flat6labs-blog

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Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi Graduates Six New Startups at its Second Demo Day

Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi held its Fall 2015 Demo Day event with six new startup companies graduating its second cycle of the four-month accelerator program supported by twofour54. The Demo Day gave an opportunity for the six high-growth potential startups to pitch their startup ideas to potential investors and business professionals to initiate their post Demo Day growth phase and next round of development.

Held at the Park Rotana Hotel, the Fall 2015 Demo Day debuted a diverse group of entrepreneurs hailing from the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, India, Pakistan and Greece, with businesses spanning diverse digital sectors from marketing analytic tools, education and school marketplaces and hardware IoT.

The accelerator program developed by Flat6Labs encompasses a heavy dose of mentorship, hands-on support, and feedback for early stage startups. More than 200 mentors, coaches, trainers and corporate partners were handpicked and recruited to work with the Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi’s entrepreneurs during the 14-week program, from one-on-one coaching to making personal connections to investors.  

Highlighting the success of the Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi Cycles, Ramez Mohamed, the CEO of Flat6Labs, said “We are very excited to be graduating the second cycle of the Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi accelerator program and introducing a new pipeline of six high quality start up companies to the angel and VC investor community in the UAE and beyond, which builds on the great success that the first cycle of the program has achieved.”

H.E. Noura Al Kaabi, CEO of twofour54, commented: “twofour54 has been a supporter of Flat6Labs since its establishment in Abu Dhabi in 2014, as we share the same goal of encouraging and nurturing entrepreneurship in the region. Small and medium enterprises make up the majority of private sector employment in the UAE so it is important that we support entrepreneurs now as they will be key employers of tomorrow. The second cycle of Flat6Labs has resulted in six new businesses with commercial potential and I wish them every success in progressing their business plans.”

The Demo Day was attended by Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi mentors, business executives, governmental representatives, press and investors who were keen on witnessing the development and progress of the second Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi graduating startups.

The Six startups that presented on Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi’s Demo Day include:  

Dashroad  is a Platform-as-a-Service company that focuses on bringing out the data from cars to help build a platform of connected car applications.

Feedspeed is a technology platform that enables on demand app creation for offline retailers looking to have a mobile presence.

Jumpsuite is a global marketplace for personalised fitness and nutrition plans or the AIRbnb of Health and Fitness.

Susurrus enables brands to run influencer marketing campaigns and track analytics

StudentCart is a dedicated school marketplace that allows parents be to purchase essential products and services online and get access to dozens of additional value-added services and promotions.

Metaphorio is an online platform where video producers can easily collaborate on scripts, designs, storyboards, and videos.

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Best Flat6Labs Moments of 2015!

Presenting Flat6Labs' best moments of 2015:

Flat6Labs Turns Four!

October 2015 The 10th of October marked our fourth year in operation from our first cycle in Flat6Labs Cairo with a group of 22 entrepreneurs for the very first cycle! Now Flat6Labs is expanding like never before operating in three countries with Flat6Labs Cairo, Jeddah & Abu Dhabi and soon Beirut. We're very excited to take on more locations across the MENA region that we'll be announcing very soon!

Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi Launches in Full Power, Named Accelerator of the Year! November 2015

Launched in November 2014 and took in the first batch of amazing entrepreneurs in March 2015, Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi has been moving forward in full-force.  85% of Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi first cycle’s startups went on to secure $2.2 million in follow-on funding. Entrepreneurs from across the globe came in to the offices from Italy, Russia, India, Egypt and more! Following its

1 year anniversary Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi ended the already very successful year on a high note as it was awarded the 'Accelerator of the Year' award from Arabian Business' Startup Awards.

Check out the pitcures from the event here.

Flat6Labs Jeddah: A Saudi Success

Flat6Labs Jeddah- founded by Qotuf- had an outstanding year, as more and more startups successfully graduate from the acceleration program. Earlier this year, it’s third and fourth cycle startups presented their progress in the Third Demo Day, bringing the total number of graduates to 22 start-ups in 2015. As the new year begins, five more startups will be finishing the program’s fifth cycle, clearing the way to the Spring 2016 cycle to follow!

