TechWadi & Google for Entrepreneurs’ MENA Roadshow – Join Now!

The “TechWadi Roadshow” will consist of four, two day ­long educational workshops led by TechWadi and powered by Google for Entrepreneurs that will bring experienced entrepreneurs and technology professionals to mentor local startups in Amman, Cairo, Beirut, and Dubai. The mentors will include seasoned professionals from companies like Google, Yahoo, Facebook, as well as founders of various Silicon Valley startups.

“As an Egyptian American, I’ve spent plenty of time in the Middle East, but only started engaging with the tech ecosystem this year,” said Sharif El­Badawi, Google employee, current TechWadi Head Mentor, and one of the mentors joining the Roadshow. “The appetite and need for Silicon Valley connections, knowledge, and know­how is enormous, and TechWadi is stepping in at the perfect time.

The TechWadi Roadshow was developed in partnership with Google for Entrepreneurs (GFE) ­ a division of Google designed to support entrepreneurial ecosystems ­ as an opportunity to expand outreach to the MENA region. As a Google for Entrepreneurs partner, TechWadi sits alongside Dubai ­based Astrolabs and Palestine’s Gaza Sky Geeks, two regional organizations working with local entrepreneurs on the ground, as well as the MIT Enterprise Forum ­ Pan Arab Competition, of whose annual winners currently receive TechWadi acceleration in Silicon Valley.

“Google for Entrepreneurs is focused on helping startups to succeed and grow, and we’re delighted to be working with our partner TechWadi to bring high quality programming and education to some of the most exciting ecosystems in the Middle East,” said Google for Entrepreneurs Senior Partnerships Manager David Grunwald.

The roadshow is set to take place just weeks following T​echWadi’s Annual Forum in San Francisco, where the organization will convene some of the most successful Silicon Valley Arab entrepreneurs, visiting regional start­ups, and diaspora entrepreneurs and tech professionals looking to network with TechWadi’s high impact crowd.

“We’re extremely excited and eager to bring some of our top mentors from Silicon Valley to where they are needed the most: the region – for maximum exposure and outreach to the brightest entrepreneurs of the Arab world,” said Christina Ashtary, Program Manager at TechWadi. “We look forward to the roadshow kicking off a wide­open bridge for increased access for MENA entrepreneurs to the tech capital of the world.”