinations.

Mohamed Hafez, Managing Director at Limbic Entertainment Games. Originally a programmer, with currently 15 years of experience in the video games industry. Technical roles gave me deep understanding of game development, some highlights are, Technical Director at Limbic Entertainment, Lead Programmer on Tropico 6 and Park Beyond, Engine Programmer on Memories of Mars, Game Programmer on ARK Survival Evolved, and Graphics Programmer on Final Fantasy XV. In 2022, Limbic established its branch in Cairo as extension to mother company in Germany, since then, I am proud to grow our team here in Egypt and support the game development community.

Osama M. Hijji is a Group CISO with 25 years of experience in Information/Cyber Security Management in various disciplines including brokerage, banking, insurance, trading, private equity, microfinance, payment, telecom, government, health, IT & military with oversight & insight in security technology, cyber defense, offensive security, governance, risk, compliance, IT security, OT/IoT security (ATMs, Phone Banking, Mobile Wallet, Mobile & Internet Banking, SCADA, Industrial Control Systems, etc..), cyber security (SOC, IRST, CERT, red teams, war-gaming, pen-testing, etc...), physical security & security intelligence (digital risk protection, brand protection, threat intelligence, attack surface management, etc..) in local, multi-national, private & public sectors firms/institutions. More and above Osama has a significant experience in IT Enterprise & Service Management. Osama holds a bachelor degree in computer engineering from Arab Academy of Sciences & Technology (AAST). He is CISM, PMP, ITIL & CSI certified in addition to having over 40 Technical, business training, and hands-on implementation and auditing experience in ISO9000, ISO20000, ISO27001, ISO22301, SAS-70, PCI-DSS, Process Management (Documentation & Auditing). Osama speaks fluently Arabic, English, French and can understand & manage with Italian. Osama has as well broad experience with multiple security technologies & products within it including next generation & legacy firewalls, IPS, Email Security Gateways, Web Security Gateways, Data Classification Enforcement, Data Leakage Prevention, Database Activity Monitoring, Encryption, Privileged Account Management, Identity & Access Management, EPP, UEBA, SIEM, SOAR, ITDR, EDR, NDR, VMDR, WAF, RASP, SAST, DAST, etc..

With 80+ major live stages and 100+ episodes and interviews featuring regional and international celebrities, public figures, and leading personalities, Khaled has presented across prestigious platforms including the Grand Egyptian Museum, Cairo Opera House, the Pyramids of Egypt, and major international film festivals. He is the Co-Founder & Chief Commercial Officer of BOUJ Network, a marketing and brand experience company, while also being the Creator & Host of Tesmahly Show — a distinctive conversation format that has been brought to the Red Sea International Film Festival, El Gouna Film Festival, and Cairo International Film Festival. Khaled’s presenting portfolio extends across a wide range of sectors, including technology, business, entrepreneurship, sports, entertainment, lifestyle, culture, and corporate communications. Through his work, he has presented and moderated conversations with ministers, ambassadors, CEOs, investors, entrepreneurs, industry leaders, celebrities, and leading public figures, bringing together different worlds through the power of presenting, storytelling, and meaningful conversation.

Omar Ellaithy is an entrepreneur and business leader with a background in banking and a passion for building businesses that create meaningful impact. Today, Omar is the Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Babyfit Academy, an infant swimming academy focused on introducing children to sports and building the foundation for a healthy, active lifestyle from as early as two months old. Omar began his professional journey in banking at CIB (Commercial International Bank) before transitioning into entrepreneurship and pursuing his passion for building and developing businesses. A graduate of Cairo University’s Faculty of Commerce, English Section, Omar’s journey reflects his belief in turning ideas into meaningful experiences and businesses that create real value for people and communities.

Senior Account Manager Nawah Scientific/ Project Manager SIA Space

Amany Helmy is a seasoned HR entrepreneur, founder, and people strategist with a strong track record across Egypt and the Middle East. As the Founder & CEO of Blissify, she helps businesses build stronger cultures, smarter people systems, and higher-performing teams through innovative HR consulting, employee engagement, and practical learning experiences. With deep expertise in talent, performance, and organizational development, Amany is known for blending strategic HR with human-centered impact.

Amr Helal is an AI Engineer, CEO & Founder of DotPy, and a certified Machine Learning Specialist accredited by MIT and AWS, with more than 7 years of experience in the field. He started in engineering, then shifted his focus to AI and Machine Learning, building his skills through continuous self-learning and hands-on practice. He is also exploring the business side of building tech and education platforms. Amr is the founder of AI Catalyst, one of the largest annual AI events, bringing together experts, students, and professionals in the field.

As Founder & CEO of Cryptyd, Ahmed led a 17-person cross-functional team to ship 9 titles while owning product vision, live operations, and player engagement systems end-to-end. Cryptyd has been incubated by Google in the Google play Indie Accelerator Program 2019 at the google Asia HQ in Singapore!. Cryptyd was among 30 companies selected out of 1700 applicants from 37 countries.

Zeyad Zein is the Co-founder and CEO of LAYN, where robots turn code into concrete. Having built the software, hardware, and materials from scratch, he's printing his way through real estate's rulebook — from furniture to façades to full structures.

