Egypt launched its first national “Startup Charter” on Saturday, seeking to mobilise $1bn in financing over five years and create approximately 500,000 direct and indirect job opportunities.
The charter, unveiled by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat, represents a strategic roadmap to support up to 5,000 startups. The initiative follows more than a year of consultations between 15 national entities and over 250 representatives from the entrepreneurship community, including venture capital funds and parliamentary members.
“Egypt’s Startup Charter is not merely a theoretical document, but rather a flexible, executable tool that evolves continuously,” Al-Mashat said, noting it serves as a foundation for updating legislation to match technological shifts.
A central pillar of the charter is the issuance of the first officially approved unified definition of startups. The classification identifies startups as newly established, high-growth companies focused on innovative products or business models. This definition allows firms to obtain classification certificates from small and medium enterprise authorities to access specific government incentives and facilitation measures.
The government aims to reach its $1bn funding target by coordinating resources among state entities and activating co-investment mechanisms with the private sector. The unified financing initiative is designed to maximise the impact of available government resources by up to fourfold through financial guarantees and venture capital partnerships.
The charter also introduces a “Startup Scale-Up Empowerment Programme” aimed at mature startups. The programme is designed to help companies attract billion-dollar investments, facilitate stock market listings or strategic exits, and foster the creation of “unicorn” companies capable of regional and international expansion.
Speaking at the 13th annual RiseUp Summit at the Grand Egyptian Museum, Madbouly described the charter as an executive tool to transition Egypt toward a knowledge-based economy.
“The building of nations will not be achieved without the building of minds, and the most precious thing Egypt possesses is the minds of its youth,” Madbouly said. He added that the government has made significant strides in structural reforms since March 2024, including stabilising the exchange rate and curbing inflation, to create a suitable climate for private sector growth.
To improve the business environment, the charter includes measures to simplify tax procedures, ease liquidation and exit processes, and provide a unified guidance manual covering all government permits and licenses. This manual was prepared in cooperation with Intilaaq and UN Women.
The government has also established an Entrepreneurship Policy Observatory to monitor progress and collect data on policy implementation. The observatory includes a “Council of Elders” featuring representatives from the startup community to provide direct oversight and submit recommendations to the Ministerial Group for Entrepreneurship, which was formally established by decree in September 2024.
The roadmap further identifies priority sectors for innovative solutions, including deeptech, AgriTech, and TravelTech, to link state challenges with startup-led innovation.