Applications are now open for the sixth cycle. Get your ideas ready and start applying here

Flat6Labs Beirut Announced

March 2015

Flat6Labs Beirut

was announced on March 18th the fourth Flat6Labs accelerator, to be established in Beirut in partnership with Arabnet ! A very exciting chapter in Flat6Labs' book. The new Beirut-based accelerator aims to establish 100 Lebanese companies and raise  $40 million in invested capital. Following Lebanon's central bank vision and plan to bolster the startup ecosystem, the announcement couldn't have been at a better time for Flat6Labs to work its magic in churning out innovative & game-changing startups. Follow Flat6Labs Beirut on Twitter & Facebook for announcements.

Flat6Labs Startups Shine in 2015!

Cairo

Jeddah

Abu Dhabi

Simplex: Millions in Revenues Selling 40+ CNC Routers

Reform Studio: 50,000 Plastic Bags Reused!

Ennota.com Kicks into Gear with 3,000 New Customers

Instabug: 40 Million Users & Growing!

Sawerly Finalist at Red Herring Award Asia

TeamReem launches Three New Games!

Vanoman kicks-off operations in Riyadh

Washmen Snags $400k in Funding

Unnyworld greenlit by Steam!

#RiseUp15:The World Came To Cairo!

December 2015

In a spectacular 2-day event, RiseUp Summit has proved once again that the whole MENA-region entrepreneurship scene in could come to one place! We were very excited to organize and be a part of the thrilling 'Get in The Ring' National Final competition that proved to be an amazing success with two startups headed to Saudi Arabia for the regional finals. With 4,000 attendees and dozens of fireside chats, panels, workshops & talks this year's RiseUp Summit has put the local entrepreneurial scene on the international spotlight:

TechCrunch Coverage

Forbes Coverage

Check out Day 1 - 2 pictures

2015 Awards & Prizes

Flat6Labs Jeddah's Vanoman picks up:

Flat6Labs Cairo's Nafham awarded:

GoEjaza wins 2nd place at Pepsi MENA Challenge

Coterique wins 'Pirates on Shore Cairo' event

Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi's Flip Technologies awarded $100k Qualcomm's Q Prize

Arabnet People's Choice Awards

Get in The Ring National Final Winners

Oqal Prize

ARAB SMIS award in education by HH Sheikh Mohamed Al-Maktoum

WISE award

Flat6Labs & Startups at EEDC

March 2015

Flat6Labs and Startups Reform Studio & Simplex have participated in Egypt Economic Development Conference in Sharm El Sheikh, which took place from March 13th-15th, 2015. The impactful conference witnessed the announcement of  a USD 50 mn VC fund by Sawari ventures to fill in the funding gap. The conference hosted an assembly of global figures from the fields of business, economics and politics, from over 60 countries around the world. Check out the press coverage from Youm7, Wamda & Arab Finance.

10 Flat6Labs Startups made it on Forbes' lists! 

From Jeddah to Abu Dhabi, we're extremely proud of the Flat6Labs startups that have made Forbes Middle-East's lists of the most promising UAE-Based startups & Most Innovative Entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia !

From Abu Dhabi:

Sakkini & GitHelp.

From Jeddah:

Polisher , Estickery, Sawerly, Vanoman, Maharah, Wade7, Selsal, iRehab

Accelerating towards 2016: Rapid Expansion Ahead!

As 2015 comes to a close for Flat6Labs, we are very excited for  for everything we have in our plan for 2016! Operating our three accelerators in Cairo, Jeddah and Abu Dhabi with amazing talented entrepreneurs from each country has definitely fueled our plans to expand and support more entrepreneurs! We're thrilled about our plans to build more international partnerships to help our start-ups scale across the globe. Look out for more Flat6Labs accelerators in the MENA region VERY soon.

[flat6labs-blog]

Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi Celebrates 1 Year Anniversary!

Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi, the first startup accelerator in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, celebrates its first year anniversary since launching the initiative at the Abu Dhabi Media Summit in November 2014. Supported by twofour54, Flat6Labs has helped position Abu Dhabi as a premier hub for launching and growing digital media startups from around the globe.

The Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi accelerator model has proven successful with over 530 companies from more than 50 countries applying to join the program in its first year with hopes of launching their companies at the Media Free Zone in Abu Dhabi, only fourteen companies were accepted into the first two cycles of the highly competitive accelerator program in 2015.

