Egypt launches national startup charter with $1B pledge
New policy framework aims to back 5,000 startups, create 500,000 jobs, and expand innovation-driven economic growth
CAIRO, Egypt (MNTV) — Egypt has launched its first national Startup Charter, pledging $1 billion in funding and introducing policy reforms to strengthen the country’s innovation ecosystem, boost job creation, and accelerate economic growth.
The initiative follows more than a year of consultations involving 15 government entities and more than 250 stakeholders from the startup community, entrepreneurs, and parliamentary bodies, according to a statement from the Egyptian Cabinet.
The charter aims to support up to 5,000 startups, create an estimated 500,000 direct and indirect jobs, and help Egyptian startups expand internationally, officials said.
The charter was launched on Feb. 7 at the Grand Egyptian Museum in an event attended by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Minister of Planning and Economic Development Rania Al-Mashat, senior government officials, diplomats, and representatives from venture capital funds and the startup ecosystem.
A unified financing mechanism introduced under the charter will coordinate funding from government entities and private investors.
Officials said the framework seeks to multiply available resources by up to four times and mobilize $1 billion over the next five years through government-backed guarantees, co-investments with venture capital firms, and partnerships with private-sector investors.
Egypt’s startup ecosystem has seen growing momentum, with startups raising $228 million in venture capital and debt financing in the first five months of 2025. Official figures show total funding reached $614 million last year, reflecting increasing investor confidence and a broader financing base.
The Cabinet described the charter as a strategic framework designed to strengthen startups and the wider entrepreneurial ecosystem, supporting innovation-led growth and job creation.
Over the next five years, the charter will focus on supporting startups’ global expansion, developing local talent, promoting venture capital activity, and attracting investment through a unified financing framework, while linking sector-specific challenges with technology-driven solutions.
Speaking at the launch, Al-Mashat said the charter was designed as a flexible framework that would evolve with technological and market developments.
She said the initiative represents an initial step toward updating policies and legislation to better support entrepreneurship and was shaped through extensive stakeholder consultations.
A key element of the charter is a unified definition of startups as newly established, high-growth, and innovation-driven companies, aimed at simplifying access to incentives and official classification by small and medium enterprise authorities.
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