TECHgrow  

Building–up the local Innovation Ecosystem 

TECHgrow is a two-phase module, with the first phase taking place in the African partner country. Participants take part in a custom-made accelerator, which leads to a pitch event including a nomination in front of investors. The winners go on a soft landing trip to Germany as part of the second phase. 

Target group: Start-ups in the roll-out phase in the market. 

 

TECHgrow 2023

The two-phase module started in spring 2023. With the help of the partner institution Arab Academy with the Rally Startup Accelerator, TECHgrow was able to identify and specifically address the Egyptian startup scene. 225 Egyptian startups then applied for the program, and the best 60 were invited - 10 each from the areas of GreenTech, Smart Manufacturing, HealthTech, Supply Chain, AgriTech and FinTech.


In the first phase, TECHgrow offered the selected startups lectures from renowned experts. The focus here was particularly on the identification and further development of business models in terms of sustainability, understanding customers and achieving product-market fit, raising awareness of internationalization, growth processes, relevant key figures and the view of investors on startups.

@Arab Academy Arab Academy
@Arab Academy

Tuesday, May 23, 2023

In this session, the team and partners will present the TECH4Transition project, the TECHgrow module, the partner institutions and sponsors. Speakers: Nermin Siam (KIT), Andrea Denzinger (GIZ) and Agnes Jansen (GIZ Egypt), Ralph Henn (KIT), Dr. Wael Desouki and Heba Al-Ashry (Arab Academy) and as alumni Mohab Attia (Amanleek). 

Tuesday, May 30, 2023  

Speaker: Lena Esseln (German Entrepreneurship)  

Lena Esseln from German Entrepreneurship provides useful insights into the topic of entrepreneurial internationalization. She talks about the basics of scaling and growth, shows how to handle data and policies, and reports on success stories and best practices of globally active startups.

About Lena:

During her master's degree in "Entrepreneurship and Innovation" in Italy, Lena discovered her passion for the startup scene. After graduating, she joined the newly founded corporate venture team of a management consultancy, where she developed innovative business models and supported startups from various industries in the early stages of entering the market. Lena has been part of German Entrepreneurship since March 2021 and contributes her expertise in startup and innovation promotion in various roles.

 

Monday, June 12, 2023

Speaker: Peter Fricke und Andreas Wittkop (Ernst & Young – Startup Academy) 

Peter Fricke and Andreas Wittkop from EY-Parthenon explain the importance of a solid business model. They go over some basic sales strategies, discuss the importance of customer centricity from the start, and provide an overview of business metrics that can be used to convince investors.

About Peter and Andreas:

Peter Fricke is an Associate Director in the EMEIA FinTech Business Development Team. He is responsible for developing and promoting the FinTech strategy of Ernst & Young EMEIA and Germany – and is part of the EY Startup Academy team.

Andreas Wittkop is a strategy and transactions manager at EY-Parthenon. He assists clients in planning and reviewing their commercial and operational strategies and contributes to the success of their M&A activities.

Monday, June 19, 2023 

Speaker: Francesco Pisani (Deloitte Germany) 

Dr. Francesco Pisani gives insights into solid and effective business models, sheds light on the dos and don'ts of finding investors and the pros and cons of approaching international investors. 

About Francesco:

Francesco Pisani is Director of the M&A department at Deloitte Germany. Previously, he worked at another management consultancy, where he worked as deputy head for startups in the EMEIA region, among other things, and led an accelerator program for startups as well as global training for colleagues who want to work in this field. Francesco gained experience in private equity and investment banking and acted as a mentor in various national and international startup programs.  

 

After selecting the 15 finalists, two more workshops with a focus on action learning were held in phase 1.2. The theoretical impulses presented could be implemented directly by the participating founders.

Monday, July 17, 2023

Speaker: Andreas Kleinn (KIT - EnTechnon)

In this workshop, Andreas Kleinn shows how important a strong and efficient marketing concept is, especially for start-ups. He gives an overview of the most important tools for positioning and image building and shares his know-how on pricing strategies and techniques. This session is an active workshop: participants will have the opportunity to integrate what has been discussed directly into their business models.

About Andreas:

Andreas Kleinn is a research associate and doctoral student at the Institute for Entrepreneurship, Technology Management and Innovation (EnTechnon) of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). He advises German companies on market entry and sales strategies. Andreas Kleinn is also co-founder and managing director of Klei GmbH, a full-service marketing agency.

Tuesday, 25.07.2023 

Speaker: Allen Mohammadi (KIT- EnTechnon) 

Allen Mohammadi outlines the most important steps to a perfect pitch. He gives valuable tips on how to present business ideas as well as your own entrepreneurial personality in such a way that it ultimately becomes a successful springboard. 

About Allen: 

Allen Mohammadi is a PhD student at the Institute for Entrepreneurship, Technology Management and Innovation (EnTechnon) at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and co-founder of the GreenTech company PlasticFri™. 

A visionary social entrepreneur, he has been voted one of the most influential entrepreneurs by Forbes magazine and has been featured on Forbes' prestigious list of 30-under-30s. Allen has received numerous awards, including the Alfred Nobel Innovation Prize, a scholarship from the Audi Environmental Foundation, the European Youth Award, the Gold Medal and the Best Inventor Award. In recognition of his positive social impact.

 

 

The winners of the Rally Accelerate!

They connect exceptional innovation with creativity and entrepreneurial spirit: The five winning start-ups of the TECHGrow module have been selected in the final of the Rally Accelerate competition in Egypt! We look forward to welcoming the finalists to Germany and to KIT in November 2023, where they will get to know the German start-up ecosystem.

Congratulations!

  • Tilestic: They have developed an industrial method to convert single-use plastic waste into various building materials such as interlock tiles, paver tiles, and roof tiles.
  • Dammg: Dammg is the first online platform in Egypt that connects parents of disabled children with consultants and specialists.
  • InterAct Labs: InterAct Labs develops hardware and software products that enhance collaboration, increase engagement, and improve user experience and interactivity.
  • notchnco: notchnco offers an omni-channel engagement platform supported by a wide range of messaging channels and solutions for advanced customer authentication and security.
  • Eshfaa: Eshfaa is a digital healthcare platform specializing in case management and care coordination for both local and international patients.