 The program has also proven to be a successful tool for seed-stage deal flow creation, as the first cycle of startups that began in March 2015 have gone on to secure more than $2.2M in follow-on funding from local and international investors since their Demo Day graduation in June 2015. Several of Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi’s portfolio companies have been also recognized for accolades and awards such as GitHelp and Sakkini for Forbes Middle East’s ‘Most Promising UAE Based-Startups’, FlipTech for Qualcomm Venture’s Qprize and more from including reputable organizations such as MIT Enterprise Forum Competition and Emirates Foundation 2015 Emirates Award for Arabian Gulf Youth.

 The accelerator program developed by Flat6Labs encompasses a heavy dose of mentorship, hands-on support, and feedback for early stage startups. More than 200 mentors, coaches, trainers and corporate partners were handpicked and recruited to work with the Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi’s entrepreneurs during the 14-week program, from one-on-one coaching to making personal connections to investors.  

 Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi has been also successful in building a local startup community and grasping the entrepreneurial spirit in Abu Dhabi. The Startup Series launched by Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi in partnership with NYU Abu Dhabi, a bi-monthly gathering of successful technologist, entrepreneurs, and investors, has energized the Abu Dhabi community with tangible advice for the potential entrepreneurs. Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi is also developing recurring programs, tailored to local needs, in partnership with UAE universities, government institutions, and community organizations, to provide value and support for potential local entrepreneurs and investors.

Most recently, Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi has launched the third round of applications for the Spring 2016 cycle and plans to help launch more than 80 companies over the upcoming four years.

[flat6labs-blog]

Flat6Labs Proves Grounds in Abu Dhabi with First Demo Day

Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi held its very first Demo Day event on June 3rd, graduating seven new startup companies from its accelerator program, which is supported by twofour54. In an inaugural event for Abu Dhabi as well as the startup ecosystem, these seven digital companies pitched their concepts, traction, and vision to potential investors and business leaders in attendance.

Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi Managing Director Nina Curley on Stage presenting the first Demo Day

Taking place at the Park Rotana Hotel, the Spring 2015 Demo Day debuted a diverse group of entrepreneurs hailing from the UAE, Italy, India, Russia, and Egypt, with businesses spanning digital sectors from art e-commerce to educational applications for children, and from hardware technologies for action sports to gaming, real estate portals, developer tools, and laundry services.

“Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi is very pleased to actively take a part in both building the regional entrepreneurial scene, with the collaboration of our partners in the UAE and across the MENA region.” Commented Ramez Mohamed CEO of Flat6Labs

Post Demo Day Networking - [Middle] Flat6Labs CEO Ramez Mohamed

The Demo Day was attended by business executives, technology innovators, Flat6Labs mentors, corporate CEOs, the press, and an array of local investors, who witnessed the progress of the cycle’s startups and evaluated their investment offerings for the next round of development.

Meet our Spring 2015 cycle startups:

Flip Technologies  Flip Technologies’ first product is an activity tracker to monitor the tricks and activities on a skateboard or longboard and other action sports.

Pavillion33 Pavillion33 is comprehensive online platform promoting and selling art from the Middle East and Africa globally.

Sakkini Sakkini is a relocation portal that empowers consumers with information and tools to make smart decisions for all their relocation needs.

Kikabo Labs Kikabo Labs produces content and mobile applications designed to educate children about culture and art

GitHelp GitHelp connects software developers to experts to fix problems and ease product development.

Unnyhog Unnyhog are releasing their fourth title, UnnyWorld, the first cross-platform fast-paced online game in the world

Washmen Washmen is a mobile-based marketplace for laundry and dry cleaning services.

Make sure to visit our YouTube page to watch all the startup pitches from Demo Day.

Check out the complete photo album here.

Following the success of the very first Demo Day, the Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi team is excited to receive all new applications for the upcoming Fall 2015 cycle. Apply now here, or let a friend who has an great startup idea know about us & to join the startup accelerator with the best terms in the region!

[flat6labs-blog]

Apply now to Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi!

[flat6labs-blog]

Meet Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi’s Spring 2015 Cycle!

Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi, launched in partnership with twofour54, is proud to showcase its first seven graduating startups this June 3rd. These seven are a diverse group, both in terms of sector and provenance, hailing from Europe, Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East, offering products in fields ranging from e-commerce and marketplaces to educational mobile applications, and even hardware for action sports.

