Flat6Labs - Flat6Labs and OQAL Partner to Create More Funding Opportunities for MENA Startups

Flat6Labs and OQAL Partner to Create More Funding Opportunities for MENA Startups

Posted on 10 Aug 202005 Jan 2021 by Omar

Flat6Labs, the regional seed investment company and startup accelerator, has partnered up with OQAL, an Angel Investors Network in Saudi Arabia in order to further the growth of MENA’s startups through collaborative efforts to introduce Flat6Labs network of startups to OQAL’s network of angel investors.

This partnership will provide OQAL with direct access to Flat6Labs portfolio companies, enabling more deals to happen efficiently across the board and enabling Flat6Labs startups to scale with the funding provided by OQAL’s network of investors.

“We are very excited about our partnership with OQAL today. It marks another building block in our mission to help our startups grow and scale toward their desired markets in MENA and specifically the GCC” said Ramez El-Serafy, CEO at Flat6Labs. “As one of the first and largest Angel Investor Networks in Saudi Arabia, we’re confident in what this partnership with OQAL will garner in terms of exciting investment opportunities for Flat6Labs’ startups and OQAL’s network of angel investors.” Added El-Serafy.

“A key pillar in OQAL’s strategy is ‘Engaged Network’ that emphasizes our efforts in playing a proactive role within the ecosystem with essential partners as Flat6Labs MENA, which is one of the most prominent acceleration programs in the region with a strong track-record and even stronger founders and teams. We’re hopeful that this partnership will be yielding more investments, and more startups setting-up and expanding to Saudi Arabia.” Said Latifa BaNasr, CEO of OQAL Angel Investors Network.
The pre-set criteria by OQAL and Flat6Labs ensures that the startups maintain a specific standard that enables them to accelerate. This criteria includes but not limited to: solving a problem, having a working prototype of the service/product, having a team that compliments one another, having technology at the startups’ core, having a clear plan for the future, and gaining traction for the solution on offer.

Since OQAL was founded in 2011, its investors have funded the growth of many GCC startups like Careem and Sawerly. OQAL will gain direct access to over 260 Flat6Labs select startups from around MENA, and Flat6Labs will be capable of introducing its startups to one of the first networks of angel investors in Saudi Arabia. This partnership opens a new channel of possibilities for Flat6Labs startups and OQAL’s network of investors in the GCC region, and provides the startups with the space and network to also expand their businesses to other countries.

The Flat6Labs-Powered StartEgypt Hosts Its 2020 Forum

Posted on 05 Feb 202012 Jan 2021 by Omar

StartEgypt, the pre-acceleration incubation program, established to inspire and support thousands of Egyptian entrepreneurs in the field of social impact enterprises, held its second annual forum to showcase its 45 graduating startups, from all over Egypt incubated in Cairo, Assiut, and Alexandria during 2019.

StartEgypt Forum is an annual showcasing event that presents the incubated startups culmination of efforts during the previous year. The startups get the opportunity to present their businesses to investors, leading business professionals, government officials, press, and coaches & mentors to expand their business connections in order to take their ideas to an even more advanced stage.

The four-month incubation program, funded by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), supported by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, and powered by Flat6Labs, provides training, educational mentorship, and coaching by industry leaders. As well as, technical and business support to social impact startups in the fields of Education, Agriculture, Healthcare, Renewables, Environment, Transportation, Financial Inclusion and Marginalized Communities.

The program had originally launched in Cairo in 2017, with the first cycle starting in June, 2018. After their launch in Cairo, StartEgypt recognised the potential that entrepreneurs in non-centralized cities had. Therefore in 2019, the program has expanded to Assiut and Alexandria, graduating 45 social impact startups over the course of two cycles in Cairo, two cycles in Assiut, and one cycle in Alexandria, with entrepreneurs coming from all over Egypt, and startups working across various industries offering innovative solutions to disrupt the market.

