AUC Organizes Made in Egypt Event to Promote Egyptian Businesses

The American University in Cairo (AUC) organized Made in Egypt event in New Cairo campus to encourage Egyptian businesses and young Egyptian entrepreneurs by showcasing their products and services to the University’s students and alumni.The event hosted exhibitors showcasing handmade products, jewelry, furniture, food, leather, clothing lines among other products that are designed and produced in Egypt using Egyptian materials. The event is a first time collaboration between both the alumni office and Entrepreneurs’ society club (ES), a students’ organization. Jenny El Boushy, the president of ES, who is studying business administration and economics at AUC said, “one of our aims is to empower Egyptian entrepreneurs and rising startups to sell and showcase their products and services.” El Boushy said that ES aims to bridge the gap between the different stake holders, for example between the investors and the entrepreneurs. ES has been working for the past years to spread entrepreneurship awareness and foster entrepreneurial spirit among AUC students and among the Egyptian youth. ES also aims at providing professional and vocational trainings to nurture the skills of the AUC community. Among the exhibitors in Made in Egypt event, two fresh graduates of AUC showcased their clothing line, ModaFit.  Rana Babbly, 17’, who studied international marketing and communications and Enji Ali, 16’, who studied journalism, started their fashionable clothing line last March and launched a website for online shopping aiming to compete with their brand internationally. Both partners work on the design and their line is produced in Egypt, “We decided to create a homegrown brand that caters to trendy women who love online shopping. Buying products that are made in Egypt is an ongoing trend and we usually get positive feedback when customers know that our products are designed by Egyptians and made in Egypt.” Two of AUC alumni also exhibited freshly baked cookies and pies produced by their startup Cookies n Pies. Karim Fayed, AUC alumn, co-founder, said, “Our startup is an Egyptian family startup that isn’t only specialized in baking but in also providing authentic cooking classes, in addition to providing team building training through our sister startup Kitchen 3.” Raymonda Raef, executive director for alumni engagement and annual fund said, “in its efforts to encourage entrepreneurship in Egypt and to support the Egyptian economy, AUC has opened its Made in Egypt event to other alumni from different universities.” Fresh graduates of the German University in Egypt have also participated in AUC’s event. Ahmed Daour who studied innovation and strategic management at GUC, took the opportunity to launch his garments line Caj, at AUC’s event, “I am happy to take part in such a successful event. I believe promoting and buying products made in Egypt is the only way out of the economic crisis.”