Flip Technologies’ first product is an activity tracker to monitor the tricks and activities on a skateboard or longboard and other action sports. Pavillion33 is comprehensive online platform promoting and selling art from the Middle East and Africa globally. Sakkini is a relocation portal that empowers consumers with information and tools to make smart decisions for all their relocation needs. Kikabo Labs produces content and mobile applications designed to educate children about culture and art. GitHelp connects software developers to experts to fix problems and ease product development. Game developers Unnyhog are releasing their fourth title, UnnyWorld, the first cross-platform fast-paced online game in the world. Washmen is a mobile-based marketplace for laundry and dry cleaning services.

These companies have worked hard to reach product-market fit and gain early traction. Now, with ambitions for swift growth, their pitches reveal opportunities for global value creation. As Flat6Labs, we will continue to enable their expansion, as we connect these companies and our future cohorts to evident opportunities in the UAE and beyond. We believe in the power of entrepreneurship to create economic growth and social value in Abu Dhabi, the UAE, and the world.

[flat6labs-blog]

Flat6Labs' Best Moments of 2014!

  It has been a spectacular year for our Flat6Labs family and we've come such a long way since we started back in late 2011. As 2014 comes to a close, we are excited to share with you a short virtual timeline trip of Flat6Labs' Best Moments of 2014!

Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi Launches!

19 November 2014 Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi opened application for its first-ever cycle! The UAE-based accelerator - which is our third regional installation after Cairo and Jeddah - was announced in partnership with twofour54 this year and aims to attract regional youth with innovative ideas. Apply now here and make sure to follow Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates.

Flat6Labs Turns Three

13 October 2014  Flat6Labs celebrated its third anniversary on the 13th of October with an event that brought Flat6Labs partners, friends and prominent figures to  share Flat6Labs' achievements to date. Watch the FULL VIDEO of the anniversary event to get a feel for what went on in that special evening.

3 Years Back Special Booklet VIDEO: Anniversary highlights Coverage on Wamda

  Flat6Labs Jeddah Going Strong

Flat6Labs Jeddah - founded by Qotuf - is well underway it's third cycle with six fantastic teams to graduate in January 2015! That brings the total of Flat6Labs Jeddah graduates to 17 start-ups ready to hit the Saudi market with full force! Doors are now also open for the fourth cycle as we ready ourselves for the next batch of hopeful Saudi youth prepared to transform their novel ideas into products and services on the market. Apply to Spring 2015 (Fourth Cycle) here.

Flat6Labs Cairo Delivers Its Biggest Cycle Ever!

20 May 2014 After it had debuted its new accelerator model, Flat6Labs Cairo held its Seventh Demo Day event with 10 new start-up companies graduating from the accelerator program’s 4-months-long cycle. The Demo Day provided the start-ups the opportunity to pitch their ideas to more than 400 potential investors and business leaders. [read more] [watch full event]  

Follow-on funding: check, check.

2014 was a very exciting year in terms of cash flow, as more than ten of our start-ups in Cairo and Jeddah have raised follow-on funding rangingfrom three to seven times valuation from when they first joined our program! It's worth noting that approximately 50% of our start-ups receive follow on funding after graduating the program. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates on our company portfolio.   

2014, A Winning Year!

Reform Studio won Cartier Women's Initiative Awards.

Integreight won GITR 'Get in the ring' regional finals and qualified to international finals held in the Netherlands in 2015.

Sawerly won Arabnet 2014's start-up demo competition in Riyadh!

Nafham received his Highness Sheikh Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabbah Informatics' $15,000 Award in Kuwait and First Prize in Samsung's Entaleq!

Tagaddod won at EuroMed's top prize and also made it to the finals of 1776 Challenge Cup competition!

ElWafeyat joins 500Startups in Silicon Valley

October 2014 After raising follow-on funding round from local and regional investors, El-Wafeyat joined the 11th batch of 500Startups in Silicon Valley. Startups enrolled in 500startups’ program to benefit from its global community of 1,000+ founders, 200+ mentors and vast network of investors. More on our blog post here and on Wall Street Journal's coverage.   

