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Located at the American University in Cairo (AUC), the Venture Lab - or V-Lab for short - is the first university incubator in Egypt. It was launched in June of 2013 and started its first incubation cycle, still currently in progress, later in mid September. The cycle is four month long and expected to conclude in mid January. It includes 6 companies from very diverse sectors, with products ranging from wearable gadgets to mobile apps, in addition to recently patented products in the US. Graduation is scheduled for early February.

The venture lab funds itself through sponsors and university budget. The sponsors are the Arab African International Bank and the Six of October Development and Investment company (SODIC). The current and upcoming cycles are named the Sodic Cycle.

What is unique to the Venture Lab is that it enables its startups to capitalize on AUC’s knowledge, wide network, outstanding facilities and alumni in various countries.

The V-Lab’s mission is to translate technologies and innovations that are developed by Egypt-based startups into commercially viable ventures, which in turn contribute to economic development and job creation. It is managed by the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program (EIP).

The EIP was established in 2010 by the School of Business at The American University in Cairo. It identifies mentors, incubates, connects and supports talented youth and facilitates their success beyond AUC, into Egypt and the Middle East and North Africa region. EIP activities addressed more than 5,000 entrepreneurs from all over Egypt, including Cairo, Giza, Mansoura, Alexandria and Aswan, as well as in Lebanon and Dubai.

The Venture lab is now accepting applications for Cycle two that starts in February 2014. You can apply here.

Who’s eligible?

Eligible startups should have a clear business plan, they should also have, or are in the process of working on, a prototype, pilot, or proof of concept. Copy cats are not welcome! The product or service should present an innovative approach to solving a problem or filling an existing demand. Anything that is too similar to an existing business in Egypt is ineligible. The startup should also have a team of founders, with at least one working full time.

What so you get?

The classic incubator combo: workspace, funding, business training, mentoring and coaching, assistance with professional services, networking events, etc. But unique to the V-Lab is access to students for product testing, class projects and interns.

Also, startups can be granted access to other AUC facilities upon request including the library, engineering, multimedia, and technical labs

The mentors and coaches come from AUC’s extended network, which includes access to faculty members. Assistance with professional services include HR and recruitment, communication, marketing, and legal assistance

Additionally, every startup receives 20,000 Egyptian pounds, and all of this in return of zero equity.

V-Lab organizes two routine events. Tinker: a weekly event where the AUC community is invited to come and meet the venture lab's companies, give feedback on the product or service of the incubated companies. And Feature: a biweekly event where mentors are invited to come, give feedback and share experiences.

The Startups

We will be featuring each of the 6 startups currently being incubated on our blog over the course of the next two months. Below is a quick intro to each. Be sure to tune in to our website for exclusive interviews with the founders starting next week!

Zimoro: a mobile platform focused on lifestyle. It highlights activities and events based on users’ preferences. Highlights include announcements, events, workshops, new hangout spots, vacation trips, and fashion. Zimoro combines different social media platforms with a mobile applications, with the aim to connect client with the companies. The service includes deals from brands that match our the consumer’s interests.

Alkottab: a studio that specializes in creating strategic games on Facebook. The company’s aim is to utilize entertainment - in the form of games and cartoons - to deliver and teach values.  

Shahbander: a project that utilizes web and mobile applications to establish a well-integrated community around spinning and weaving. This community includes factories, dealers, consumers and suppliers of raw materials, equipment and services. The research and focus is based on Egypt, and Mahala in particular.

Kashef Labs: sells licenses and services for unmanned surveillance and discovery technologies. Its first product is an innovative subsurface detection UAV, capable of detecting land mines remotely and safely.

KLC En2ly: is a marketplace for shipping. The service helps companies and individuals move goods at a cheaper price using feedback rated transporters who bid on available shipments.

Mubser: is a device that helps the visually impaired move around. It is a wearable belt with a Bluetooth headset that guides the wearer’s movement throughout the day. It will help him recognize common objects and obstacles he’s likely to encounter in his daily life and notify him of their presence with vibration motors. The wearer would also hear the name of the obstacle via a Bluetooth headset. Mubser relies RGB images and infrared depth data captured by the Microsoft Kinect to recognize the incoming obstacle.