500 Global to set up Egyptian office + boost local investments
500 Global is setting up shop here: Silicon Valley VC fund 500 Global is working on opening an office in Egypt, which will also be its first foothold in Africa, according to a press release picked up by Wamda.
The fund has appointed our friend Amal Enan (LinkedIn) to oversee its Egypt operations. Enan was previously Global Ventures’ managing director and is currently the American University in Cairo’s chief investment officer.
Fresh programs + accelerators: 500 Global has also partnered with the CIT Ministry’s ITIDA to launch three programs that will support around 200 startups and 60 accelerator managers over the next three years. The VC will launch a bootcamp for seed-stage companies, a scale-up program for pre-series A companies, and a bootcamp for accelerator managers.
What they said: “We strongly believe in the potential of the Egyptian startup ecosystem, which has seen significant growth over the past two years,” Enan told Enterprise, adding that dealflow from the local market remains strong.
500 Global is no stranger to the Egyptian market: The VC has previously deployed funds in local startups including e-commerce startup MaxAB, online furniture marketplace Homzmart, grocery and bakery delivery startup Breadfast, and outsourcing startup Stllr Network.