Four Egyptian startups are making their way to the US today, in an effort to pitch their ideas to investors in New York and San Francisco.
In a trip which represents a networking opportunity, as well as a chance to get more exposure, the main idea behind the venture is to take Egypt’s startup scene global, and secure the financing necessary to do so.
Kngine, which featured on our very own list of Middle Eastern Startups you should know about, is going across the pond, along with three other companies. The semantic search engine already has an international following, but is hoping to secure both funding, as well as a mentorship to improve the product.
Kngine is joined by two mobile services companies, Vimov and Alzwad Mobile Services. Vimov is the company behind two popular iPhone/iPad apps, namely, iSimulate and Weather HD, while Alzwad Mobile Services is the company behind Gazar, a trifecta of an iPhone app with a food delivery service, TV Guide, and prayer times guide, all rolled into one. The fourth and final startup heading to the US this week is SilMinds, a hardware accelerator company for financial transaction.
Sawari Ventures, an international venture capital firm, is behind the concept, and is supporting the four Egyptian startup companies as part of its efforts “to identify, serve, and provide capital for extraordinary entrepreneurs who are determined to change the MENA region.”
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ALZWAD MOBILE Services (ZMS) provides a unique Infotainment and Communications Platform that enables content and mobile application developers to reach feature-phone users across the Middle East.
ALZWAD’s flagship product “Me” is a rich Multimedia and Gaming platform launched in Egypt through a partnership with Mobinil, the leading mobile service provider in Egypt. Since its launch in September 2010, ALZWAD has acquired over 500,000 subscribers positioning itself as a leading independent mobile publishing platform in the region. ALZWAD plans expansion through the Middle East via partnerships with other mobile carriers to be announced later this year.
The company’s second product “Gazar” is a Geo-based Service Platform that allows users to order food, review movies and TV programs. Gazar was launched on iTunes earlier this spring.
ZMS is preparing to launch a “Phonebook 2.0 platform” on top of its Communications and Social Networking Platform “LuqLuq” through a merger with XimoXi, which developed and patented a wireless IP to discover members of a social network in vicinity via Bluetooth. Currently LuqLuq is available on Nokia’s Ovi Store.
ZMS Ads Platform MobiAd, is a unique Media Rich Mobile Advertising Platform which allows ZMS to post ads on 3 different layers, namely; On-Device, On Portal and in Content.
ALZWAD is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt, and plans to open an office in Amman, Jordan. ALZWAD’s goal is to become the Number 1 Mobile Platform developer in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).