PRESS RELEASE: The Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at MIT’s 2025 Foundry Fellows Set to Explore Egypt's Thriving Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, January 2025 — The Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is excited to announce the second ecosystem tour of the 2024-25 Foundry Fellowship program, set to take place in Egypt from January 17-24, 2025. Over the course of a retreat in Aswan and a three-day immersion in Cairo, the fellows will engage with the country’s dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem, meeting with leading entrepreneurs and key stakeholders in the government, corporate, academic, and investment sectors.

The tour kicks off with the fellows’ second Adaptive Leadership retreat, focused on enhancing their leadership skills and refining their visions for impactful interventions in their own markets. From Aswan, the fellows will continue to Cairo, where they will engage in high-level dialogues with policymakers, venture capitalists, and thought leaders driving Egypt’s rise as a regional hub for innovation and entrepreneurship in Africa.

Dina H. Sherif, Executive Director of the Legatum Center and Egypt native, underscored the significance of the tour: “This immersive experience is designed to foster cross-continental collaboration and knowledge exchange, equipping fellows with valuable insights and connections to build thriving ecosystems in their home countries. Cairo’s entrepreneurial ecosystem exemplifies the resilience and creativity that define innovation across Africa. This is the fourth time we've brought our Foundry Fellows to Egypt, offering them a unique opportunity to learning from the country’s successes and challenges to shape their own ecosystems. This aligns with our mission to build bridges and promote inclusive prosperity across Africa.”

Fellows will participate in fireside chats with prominent figures, Dr. Abla Abdel Latif,  Executive Director and Director of Research, Egyptian Center for Economic Studies, Amr El Abd, CEO of Endeavor Egypt and an Advisor to the Prime Minister of Egypt for Entrepreneurship ,Mohamed Farouk, Chairman and CEO of Mobica Furniture and judge on the Egyptian version of  Shark Tank and, other Legatum Center Foundry Fellows, such as Amr El Tayeb and Aly El Shalakany, who will provide invaluable insights into the country’s entrepreneurial landscape and the role entrepreneurship plays as a driver of innovation across Africa and the Middle East.

The tour will include curated visits to key institutions and innovation hubs, such as the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), The American University in Cairo Tahrir Square Campus, and the technology park, GrEEK Campus.

For more information on the Foundry Fellowship and other Legatum Center initiatives, please visit mitsloan.mit.edu/cde/programs.

ENDS

About the Foundry Fellowship

The Foundry Fellowship is an eight-month, transformative experience for accomplished entrepreneurs who are committed to leading the acceleration and interconnection of Africa’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems.   

The Foundry Fellowship embodies this belief through its creation of a community of Africa-based entrepreneurs who share a vision for a continent where people, ideas, and resources move across borders, and where ecosystems enable innovation-driven entrepreneurs to thrive and scale. This community plays a critical role in shifting the narrative of Africa to one of abundance, opportunity, innovation, and dynamism.   

About the Legatum Center:

The Legatum Center for Development & Entrepreneurship at MIT was founded in 2007 on the belief that entrepreneurs and their innovation-driven solutions are critical to advancing sustainable and inclusive prosperity in global growth markets. Integrating MIT’s philosophy of mens et manus (mind and hands), the Center mentors emerging and established entrepreneurs by equipping them with the practical skills, systems thinking and leadership values they need to build scalable businesses, transform systems and drive lasting change in their communities.