The British Embassy in Cairo launched a ‘Hackathon’ competition to find the best aspiring social entrepreneurs in Egypt.

The competition, in partnership with Flat6Labs, is looking for inspiring Egyptians who want solve problems in an innovative and business friendly way. It will focus on the fields of recycling, energy, and sustainable farming.

The Hackathon is an open competition: any team of 3-5 people can apply online at www.behackathon.com , setting out their idea about how to solve a problem in one of these three fields, and how to make this solution into a viable business. The British Embassy will bring together the top 10 teams, inviting them to a two day workshop where they will be given the tools they need to grow their ideas into successful business, including mentoring and training in business skills. Finally, they will present their idea to a panel of judges, who will award prizes to the top teams.

Flat6Labs is a leading regional start-up accelerator that fosters entrepreneurs with cutting edge ideas. It provides funding, strategic mentorship, business training and direct support for start-ups. It currently operates in Cairo, Jeddah, Abu Dhabi, Beirut and Tunis, and since 2011 has invested in 54 Egyptian start-ups including Instabug, Tasky and Nafham.

The competition is part of the British Embassy’s Inspire Egypt initiative, which supports and celebrates Egyptian change-makers who are making a real difference in society.

HMA John Casson said:

The passion and drive of young Egyptian entrepreneurs is an incredible asset to Egypt, already contributing £25bn to the economy. And this sector has huge potential to grow.

The aim of the Hackathon is to find the most talented would-be social entrepreneurs in Egypt.

We want to hear their ideas about tackling environmental problems in new and innovative ways. We want to help them establish these ideas as successful businesses. And we want to see these businesses grow, creating new jobs, attracting investment, and helping Egypt flourish.

Willie Elamien, the Managing Director of Flat6labs in Cairo said:

Flat6Labs is committed to support entrepreneurship in Egypt; we’ve been doing so since 2011 and are committed to invest in 100 companies over the next 5 years in Egypt alone. Partnering with the UK embassy in events such as this Hackathon helps us find the future innovators who will shape the energy, recycling and sustainable farming industries."