Digital Boom

Category: Startups

  • Get2Space launches 'Become an Astronaut' at RiseUp Summit 2015

    Get2Space launches 'Become an Astronaut' at RiseUp Summit 2015

    Everyone wanted to meet a Martian or visit Mars. Well, here is their best chance as Get2Space.com launches the “Become an Astronaut” program at the RiseUp Summit 2015 in Cairo – The largest entrepreneurial powwow for the youth in the MENA region.
    Nader Sabry, Founder of GET2SPACE, will announce the official launch of “want to become an astronaut?” campaign.  This aims to educate the Arab region’s youth on role of space in our life and how they can reach that frontier.
    “Want to become an astronaut?” program is in response to the flood of demand following the launch of GET2SPACE in partnership with the US Space Foundation in 2014 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre, during the Orion spacecraft test launch for its ultimate journey to Mars.  The program is rolling out in the build up to RiseUp Summit, in line with this year’s theme of “Quantum Leap” to transport us from Earth to outer space. It will help educate and create awareness around space technology and how it impacts our daily lives.
    Get2Space is part of “innovation path to peace” drive by the Nader Sabry started with his keynote speech at NASA’s Kennedy Space centre, the initiative is aimed at involving 2 billion people in space.
    This initiative targets the youth in helping them tap into science and technology as means for achieving peace drawing on space technology.  With an overwhelming response of youth across the Arab world aspiring to become astronauts; GET2SPACE is launching a pre-program registration campaign at RiseUp this year.
    “Space is big enough to offer opportunities for all, all you need is to believe and embrace it!” says Nader Sabry, Founder of GET2SPACE initiative and CEO & Founder of TIMEZ5 Global Inc.
    So wattle-up and get ready, this is an unforgettable journey.  From Cairo central to Mars; go to www.get2space.com/riseup

    About Get2space

    It is an initiative by TIMEZ5 Global Inc. to inspire people to aspire to space, seeking the greater good and global peace through space technology.
    It is designed to inspire the youth to focus on using science and technology to simplify and bring peace to the world looking at space as their future by promoting space technology awareness. Designed for the moon, used on Earth is the initiative’s motto.  Space exploration can inspire our world’s youth to dream big and work with each other on a common mission for betterment of mankind, and improve daily life in their local communities by adapting the application of space technology to their local needs.
    Get2Space was launched in 2014 by Nader Sabry, CEO and founder of TIMEZ5 Global Inc., in partnership with the US Space Foundation. For more information visit Get2Space website.

  • 3 Int'l Investors Acquire Fawry for $100M

    3 Int'l Investors Acquire Fawry for $100M

    A consortium of three international investors acquired 85 percent of Fawry, Egypt’s largest e-payment network.

    The profit-making company, which generated EGP 210 million in 2014 was acquired for USD 100M by the  Egyptian-American Enterprise Fund (EAEF), Helios Investment Partners and the MENA Long-Term Value Fund (MENA LTV).

    Providing payment services to more than 15 million customers across Egypt, Fawry has more than 50,000 service points making 1.2 million transactions on a daily basis.

    The company was established in 2008 after garnering the support of major investors like Raya Holding, Technology Development Fund (Ideavelopers), Arab African International Bank, HSBC, Alexbank and recently joined International Finance Cooperation (IFC).
    Payment collection, flight tickets, mobile phone recharge and e-payment are among the many services offered by Fawry.com

  • OMD Egypt Offers Its Office Furniture For Free to Startups

    OMD Egypt Offers Its Office Furniture For Free to Startups

    A great deal for startups, OMD is offering its office furniture for free to Startups, as the multinational agency is moving to a new office in Zamalek with a whole new look.
    If you have a startup, all you need to do is show up at the Greek campus on either days from Sunday October 18th to Tuesday 20th to claim your piece, first come first serve! Announced Rise Up on Facebook.
    https://www.facebook.com/riseupsummit/photos/a.538563762893229.1073741829.515312941884978/908323322583936/?type=3&theater
    Riseup announcement:
    “Founders, Entrepreneurs, Startups! We have a GREAT deal for YOU!
    OMD, one of the biggest advertising agencies in the world are moving to their new office in Zamalek! Mabrook!
    Now back to business…OMD is offering their office furniture for FREE to Startups. Yes, you read that correctly, FREE! All you need to do is show up at the Greek campus on either days from Sunday October 18th to Tuesday 20th to claim your piece, first come first serve!”
    OMD Worldwide is a global media communications agency. It is a subsidiary of Omnicom Group. OMD is recognized for its global footprint, strategic integration, and creative innovation.