Hassan Mansi, StartEgypt Program Director, said: “I am extremely proud of the efforts exerted in this program, we have undergone an amazing journey with amazing achievements. To date we have executed more than 45 events, reaching out to over 15,000 participants, partnering with caliber community partners in the ecosystem, receiving over 4,000 applications, and finally incubating 72 competitive startups from across Egypt. Moving forward, the whole team is excited and ready to increase the efforts to excel and reach out to more entrepreneurs across Egypt and inspire them into this new promising futuristic market in Egypt.”

The Forum is designed, along with showcasing the incubated startups, to provide an outstanding experience for over 1,000 guests interested in entrepreneurship, starting with a morning Startup Huddle, engaging activities like the Fight Club Competition and Ecosystem Activation Game, exceptional panel discussions about Female Founders and Impact Investment, and different hands-on workshops provided by Google, Dell Technologies, Cleopatra Hospitals, and Shell.

Eleven startups, out of the 45, have been qualified to end the day with a thrilling pitch competition in front of a judging panel for a chance to win EGP 200k in total, awarded to the following top 5 startups:

1st Pyro awarded EGP100K
2nd Biofeedx awarded EGP50K
3rd Mycelium awarded EGP20k
4th Banalistic awarded EGP10K
5th Shalta awarded EGP10k

The eleven social impact startups come from a variety of industries and use different technologies, including:

Mycelium: A biotechnological company that grows eco-friendly biodegradable bio polymer (mycelium) on agriculture waste to make sustainable products that can replace the plastic in the field of packaging, construction, and furniture.
Shetla: A mobile application that assists farmers in agricultural operations, irrigation and fertilization and the detection of diseases.
Smart Farm: Utilises unused roofs across urban areas to make way for a small roof garden that provides food for the tenants.
Hadotopia: Hadotopia offers a plethora of content including stories and information for all ages. Content is offered in traditional arabic, slang arabic, and english. The platform targets parents in an effort to help them educate their children.
Mashro3i: A website platform that connects student’s graduation projects with entities that helps them to commercialize it.
Banlastic: Banlastic introduced the eco-friendly shopping bag(cloth): an alternative to the plastic shopping bag, which will be a strong starting point for people to stop consuming single use plastic bags which has a very adverse impact on the environment as each Banlastic bag is reusable.
Ero: Ero is a waste management startup that was initiated to create innovative solutions for paper leftovers. We collect, recycle and produce paper commodities to substitute environmentally irresponsible materials. Ero is a Finnish word for difference, which is what we plan to create.
Pyro: Pyro offers an on-site customized Pyrolysis system which works on any agricultural waste to generate bio-charcoal. The system takes in the cellulosic agricultural wastes and produces bio-charcoal as briquettes.
Biofeedx: A wearable gadget that accurately measures the muscle’s electrical activity during workout. The measured data is visualized on the user’s mobile app in a gamified visual feedback (mobile phone game). The app sends a report to the coach/doctor about the user’s performance with the ability of the coach/doctor to modify the user’s training parameters. It also allows current physiotherapy access and monitors a larger number of patients, reduces the cost of rehabilitation on patients and offers a more efficient and objective way of remote patient monitor rather than home care which accelerates the healing process.
i-Sew: A mobile app that connects the disabled community with fashion designers who want to make their designs in a professional, cost effective manner in a short time. We help involve people with disabilities in our society while providing a reliable income they could live off. SDS offers a workshop space where disabled people assist designers in creating their products.
Naql Misr: A digital online platform for providing logistics transport services to serve individuals and commercial and industrial institutions through the operation section to management and operate a fleet of different transport trucks.

Flat6Labs Trains 100+ Saudi Entrepreneurs at Misk Innovation Startup Bootcamps

Posted on 19 Dec 201923 Jun 2025 by Omar

5 Cities, 5 Bootcamps, 75+ Startups, 100+ Saudi Entrepreneurs Empowered by Flat6Labs

The Misk Innovation Startup Bootcamps powered by Flat6Labs program, was held late 2019 in five different cities across the kingdom to see that those with vision, ambition, and insight, get the best the MENA has to offer of mentorship, funds, and exposure to a local, regional, and international network of investors. After rounds of filtration from 900+ applications, the bootcamps held in Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Madinah, Khobar, and Al Qassim, saw over 90+ idea-stage startups; around 100+ entrepreneurs; and tens of mentors flocking the bootcamps.

