The University of Hertfordshire and Gemini Africa Celebrate the closing of "Rising Herts" V2 Program

Cairo, May 2024 

For the second year, the University of Hertfordshire and Gemini Africa celebrate the closing of Rising Herts program, an entrepreneurship program that was launched earlier this year to help our undergraduate students reach their potential and prepare them to be skillful students with entrepreneurial mindsets,

The resounding success of the Rising Herts program's first edition paved the way for an eagerly anticipated second edition just a year later. The inaugural program surpassed all expectations, igniting a spark of entrepreneurial passion among the participating students. It provided them with a unique platform to transform their innovative ideas into viable business ideas.

The program kicked off with three public sessions addressing students from all programs and disciplines. During these sessions, entrepreneurial experts helped students understand the realm of business opportunities and how to approach them. 

The public sessions brought with them a lot of inspiration as the program hosted famous startup founders sharing their success stories with the students, including tackling the challenges and opportunities of the entrepreneurship scene. The guests included Hilda Louca founder and CEO of Mitcha, Mohamed El Feky founder and CEO of Sympl, Mohamed Sekkina General Manager of Talabat Mart, Moustafa ElRefaey co-founder and Executive Chef of Zooba restaurants, Doaa Gawish founder of Hair Addict, Fatma Ahmed co-founder of Fatis and Abdelrahman Ahmed Cofounder of Fatis , Samer Wagdy co-founder of GB Arena, Alia Osman founder of Gambaz, Nala Kamel, founder of Nala Says, Doaa Aref founder and CEO of Chefaa, Islam Adel co-founder and CEO of The Potcast productions and Maged Farrag Creative and Managing Director of 5D VR to name a few. 

Participating students in the Rising Herts program were then enrolled in focused intensive workshops and professional mentorship sessions. The workshops helped them generate a startup idea, form teams, work out the best business model appropriate for their project, dive deep into market research, and get acquainted with basic financials models to be able to operate their startup idea. All workshops and sessions were delivered by industry professionals and renown figures in the startup echo system.

The final groups that were pitching their ideas were 7 groups with ideas ranging from mobile applications, fintech platforms, e-commerce, technology platforms as well as tech solutions based on their educational background and their team composition. 

Finally, and as a last step in the Rising Herts program, Gemini Africa team conducted one-on-one sessions with each group to prepare them for pitching in front of a judging panel to determine the winning team based on the novelty of their idea, their potential for learning and growth as well as their dedication to seeing their idea come to life. 

As for the evaluation of the students’ business ideas and projects, UH-GAF assembled a prestigious judging panel comprised of successful entrepreneurs and industry experts. This esteemed group brought a wealth of experience, knowledge, and expertise to the table, making them ideal candidates to assess the innovative concepts presented by the students. The panel included: Fadi Antaki, Founder and CEO of the Kingdom and General Partner at A15 Dina Abdelkarim, Member of Egyptian Parliament, media figure and founder of: Mediology ,Upscale and Curistic, Adly Thoma Chairman and CEO of Gemini Africa and President Vincent Emery, President of UH-GAF. Their diverse backgrounds provided valuable feedback, constructive criticism, and practical advice to aspiring entrepreneurs.

The Rising Herts second Demo Day exceeded all expectations, igniting a passion for entrepreneurship among participating students. "This was an extremely successful event that showcased the entrepreneurial spirit of our students with the teams presenting some great business ideas, our partnership with Gemini Africa goes from strength to strength in supporting such opportunities for our students” said Professor Vincent C. Emery, President of the University of Hertfordshire. Moreover, Adly Thoma ,Chairman and CEO of Gemini Africa added “I am super excited to witness the development & progress of the students year over year. During round 2 we introduced tailored sessions to the different faculties which led to hosting 150+ students during the whole program. The collaboration between Gemini Africa & University of Hertfordshire is a leading example between the academia & the business side to equip the students with the entrepreneurial mindset, the understanding of the startup journey & the exposure to the ecosystem, expert & investors. We are paving the road for aspiring entrepreneurs & new Egyptian Unicorns”

The Rising Herts program bestowed upon the participating students the essential tools for entrepreneurship to help them learn how to transform their ideas into a reality and prepare them for their endeavors in the business world post-graduation.

Rising Herts was a journey that did not only empower students through capacity building but was more of a life-changing experience that will have a long-term impact on their future as well. 

About Gemini Africa

Gemini Africa is a one-stop entrepreneurial hub playing an impactful role in the development of the Egyptian ecosystem to foster youth and entrepreneurs with special focus on women, and bolster start-ups by availing diversified investment & financial options, untapped business opportunities and innovative flagship programs.

As part of the company’s quest to offer unprecedented opportunities, Gemini Africa also pioneered by launching Cinema Tech, the first entrepreneurial track, aiming to uplift the filmmaking industry by the injection of technological solutions through entrepreneurship. Backed by receiving the intellectual property rights for the track and following the gaps in the ecosystem, the company works relentlessly to expand its offered services and activities to be extended to different sectors within the creative industries.

With special focus on two thematic areas: Social entrepreneurship & Creative industries and the proven success record of previously implemented programs in Greater Cairo and Upper Egypt, Gemini Africa grew its knowledge base, developed a vast network of experts as well as local partners and built a strong database of key players; Giving the company an edge in being able to identify the ecosystem gaps, the exact needs of youth and their pain points to offer the right customized innovative programs.

The company’s impact dawns from Egypt and reaches out to the entire African continent as well with an aspiration not only to uplift entrepreneurship but also to fight against different socioeconomic challenges and create sustainable business opportunities for all. 

About University of Hertfordshire

The University of Hertfordshire (UH) is a leading public university in Hertfordshire County in the UK; just 25 minutes north of London. It has a diverse population of 25,000 students (including almost 3,000 international students from all around the world) and it offers undergraduate disciplines in more than 200 degrees, graduate schools in 400 degrees, as well as endless employment prospects and industrial placements.

The university of Hertfordshire in Egypt, hosted by global academic foundation, is the first full-fledged branch campus of a British university in Egypt. It encompasses the values, disciplines, and academic caliber of the programs and facilities offered in the British campus, bringing globally accredited undergraduate degrees all the way from the UK to Egypt.

The university of Hertfordshire in Egypt dedicates itself to staying up to date on all national, regional, and international updates in the most diverse and dynamic fields of higher education.
Global academic foundation (GAF), which hosts the university Hertfordshire in Egypt, is a leading academic institution in the Arab republic of Egypt operating under the Egyptian ministry of higher education in compliance with the international branch campus law no. 162 of 2018.