  • How Vezeeta Makes Doctor's Visits Easier in Egypt

    How Vezeeta Makes Doctor's Visits Easier in Egypt

    The process of going to a doctor in Egypt is very complicated
    1- Searching for a good doctor in Egypt is a hard and hectic process.
    2- Booking with the referred doctor requires having the clinic’s number that getting it is a uniquely complicated exercise.
    3- Calling the clinic to book where nobody answers you except from the third or fourth attempt.
    4- Waiting time in the clinic is the tragedy of healthcare in Egypt, Two hours is he average time agreed by the majority of the doctors in Egypt.

    Vezeeta has solved the previous four problems and made the booking experience with any doctor to be easy, enjoyable and fast.

    Vezeeta, How does it work?

    The patient visits vezeeta.com to find the best doctors in Egypt, and search by specialty, area, and doctor’s fees. He/she will find other patients’ reviews and ratings on each doctor.

    • Vezeeta Website does not accept (reviews) except from “verified” patients, i.e: Patients who have booked their appointment at the doctor through www.vezeeta.com.

    The site now contains more than 20,000 reviews and ratings that increases by more than 3,000 on a monthly basis.

    • The patient can book automatically from the website by choosing the appropriate doctor and the suitable appointment available
    • When the patient goes to the clinic on time, he/she will find his/her appointment with the doctor reserved under his/her name.
    • The patient evaluates the waiting period in the clinic so that the other patients can book the doctors with less waiting time also they rate the medical service provided by the doctor

    The company’s foundation story

    Amir Barsoum, Chief Executive Officer, and Ahmed Bader VP & general manager of sales started vezeeta in 2013 with size and managed to raise EGP 30M in two rounds of financing from Egypt information and communication technology trust fund (ICT-TF) and Silcon badia for investment.
    Barsoum says: “The healthcare Market in Egypt requires critical development to provide better service for the patients who pay and do not receive a relatively accepted service “also” Technology is now in every grocery store, supermarket, lawyer and accountant office except doctors’ clinics and here comes the role of Vezeeta in integrating technology in healthcare”
    Vezeeta is the beginning of the technological development in the healthcare services patients. It is a free service for the patients.

  • 3 Creative Egyptian Women Who Master E-commerce

    3 Creative Egyptian Women Who Master E-commerce

    E-commerce empowers small businesses to grow by generating revenues without having real stores. That’s why it is necessary that you build and develop a strong online presence to prove your existence and stand out.

    SEE ALSO: Why did these posts get over 2 million comments on Facebook?

    Today, we would like to showcase three success stories of Egyptian women who seized the opportunity in the online fashion market and started their own e-commerce stores alongside creating appealing brands, pairing in mind 3 main pillars:

    • Create a brand identity with a target audience
    • Build a strong/creative website with e-commerce enabled
    • Use creative photographies
    • Optimize social media

    Shuffle Designs

    Amal Salah, the young architect, is the mastermind behind Shuffle Designs. She created the studio from her home. Amal creates nail portraits for almost any picture. She started with her Facebook page and managed to increase the audience in less than a year.

    She managed to turn her passion and creativity work into a solid brand in the field of design and décor. Her work doesn’t include ready-made conceptual work, she also offers customized portraits. And to give more exposure to her brand, Amal created campaigns through her works like her movie collection which you can check on her page.

    Shuffle Designs is proof that moms can still master a brand from zero to greatness.

    Okhtein

    Launched in 2013, sisters Aya and Mounaz Abdelraouf managed to launch Okhtein, their brand to bring uniqueness to the fashion scene. Their passion for design allowed them to be one of the top fashion brands in the country.

    Okhtein is not just another fashionista blog; it is a well-established website that promotes a classy brand in fashion. The sisters managed to make this brand so unique that you won’t be able to close their website while you are browsing through their products.