NewsCorp Acqui-hires Cloudpress

March 2014

CloudPress the cloud-based marketing platform from Flat6Labs Cairo Spring 2013 cycle has been acqui-hired by News Corp, the world’s largest media conglomerate! Read more on our blog and on TechCrunch's coverage.  

Cairo Named by Virgin as One of The Best Startup Hubs in The World!

8 July 2014 Titled "The world's best start-up hubs: Cairo, Egypt" Virgin's blog post highlights how Cairo is one of the best start-up hubs through the eyes of Flat6Labs and what makes it as such with a spotlight on graduates like Nafham, Reform Studio and Instabug. You can read all about it here.  

Bigger & More Exciting Year Ahead!

As 2014 wraps up for Flat6Labs, we can only express the excitement and anticipation for everything we have planned for 2015! With three accelerators up and running in Cairo, Jeddah and Abu Dhabi, we're not even thinking of slowing down, plans for more accelerators in the region are well underway! We're also building more international partnerships to help our start-ups scale globally, in addition to expanding our team to cater for the growth we're driving through the region. To a great year ahead!

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Elwafeyat at @500startups :)! #silicon_valley #Entrepreneurs #startup #accelerator

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El-Wafeyat Joins 500 Startups!

El-Wafeyat (Taqalid), is an online platform that allows Arab users to browse through and create obituaries and memorial pages which brings important traditions and customs surrounding death into the digital realm. Accelerated by Flat6Labs Cairo in the Summer 2013 cycle, they managed to quickly gain ground and secure a $100,000 follow-on investment from The Cairo Angels. El-Wafeyat is now taking another step ahead in their development as a startup by joining 500Startups in Mountain View, California.

“We met Dave McClure -500startups founder- at the MENA Angel Investors Conference in Bahrain organized by Tenmou back in June this year when we were pitching. He said he liked the idea, so we talked to him more at the conference. We then had a few follow-up online meetings, we applied and got the acceptance!” said Yousef ElSammaa Co-founder & CEO of El-Wafeyat.

Nesma El Far, Co-Founder of El-Wafeyat with Dave McClure at the MENA Angel Investors Conference

Startups enrolled in 500startups’ program benefit from being exposed to the community, a network of 1,000+ founders and 200+ mentors to help guide them along the way. Constant feed of advice, a curriculum, connections and of course … cash! 500startups has invested $100,000 in El-Wafeyat in seed funding. “It varies, sometimes between $25,000 to $250,000, but usually around a $100,000 range.” McClure told The Daily News Egypt when asked about the investment made in El-Wafeyat.

By the time El-Wafeyat finish their program at 500startups, they aim to get a better understanding about their consumers to be able to push toward monetization and expanding regionally.  

“We're really learning here every day how to start and manage a business from all aspects. […] Plus its great validation for the business and a great opportunity to network” commented ElSammaa.

Elwafeyat Team

Check out their latest coverage on AlHurra TV here:

Watch El-Wafeyat’s pitch at Flat6Labs Cairo’s Sixth Demo Day here:

[flat6labs-blog]

Rise Up Summit 2014

Rise Up Summit 2014 witnessed major attraction from various players in the entrepreneurial ecosystem providing not only a spectacular event with hundreds of panel discussions, lectures, booths and activities but also a hopeful outlook on the future of entrepreneurship in Egypt.

The 3-day Summit took place on October 12th, 13th & 14th at the GrEEK Campus with an estimated 3,000 participants across the 3 days.

  Dave McClure’s – 500 Startups– Keynote

“Egypt is a very big country with growing opportunities so we think that there are a lot of entrepreneurs here that we’ll be able to explore, create businesses and we’d like to be part of that” said Dave McClure of 500Startups at Rise Up Summit 2014  when asked about the entrepreneurial scene in Egypt by the Daily News Egypt.

This year Rise Up Summit saw a plethora of unique activities that give Rise Up its energetic atmosphere bringing together entrepreneurs and key players in the ecosystem. Flat6Labs was very happy be a part of Rise Up with two activities; IntroBooth and Founders Match. The Introbooth was a networking booth, providing entrepreneurs and innovators the opportunity to network one-on-one with top business executives in a private booth for the duration of 5 minutes. 

