Gaming is mostly considered a pastime activity to many, and for parents especially, it is rarely seen as a solid business idea to start post-graduation. But this was not the case for Samer Wagdy, Mustafa Zaza, and Bishoy Mesdary, three passionate gamers who co-founded GBarena. Their dream was to generate an impact for gamers and the gaming industry. GBarena, short for Game Battle arena, is a virtual platform where gamers compete and communicate, sponsors support tournaments, and organizers create events. GBarena offers gamers the opportunity to join online tournaments. The platform also stimulates game engagement through publishers and sponsors, as well as sponsoring gaming activities to increase brand visibility. “It was pretty hard to convince sponsors of our platform when we first started because we started very early on, when there was no esports in Egypt,” Wagdy recalls. Founded in 2016, GBarena was incubated by AUC Venture Labs, and selected for an intensive mentorship course at Silicon Valley by industry pioneers from the e-sports industry – from Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google. E-sports, short for electronic sports, is competitive gaming between players with online spectators watching. At the start of their…
How an Egyptian Startup Became the Leading Esports Platform in the Middle East
October 25, 2022
