7th Edition of “Waha Connect” Kicks Off at Sadat Technology Park

The seventh edition of “Waha Connect” kicked off today at Sadat Technology Park, organized by Silicon Waha for Technology Parks and hosted by Delta Technological University, under the presidency of Prof. Dr. Wagih El-Askary. The event brings together government officials, industry and investment leaders, business community representatives, technology experts and academics, alongside entrepreneurs, students and young innovators.

The event brings together key stakeholders from the industry, technology, and investment sectors on a unified platform to strengthen collaboration among companies, academic institutions, and young talent; link innovation with market needs; and develop practical solutions to industrial challenges. This approach opens new horizons for partnerships, investment opportunities, and sustainable economic growth.

The seventh edition features panel discussions on business growth drivers and labor market needs, alongside student project exhibitions and the “Tech for Impact” competition, which encourages young people to develop practical technological solutions and strengthens engagement between innovators, industry, and investment representatives.

Silicon Waha: Connecting Industry and Investment with Young Talent

Commenting on the launch of the event, Mr. Hashem Mansi, CEO and Managing director of Silicon Waha for Technology Parks, said: “Waha Connect goes beyond being an event that brings together various stakeholders; it is a platform that connects industry, investment, and technology with young talent, creating genuine opportunities for growth and collaboration. Through this edition, we aim to strengthen the connection between companies’ needs and young people’s capabilities, helping them turn their ideas into practical solutions while expanding cooperation between the industrial and technology sectors. We believe that Egyptian youth possess significant potential in innovation and creativity, and that providing them with the right opportunities and connecting them with specialized expertise and funding sources can help turn this potential into projects with real economic value.”

The event highlights the importance of building stronger links between education, practical application, and market needs by giving industrial institutions opportunities to explore promising projects, engage with young innovators and talent, and identify ways to leverage technological solutions to improve production processes and address operational challenges.

Post For Investment (PFI) Supports Innovation and Promising Technology Projects

The seventh edition features Post For Investment (PFI) as the event’s strategic partner, supporting its objectives of promoting innovation and entrepreneurship and connecting promising ideas with funding and development opportunities.

Mr. Ahmed Ali Abdelrahman, CEO and Managing Director of Post for Investment (PFI), said: “At Post for Investment (PFI), we believe that investing in innovation and young talent is an investment in Egypt’s future. Our participation in Waha Connect goes beyond a strategic partnership, reflecting our commitment to supporting promising ideas, empowering early-stage entrepreneurs, and helping innovative solutions move closer to practical application. Through our support for the Tech for Impact competition and cash prizes for the winning teams, we aim to encourage young innovators to develop solutions that address industrial challenges and create opportunities to transform their ideas into scalable, sustainable business ventures. We believe that connecting investment, technology, and industry is one of the fundamental pillars for building a stronger and more competitive economy.”

In addition to its role as a strategic partner, Post for Investment (PFI) supports the Tech for Impact competition by offering cash prizes to the winning teams: EGP 18,000 for first place, EGP 13,000 for second place, and EGP 9,000 for third place. These awards aim to encourage young innovators to continue developing their projects and explore opportunities for implementation and expansion.

“From Opportunity to Investment”: Exploring What Makes Projects Investment-Worthy

The Waha Connect 7 program includes a presentation by Eng. Amr Abou Alam, Chairman of LOTUS Management & Consulting and Board Member of Silicon Waha for Technology Parks, entitled “From Opportunity to Investment: What Makes a Project Worth Supporting?” The presentation will explore the key factors influencing investment decisions, including business growth potential, scalability, the project’s relevance to market needs, and its readiness to secure funding.

Abou Alam added: “Investment is not based solely on having an innovative idea, but also on a project’s ability to achieve growth, scale up, meet market needs, and demonstrate readiness to secure funding. Projects worthy of support are those capable of transforming opportunities into real investments that deliver sustainable economic value.”

Mr. Ahmed Ali Abdelrahman, CEO and Managing Director of Post for Investment (PFI), will also deliver a speech addressing the role of investment in supporting innovation, entrepreneurship, and business growth. Meanwhile, Dr. Ayman El-Bayaa, Assistant Minister of Industry for Digital Transformation and Executive Director of the Industrial Modernization Center (IMC), will discuss the relationship between industrial development, digital transformation, and technology-driven growth.

“The Growth Equation” and “The Missing Link: Talent” Take Center Stage

The event features two panel discussions that highlight business growth drivers and explore ways to better align companies’ requirements with the skills available in the labor market.

The first panel, entitled “The Growth Equation: Investment × Technology × Industry”, will examine how integration across these sectors can support sustainable business growth, strengthen industrial capabilities, and transform innovation and infrastructure into tangible economic opportunities.