 Google’s Wael El Fakharany at the IntroBooth

Founders Match played on how several startups lacked the business partner they required to be able unlock their full potential of their startup. On the other hand it also catered for individuals looking to take on the experience of being a co-founder of a startup. Founders Match was a 2-hour event resembling the “speed dating” format, where matched startup founders with potential co-founders who are in search to join a startup. Each founder will be seated at an assigned table for the duration of two hours, with rotating 15 minute face­-to­-face conversations with all the matched co-founders.

 Some of the activities included very engaging workshops for pitching, how not to startup, Pitching and Negotiation for Women Entrepreneurs, prototyping and more. Also Panel discussions took place tackling entrepreneurship scene in the gulf, coworking spaces, financing and more in addition to multiple fireside chats.

Hats off to the Rise Up team for pulling through with the event of the year for all entrepreneurs and for all the key players in the ecosystem. We can’t wait for what they’ll have in store with Rise Up 2015!

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VIDEO: Our IntroBooth in session! Now with Heba Gamal MD, Endeavor Egypt. (at The Greek Campus)

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Flat6Labs Cairo Local Perks: Supporting our Entrepreneurs One More Way

As part of our commitment to supporting our entrepreneurs by all means possible, we have launched a local perks program for all current and graduate Flat6Labs entrepreneurs in Egypt!  The program provides our members with discounts and exclusive offers on products and services from a variety of partners across the region. Understanding the needs of our entrepreneurs, an array of relevant industries are participating in our Local Perks program from website development companies, printing, errands and even food outlets.

  We have been already providing over $300K in perks and benefits, providing our entrepreneurs with some of the best resources available to build their companies. As a member of the Global Accelerator Network and various other partnerships, all of our startups get to take advantage of huge perks from sponsors like Microsoft, PayPal, Amazon Web Services. However a need arose for more localized sources to benefit from and we were more than happy to oblige and provide another lifeline of support to our entrepreneurs.

“There are hundreds of web development houses competing in the local market here in Egypt, but there are few who have worked with startups and understand that they are not dealing with a corporate client or a department, and in fact are dealing with a hard working team or individual who dont have a large budget to play with” said Nour Ahmadein Flat6Labs Cairo Business Development Manager.

 “On the flip side, it has been incredibly rewarding and somewhat surprising to realize just how many companies out there are able and willing to offer their services to the startup community at an exclusive discounted rate. These companies really believe that SME development is an integral part of Egypt's economy. They also understand that many startups have the potential to scale and so it is to their advantage to begin working with them from early on" Added Nour.

It’s safe to say that the program wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for the awesome companies that are taking part in our program with their active vision to support local entrepreneurs, thank you! Please check them all out here.

Learn more about everything we offer our entrepreneurs here.

[flat6labs-blog]

Taskty: Paving the Way with Premium Household Services Online

Taskty graduated Flat6Labs Cairo back in Spring 2012 and hit the market as an online marketplace for simple services where users can find individuals or services agencies to finish their daily tasks for their home or business. Recently, Taskty found their niche market by providing home services and moved away from the overly saturated business services with remarkable results!

“Things like Web Design, Translation or Graphic Design services were abundant in the market and dissipated our energy to strike a need in the market.” said CEO Ahmed Galal.

CEO Ahmed Galal presenting at Flat6Labs Cairo’s Fall 2012 Demo Day

Focusing on providing household services, Taskty’s sales have recently reached EGP3,000 daily. It’s not only the sales numbers that have increased after Taskty altered their service delivery strategy, vital KPI’s such as customer acquisition and fan base growth started seeing a noticeable bump.

Earlier this year, Taskty has successfully secured two rounds of funding from two angels investors from Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The investments have helped Taskty to reinforce their services all as well as introduce more services. The investments have also helped the company bring on more technicians/maintenance staff onboard as well as introduce medical services (nursing mainly) and even catering. Taskty is readying itself to offer their services very soon in Alexandria, kicking off their most popular services there first and gradually working their way up to include their full range of services.

