Egypt’s Rising Stars head to Arab Youth Hackathon final during COP28

PepsiCo and the Arab Youth Center (AYC) have announced three teams from Egypt for the Arab Youth Hackathon final, following a three-day bootcamp hosted by PepsiCo, PepsiCo Foundation, Plug and Play and AYC. The regional entrepreneurship program comes with a strategic partnership with USAID, aiming to create smarter solutions for climate-related issues in agriculture, circular economy, water security, and renewable energy. The Hackathon is supported by the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MCIT) and the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) along with PepsiCo and the Arab Youth Center.

The bootcamp took place at the Four Seasons Nile Plaza hotel, in the presence of key local, regional and international experts and thought leaders, and Amira Adeeb, a young Egyptian influential figure, dedicated to advocating for sustainability and eco-friendly practices. Through her partnership with PepsiCo, Amira will harness her social media platform to amplify awareness about the program, encourage applications, and share regular updates regarding the program’s progress.

At the bootcamp the finalists received mentorship through curated workshops from industry and subject matter experts. The first day kicked off with sustainability activities and introductions to help set workshop objectives, followed by an ideation assignment to help identify the strongest ideas. Over the next two days, participants learned more about design thinking, evolving an idea into a viable product, and green communications, complete with mentor-led working sessions. This extensive training culminated in a final pitch to a judging panel of five experts across the innovation, sustainability, and business development spectrum to hone in on the top three winners from Egypt. The entries were evaluated based on their sustainability alignment, ability to reduce emissions, and the magnitude of impact on areas under the four pillars of the competition (Water, Agriculture, Climate and Circular Economy).

The winning teams from Egypt, Metacrete, Poder, and Mytreety, are now set to compete against other regional challengers at COP28, as part of the Arab entrepreneurship program. Team “Poder” has developed a device that extracts water from the air called “Hydropanel,” which is subsequently used in the industrial, agricultural, and health sectors. Meanwhile, Metacrete aims to revolutionize the construction industry by repurposing waste materials into an eco-friendly alternative to traditional concrete alternative at a lower cost and with a lower carbon footprint. On the other hand, Mytreety’s team provides a platform focused on the financial sector; the platform revolutionizes and automates internal carbon accounting, performs environmental associated financial risk and benefit analysis, and establishes a strong analytical foundation for seamless ESG strategy establishment and monitoring.

Mohamed Shelbaya, CEO of PepsiCo North Africa said, “We applaud the exceptional accomplishments of the three Egyptian finalists in the Arab Youth Hackathon, which are a testament to their skills and passion to combat climate change. They embody the perfect blend of innovation and determination and are poised to shine brightly on the global stage at COP28. At PepsiCo, we believe that we have a role to play in fostering an environment for young people’s collective action and innovation to be supported and accelerated. It is imperative that we unite in their support as they are the vanguard of our collective progress.”

 Karima El Hakim, Egypt Country Director, Plug and Play said, ” Our team is very happy to have met all these motivated and climate conscious Egyptian young innovators and witnessed well developed pitches of unique tech solutions; this is what inspires as we continue to enable local young talents in the region. Congratulations to the 3 winners, I look forward to seeing you represent Egypt for the regional final at COP28! Finally thank you to our strategic and outreach partners and to everyone who contributed in the making of the Egypt Hackathon.”

Sean Jones, Mission Director, USAID Egypt said, “The American people, through USAID, are proud to support the Arab Youth Hackathon and showcase young Egyptians’ green innovations that can drive the global climate change agenda. Together with the Government of Egypt and the private sector, USAID is unlocking Egypt’s youth potential while advancing the country’s green growth agenda.  Egypt’s young entrepreneurs and tech experts are key to stimulating economic opportunities for all Egyptians.”

Egypt is the first regional market to announce the finalists for the Arab Youth Hackathon, with UAE, Jordan, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia expected to follow in the coming weeks. The finals of the competition, featuring 15 of the most promising solutions from the five countries, will take place during December, in Dubai. The three best innovators will receive an equity-free seed fund from the PepsiCo Foundation to launch their businesses, worth $30,000 for the winner, $20,000 for the runner-up, and $10,000 for the second runner-up. In addition, they will participate in a one-month incubation program that will help them develop and scale their groundbreaking ideas and ensure long-term success.