Cairo, February 12, 2026 \u2014 The\u00a0U.S. Embassy in Cairo partnered with the\u00a0American University in Cairo\u2019s (AUC) Venture Lab under the Onsi Sawiris School of Business\u00a0to hold its annual\u00a0SelectUSA\u00a0Tech Pitch Competition. \u00a0Sixteen Egyptian emerging tech entrepreneurs pitched their ideas to a panel of experts for the opportunity to travel to the United States and\u00a0participate\u00a0in the\u00a0SelectUSA\u00a0Investment Summit. \u00a0The winners of the pitch competition were\u00a0\u201cUntap\u201d and \u201cTijara Hub,\u201d and the jury awarded honorable mention to \u201cHiroy\u201d and \u201cPlan Q.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cUntap\u201d and \u201cTijara Hub\u201d will now compete on the\u00a0SelectUSA\u00a0Tech stage at this year\u2019s global\u00a0SelectUSA\u00a0Investment Summit in National Harbor, Maryland, on May 3-6, along with other Egyptian startups that choose to register and fund their own participation.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI am deeply impressed with the Egyptian entrepreneurs presenting at this year\u2019s competition.\u00a0\u00a0These companies have the potential to drive transformative, real-world outcomes,\u201d said U.S. Charg\u00e9\u00a0d\u2019Affaires\u00a0Evyenia Sidereas during the ceremony.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWe hope that pairing talented Egyptian innovators with cutting-edge U.S. technology-sector entrepreneurs will produce huge economic wins for both our countries.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The pitch competition provided important exposure and experience for the Egyptian entrepreneurs.\u00a0 Judges for this year\u2019s event included experts from business financing firm FinBi, venture financier Venture Capital, angel investment group Alex Angels, entrepreneurship institution Entreprenelle, AUC Venture Lab and U.S. Embassy Cairo.\u00a0 Nominating partners included Mint Incubator, Den Venture and Flat6 labs.<\/p>\n
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The\u00a0SelectUSA\u00a0Tech Pitch Competition\u00a0demonstrates\u00a0the United States\u2019 commitment to supporting technology-driven startups worldwide\u00a0seeking\u00a0to expand into the U.S. market and highlights America\u2019s global leadership in advanced technologies.\u00a0\u00a0Egyptian participants in past years have won U.S. recognition and\u00a0ultimately expanded, thanks to\u00a0SelectUSA\u00a0Tech.<\/p>\n
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SelectUSA\u00a0Tech is a dedicated initiative under the U.S. Department of Commerce\u2019s\u00a0SelectUSA\u00a0program that gives international startups direct access to U.S. investors, guidance on market entry, and high-impact networking opportunities.\u00a0\u00a0Entrepreneurs do not need to win the pitch competition to\u00a0participate, but they must register and fund their own travel.\u00a0\u00a0Eligible startups must be founded outside the United States, developing an innovative technology product or service, and looking to near-term U.S. market entry or growth.\u00a0\u00a0They must also be true startups:\u00a0less\u00a0than 10 years old, with fewer than 40 employees, and earning less than $10 million in revenue.<\/p>\n
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To learn more about the strong U.S.-Egypt economic partnership, which bolsters prosperity for the American and Egyptian people, please visit https:\/\/eg.usembassy.gov\/<\/a>\u00a0and follow @USEmbassyCairo on Instagram<\/a>, Facebook<\/a>, and X<\/a>.<\/p>\n