Watch Ahmed Galal's Demo Day pitch here:

and Skynews' coverage on Taskty here:

[flat6labs-blog]

Everything about #financial planning and #management for #startups. Dr. Aliaa Bassiouni with an eye opening #session to our #F6LBootcamp #entrepreneurs. #accelerator #funding #investment #VCs #Money (at AUC The American University in Cairo)

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Just for fun we asked the initial #fall2014 #bootcamp teams to answer some questions. We have to say, we're loving the answers so far :D #Quotes #entrepreneurs #flat6labs #startups #accelerator #business

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#DidYouKnow? #startups #entrepreneurs #mentors #accelerator #training

[flat6labs-blog]

Meet Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi's Managing Director

May 20th Flat6Labs Cairo witnessed it's biggest ever Demo Day graduating 10 start-ups following their 4-month acceleration period. Flat6Labs aimed to add value to the budding entrepreneurial ecosystem across the MENA region by announcing the expansion of their operations with the launch of Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi in partnership with TwoFour54!

Ahmed El-Alfi Announcing Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi at the seventh Flat6Labs Cairo Demo Day

We sat down with Nina Curley the newly appointed Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi Managing Director for a Q&A to highlight what her plans are as well as to to know more about the person running the latest accelerator in the region.

-When will Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi start operations?

Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi will launch in November, at the Abu Dhabi Media Summit, which will be held at Al Maryah Island from November 18th-20th. We’ll then open for applications this fall, and launch our first cycle in February!

 -Will Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi be any different from Flat6Labs Cairo or Jeddah?

 Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi will offer the same services and structure that comprise Flat6Labs Cairo and Jeddah—an initial bootcamp, followed by a four month training and mentorship program, a variety of services, and seed funding. In addition, Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi will have a special media focus. With the support of twofour54 and various partners in Abu Dhabi, we’ll support teams building products in online content, data and analytics, mobile applications, e-commerce, video and multimedia production, and social media and citizen journalism, although our definition will be broad. By focusing on media, we plan to help startups benefit from one of Abu Dhabi’s strengths, while increasing potential synergies among our teams.

 -How do you think Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi’s launch will affect the entrepreneurial scene in Abu Dhabi?

To date, Abu Dhabi’s entrepreneurship scene has been characterized by the presence of regional, growth-stage startups looking to gain traction in the UAE; two notable examples from a few years ago were Jawaker and Tahadi, both Jordanian companies that relocated to Abu Dhabi following investment by twofour54. Abu Dhabi has also seen a lot of energy at the student level, with competitions like Startup Weekend drawing several young innovators—many of them local women, by the way—to engage with building new startups. I think that Flat6Labs stands to unify the community and reinvigorate the entrepreneurship scene in Abu Dhabi by supporting new generations of seed and early stage startups. By bringing in regional and global talent to connect with local pioneers and media heavyweights, Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi can crucially put the city’s wealth of creativity and industry leadership to work helping startups to build upon innovate ideas. Filling this current gap in the ecosystem will boost innovation in the media space overall, while ensuring that aspiring entrepreneurs have the support they need to take their ideas and startups to the next level. 

-What will Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi offer entrepreneurs in Abu Dhabi? For those entrepreneurs who are based locally, Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi will offer a unique opportunity to connect with peers from across the region and globe, in a collaborative setting, and a chance to connect in a meaningful way with local leaders in media, telecommunications, and technology. Even if local founders already have a startup, the Flat6Labs program is designed to speed the pace of their growth, offering access to global best practices in product development, marketing, and customer acquisition, and, crucially, a chance to get in front of the right mentors, investors, and corporate partners at the right time, with an added dose of confidence. Also, with two other properties in the region, in Cairo and Jeddah, Flat6Labs uniquely offers local entrepreneurs a chance to take advantage of a regional network. Founders may want to partner with startups or services in Egypt to develop or design a product, while partnering with Flat6Labs teams in Jeddah to market a product beyond the UAE. The possible benefits of being a Flat6Labs alumnus or alumna will grow exponentially over time. 

 -As Managing Director of Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi, what’s one thing you would love to see be accomplished in the upcoming year?

 I would love to see both local entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs from the region, and entrepreneurs from beyond the region—whether from South Asia, Europe, or the Americas—joining the program, to create a truly diverse class of pioneers. As the ecosystem in the Arab world continues to develop, one trend I’ve noticed over the past few years is an increase in entrepreneurs in India and Pakistan, looking to enter the Arab world, and an influx of entrepreneurs from various places in Europe, who are often looking to address a less saturated market. I think that trend will only continue as the world becomes more connected, especially in the entrepreneurship space.