I am a passionate and experienced gamification entrepreneur with a strong understanding of the gamification market. I am the founder of AL-Arcade, a startup that provides gamification solutions to businesses of all sizes. I am committed to helping businesses improve their engagement, productivity, and profitability through gamification. I have over 5 years of experience in the technology industry, with a focus on gaming and software development. I started my career as a back-end Java developer, where I was responsible for updating and optimizing an ERP system. I then moved on to become a junior unity game developer, where I built hyper casual games and educational games for kids. I later became the lead game developer at PG-Soft Games Egypt, where I led a team of developers in creating high-quality mobile games. I am a skilled and experienced developer with a strong understanding of gamification principles. I am also a creative and innovative thinker with a proven ability to come up with new and innovative solutions to problems. I am confident that we can make a significant contribution to your company and help you achieve your goals.

Visionary Managing Director and CCO with 25+ years of pioneering leadership across Tier-1 Banking institutions, Fintech, and Digital Lending Ecosystems. Renowned for architecting and scaling high-growth financial enterprises from the ground up, obtaining critical regulatory licenses, and managing multi-billion EGP portfolios. A strategic expert in post-merger integration (PMI), products and ecosystems design, digital transformation. Adept at navigating complex regulatory landscapes (FRA & CBE) while building strategic alliances to position organizations as market-leading platforms.

Investment advisor specializing in private markets, with a focus on real estate and infrastructure investments across Egypt and the MENA region. Experienced in structuring debt and equity transactions, advising on capital raising strategies, REIT, and supporting developers and investors in aligning projects with institutional capital requirements. Core experience includes evaluating investment opportunities, structuring financing solutions, and advising on market entry, risk assessment, and capital deployment strategies in emerging markets. Provides practical, transaction-level insights on: • Real estate investment strategies and yield dynamics • Developer financing models and capital structures • Debt structuring and bank financing in Egypt • Equity partnerships, joint ventures, and investor negotiations • Macroeconomic impact on real estate and private markets Frequently engaged in discussions with investors, consultants, and financial institutions seeking on-the-ground perspectives on Egypt and MENA investment opportunities. Holds an MBA from Alliance Manchester Business School, a Management Accounting Diploma from CIMA, and a B.Sc. in Engineering from Ain Shams University.

Nehal Helmy is the Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Flend, Egypt's first licensed digital NBFI dedicated to SME finance. An economist by training, she brings over a decade of experience spanning entrepreneurship, financial sector development, public policy, and international finance. Before co-founding Flend, Nehal served as Economic Advisor to Egypt's Minister of Investment and International Cooperation, where she led Egypt's engagement with leading international financial institutions, including the World Bank Group, the African Development Bank, EBRD, OECD, and AIIB. She played a central role in negotiating a US$4.5 billion budget support package, shaping investment and financial sector reforms, and advancing Egypt's sustainable development agenda. Earlier in her career at the World Bank Group, Nehal led financial sector development initiatives across the Middle East, focusing on expanding access to finance for MSMEs and affordable housing finance in Egypt, Jordan, and Yemen. Recognized as one of the region's leading female innovators, Nehal was selected for UNDP's Women Innovators Program and IFC's SheWins Arabia, which recognize high-potential technology entrepreneurs driving sustainable impact across the Arab world. She holds an MSc in Economics from the University of Barcelona and is passionate about building technology-driven financial solutions that unlock growth for underserved businesses.

Head of Marketing @ Al Ahly Sporting Club | Marketing Communications

Youssef Mohsen is an Egyptian entrepreneur and a pioneer of the esports industry in Egypt and the wider region. As a founder of Anubis Gaming, the first professional esports organization in Egypt, the Middle East, and Africa, he helped grow the organization from a small startup into a championship-winning team with world and regional titles, securing major partnerships with brands like Mercedes-Benz and Vodafone along the way. Today, he is the Founder and Managing Director of Quantum, a premium ecosystem that combines education, esports, talent management, and events to transform gaming in Egypt into a structured and professionally valuable path for young people. Through Quantum, he is working to bring coding, AI, and esports programs to youth across Egypt, turning something millions already love into real skills and opportunity. His experience spans business development, sponsorships, operations, events, and talent management, built on a track record of taking ideas from the ground up and scaling them.

Dr. Amany Eissa is VP of Artificial Intelligence at Keheilan Asset Management, where she leads AI strategy and conducts due diligence across the fund's deep-tech and capital-markets investments. She is also Co-Founder and Head of Business Development at the Egypt University of Informatics (EUI) in the New Administrative Capital, and an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Computing and Information Sciences. At EUI she founded the university's Centre of Entrepreneurship & Innovation and its Careers & Employability Center. She mentors founders and early-career talent across both. She holds several advisory positions and contributed to Egypt's National AI Strategy workgroup, bridging applied machine learning, venture investment, and higher education. She holds a PhD in Data Science and a Private Equity & Venture Capital Diploma from AUC, and works fluidly across the MENA region and Europe.

Driving Seamless Gaming Operations & Competitive Excellence Neo Gamerz