Egypt Targets 250 AI Startups by 2030 as ITIDA Pushes Scale Over Hype

CAIRO — Egypt has set a target to foster 250 AI-based startups by 2030 as part of its National AI Strategy 2025–2030, with the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) shifting emphasis from hype to commercial scale. Eng. Ahmed Elzaher, ITIDA chief executive, outlined the government-backed push at the opening of Techne Summit Alexandria 2026, saying the country will prioritise building viable business models, investment readiness and market access to turn AI capabilities into scalable products.

“AI is giving startups unprecedented capabilities — but the winners will be those that turn them into lasting value,” Elzaher told an audience that included H.E. Dag Juhlin-Dannfelt, Ambassador of Sweden to Egypt; Eng. Khalil Hassan Khalil, Chairman of the General Division for Digital Economy and Technology at the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce; and Eng. Tarek El Kady, founder of Techne Summit.

Elzaher warned that broad access to AI models raises competitive pressure and shifts differentiation away from model access toward specialist data, industry expertise and customer relationships: “If everyone can access the same AI models, the question becomes: what makes your company different?” He argued that these elements, combined with practical testing and market feedback, are essential for startups to scale beyond proof-of-concept.

• Sector growth: Egypt’s information and communications technology sector recorded 19.2% growth, reinforcing the case for moving into higher-value technology products and services.
• Programme partnerships: ITIDA highlighted partnerships and programmes including StartIT and AWS, Creativa Innovation Hubs, Plug and Play, 500 Global, and the Venture Ready programme with GIZ.
• National platform: Entrepreneurs were urged to engage with EgyptInnovate to share needs and feedback on support mechanisms.

ITIDA presented a focused strategy around four priorities — skills, resources, real-world application and scale — designed to shepherd startups from building products to testing and commercialising them. Practical measures include improving access to cloud and computing resources and creating opportunities for startups to trial solutions with government and private-sector customers. Elzaher also announced preparations for an AI competition run in coordination with a government ministry to give startups an avenue to develop solutions addressing real challenges.

As part of the agency’s showcase at Techne Summit, a dedicated ITIDA pavilion featured 10 Egyptian startups that are beneficiaries of its programmes: KoCyber, STEMulator, Fabritec, Aman 7, Dackatra, Just2Pay, Polaris GRC, Dragons, Syncode X and EVRAID. The cohort spans cybersecurity, edtech, SaaS, proptech, healthtech, fintech, AI, business automation, deep tech and electric mobility, and is being positioned to meet investors and potential partners.

Elzaher framed the ambition as fundamentally pragmatic: build skills, secure resources, validate products with customers and scale. That approach dovetails with efforts to convert Egypt’s AI potential into exportable solutions across healthcare, education, fintech, agriculture and government services — sectors where local insight can be a springboard to regional and global markets.

Looking ahead, the government’s target of 250 AI startups by 2030 places pressure on the ecosystem to deliver not just experimentation but repeatable commercial success. ITIDA’s mix of acceleration partners, incubation hubs and planned government challenges aims to accelerate that transition from capability to sustainable companies able to compete on a global stage.