    The success behind Okhtein is the fact that each product has its own individuality. You won’t find repetition or stereotype here.

    They were able to add to the fashion scene through their online presence. Aya and Mounaz succeeded in adding diversity to the fashion scene and managed to preserve their own brand among other top fashion brands in the country.

    J’s Designs

    Jude Benhalim created her own brand of jewelry designs from her passion for Nubian culture. J’s Designs are a fusion of oriental and Nubian beauty.

    Jude’s work is unique and simple. She adds a concept to each design she creates. It is not simply a piece of accessory; it is a design to empower women. Her new “SHE” collection is specifically designed to help women feel their inner beauty.

    J’s Designs is about making accessories, not only something to wear but something to highlight women’s inner beauty.

    Her passion is reflected through her designs which she hopes women would feel confident and powerful when wearing them.

    This is not everything, keep up with us for more inspiring & successful stories from Egypt and the Middle East.

    See Also

  • UserTalk Boosts Online Customer Service

    UserTalk Boosts Online Customer Service

    “All our agents are busy now, but your call is really important to us so please stay on line.” Tired of this message?
    Massively improving customer service interactions, UserTalk is a technology that enables users to call customer service from a browser directly, or record and send voice messages instead of waiting for call center agents to take their calls.
    The software also provides companies with a tool to monitor the performance of their customer service representatives through the same recording mechanism.
    Check out all features here

    How UserTalk Started?

    Egyptian Computer Engineer Ahmed Fathalla developed the idea behind UserTalk 18 months ago in collaboration with Gyrolabs. After earning his Master of Science degree in computing in 2010 from the American University in Cairo and working for several well-known software companies such as IBM, Fathalla began tilting his knowledge and expertise towards creating something from scratch, rather than climbing the corporate ladder.

    Developed as a push-to-talk app, UserTalk had to challenge the widely held assumption that this market was seemingly saturated. Fathalla came up with an innovative idea to fully establish an online call center, with features that go beyond any of the already available centers.

    UserTalk now competes on an international level with more advanced qualities. UserTalk became an easy-to-access button on any company’s website or Facebook page, allowing customers to effortlessly call the company or even leave a voice message.
  • TBS ‘s Om Ali Fuels Outrage on Social Media

    TBS ‘s Om Ali Fuels Outrage on Social Media

    Since TBS opened, it has vowed to offer the optimum ingredients to stand out successfully as one of the top bakeries in Egypt, presenting a variety of heavenly donuts, croissants, sandwiches, etc. Recently, TBS announced a partnership with the Four Fat Ladies, and the consequences were disastrous.

    They created their new Croissant Om Ali for Ramadan, which looked stunning, and they delivered samples to some celebrities as publicity for their new product.

    Suddenly, this week, there was a massive buzz on social media about food poisoning cases from TBS’ Om Ali. At first, we thought these were rumors attempting to spoil TBS’s reputation. However, the complaints increased insanely. A user even claimed that Om Ali smelled like rotten eggs.

    TBS’s Facebook page was loaded with complaints from frustrated customers who tried Om Ali, expressing their massive disappointment and severe suffering from food poisoning symptoms, including vomiting, diarrhea, and fever.

    TBS released an announcement yesterday on their Facebook page to officially announce ‘we are discontinuing the production of our Croissant Om Ali, and are taking action to investigate the problem. We apologize for any inconvenience we may have caused some of our loyal customers,’ said Sameh Sadat, TBS’s Chief Investment Officer.

    Later, they apologized, mentioning that they will ‘personally contact affected customers one by one, and will work on lab tests to determine the batch problem.’

    In addition, TBS made an initiative to solve the customers’ complaints by asking them to contact Tabibi on 16724, they can visit them at home to be given a medical remedy, and TBS would cover all the expenses.
    A Facebook user posted a remedy: ‘ Use gastrobiotic as an antibiotic, visceralgine for spasmolytic, eat fruits, and drink lots of water.

    We currently expect that TBS will declare the results from the lab tests, which are in process with the date and the ETA, so that people can receive the proper medications accordingly.

    UPDATE – July 12th
    TBS released the results from the lab tests.