The bootcamps hosted a number of sessions designed to introduce the participating startups on how to take their startups to the next level. Starting from design thinking, which helped startups formulate methods through which they can tackle complex problems; and moving on to customer acquisition, an essential ingredient of any successful startup. The mentors and coaches also provided sessions on how to create business and financial models, with the aim of setting clear revenue streams and aiding startups in the management of their resources. The sessions also contributed to the startups ability to define and accentuate the value they will be giving to their customers through value proposition sessions, and how to use growth-hacking to accelerate their penetration of the market and the realisation of the product/market-fit.

Knowing that well-rounded team is what drives the success of any startup, the program also hosted sessions on the best methods to allocate human resources that could drive the business forward. The program also brought legal experts who provided sessions on how to setup the startup in Saudi. Finally, and most importantly, through workshops designed to attract customers and investors, startups’ founders were trained to deliver amazing pitches.

The whole purpose of the Misk Innovation Startup Bootcamps powered by Flat6Labs is to enable aspiring entrepreneurs to create and innovate.

“I was capable of changing my startup’s strategy to suit my business needs and aspirations because of the mentorship that was provided during Al Madinah Bootcamp.” — Osama Al Motrfy, CEO of Waste Turn

We’ve taken it upon ourselves to ensure that the 75+ entrepreneurs attending our bootcamps across the kingdom, get the best mentorship and direction at such a critical stage in the startup’s life.

“I already learned a lot and it’s only been one day. Well organized, great trainers, and amazing energy” — Suhail Ahmed, CEO of Group4Less

Flat6Labs saw that each of the startups got the best support possible to help them venture and kick off innovative services and products through bringing in our team, and local and international mentors to help the startups ground their ideas. We’ve given Saudi entrepreneurs access to a number of essential tools that will help them succeed in the future and change the startup ecosystem starting from ideation sessions to design thinking and legal setup. Empowering such a drive of passionate entrepreneurs and raising awareness are at the core of why Misk kicked off its Misk Innovation Startup Bootcamps and the reason Flat6Labs powered it! This goal has been achieved, but it is just the start!

StartEgypt Heads North; Launches Leading Entrepreneurship Initiative in Alexandria

Posted on 16 Sep 201912 Jan 2021 by Omar

After the successful launch of StartEgypt initiative in Cairo two years ago to push forward the most innovative cairene entrepreneurs, then in Assiut to be a hub for aspiring innovators from Upper Egypt, StartEgypt, proudly, launched in Alexandria to, yet again, help in the nourishment of the young minds who are seeking social impact through their ideas. The StartEgypt initiative is funded by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID); supported by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) a member of the World Bank Group; and powered by Flat6Labs.

With the launch of StartEgypt Alexandria and the eight new startups joining its first incubation cycle, we’ll see those new startups thrive to inspire, build, accelerate and have indefinite social impact in the environmental, healthcare, renewable energy, and educational industries.

The launch event of StartEgypt saw those startups pitching their ideas to a number of entrepreneurs, representatives from the British Embassy, and investors who are looking for the next big idea.

While the aforementioned startups target four important industries, StartEgypt Alex’s scope of industries is bigger, as it also includes marginalised communities, financial inclusion, agriculture, and transportation sectors whom are represented thoroughly through StartEgypt’s existence in different cities across Egypt.

Over the course of upcoming 15 weeks, the startups from StartEgypt Alex’s cycle one will be mentored, coached, and given different types of resources to develop their products/services and compete to earn two spots on the StartEgypt Forum day.

The forum will also host several other startups from StartEgypt Assiut (2 startups) and Cairo (10 startups). The winner on the Annual StartEgypt Forum day will get a chance at getting scouted and accelerated by the Flat6Labs Cairo team and a chance at receiving funding of up to $25k.