The panel will feature Dr. Ayman El-Bayaa, Assistant Minister of Industry for Digital Transformation and Executive Director of the Industrial Modernization Center; Eng. Sameh El-Mallah, CEO of Damen E-Payment; Eng. Karim Ghoneim, Founder and CEO of KMG Engineering Industries; and Mr. Gamal Gomei, Head of Investment Sector at Post for Investment (PFI).

The second panel, entitled “The Missing Link: Talent – Bridging Business Needs and Qualified Skills”, is organized in collaboration with Aura Communication, the event’s content partner. It will address the gap between companies’ requirements and available skills, as well as the role of academic institutions, industry, and professional training and development programs in preparing the talent the labor market needs.

The panel will feature Dr. Amira El-Deeb, Dean of School of Continuing Education and Professional Development at Zewail City of Science, Technology and Innovation; Mr. John Girguis, CEO of Aura Communication; Eng. Mohamed Hany, Senior Project Manager at the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA); and Prof. Dr. Wagih El-Askary, President of Delta Technological University.

Student Project Exhibitions: Showcasing Talent and Connecting Ideas with Industrial Needs

The event features two student project exhibitions that showcase students’ technical and creative capabilities while giving companies and industrial institutions opportunities to explore ideas and projects and assess their potential for practical application.

The Delta Technological University Student Projects Exhibition will showcase a range of projects reflecting students’ technical skills and their ability to innovate and develop applicable solutions across various industrial and technological fields.

The event will also feature an exhibition of school students’ projects, organized by the Gifted Students and Smart Learning Department in Menoufia Governorate, with sponsorship from Scope for Training and Human Resources Development. The exhibition aims to highlight students’ creativity and technical skills and encourage them to develop innovative ideas that address practical challenges.

Both exhibitions strengthen engagement between young talent and industry representatives, create opportunities to identify promising capabilities, and support collaboration to develop student projects further and turn applicable ideas into solutions that meet market needs.

“Tech for Impact”: Encouraging Innovation and Developing Solutions to Real-World Challenges

The “Tech for Impact” competition is organized in collaboration with the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) and the “Egypt Makes Electronics” initiative. It aims to encourage young people to develop technological solutions that address practical challenges and deliver tangible impact, while providing them with the opportunity to present their projects to industry and investment representatives.

The competition’s judging panel includes Mr. Mostafa El-Shahat, Head of Strategy, Planning and Business Development at Post for Investment (PFI), and Mr. Ahmed Abdullah, the company’s Chief Operating Officer. Their expertise will help evaluate the submitted ideas and solutions based on their practical applicability and ability to address real-world challenges.

The panel also includes Prof. Dr. Ahmed El-Sawy, Dean of the Faculty of Industry and Energy, alongside a representative from the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA). Their diverse expertise will help assess the proposed ideas and solutions for practical applicability, ability to address real challenges, potential for further development, and capacity to deliver tangible impact.

Post for Investment’s financial support for the winning teams further reinforces its role as the event’s strategic partner. It underscores the importance of encouraging innovation and connecting promising projects with development and funding opportunities.

Industrial Modernization Center Supports Engagement Between Manufacturers and Young Innovators

As part of efforts to connect innovation with the needs of the industrial sector, the Industrial Modernization Center (IMC) is supporting the seventh edition of Waha Connect by inviting manufacturers and industrial companies to attend the event, explore the projects presented by students, and identify solutions that could help address operational and technical challenges within industrial facilities.

This initiative aims to strengthen collaboration among industrial institutions, academia, and young talent, while giving companies opportunities to engage with innovators and explore projects that could be further developed to meet real production-environment requirements.

Through these efforts, Waha Connect seeks to turn innovative ideas into practical solutions that serve industry, strengthen collaboration between education and practical application, and empower young people to contribute to the development and modernization of Egypt’s industrial sector.

Partnerships Bringing Together Investment, Training and Academia

The seventh edition of Waha Connect is supported by a group of partners contributing to the event’s objectives. These include Post for Investment (PFI) as the strategic partner, Aura Communication as the content partner, and Scope for Training and Human Resources Development as the community partner. Delta Technological University also hosts the event.

These partnerships reflect the importance of integrating investment institutions, specialized companies, and academic organizations to support an environment conducive to innovation and entrepreneurship, while strengthening opportunities to connect young talent with the expertise and resources needed to develop their ideas and projects.

In its seventh edition, Silicon Waha for Technology Parks continues to provide a platform that brings together industry, investment, technology, and education, supporting collaboration among stakeholders to turn innovative ideas into practical solutions. These efforts help nurture talent, strengthen industrial competitiveness, and open new horizons for knowledge- and innovation-driven economic growth.