Across Egypt, entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial ventures have experienced an increase in popularity in recent years. Such findings are part of the recently released Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Egypt national report, which found that more than 73 percent of Egyptians think that entrepreneurship is a wise career choice. At the same time, more than 30 percent of Egyptians shy away from starting a new business due to fear of failure, while 46 percent of Egypt’s adult population is able to recognize good market opportunities for new businesses, perhaps suggesting that more people have the capability and knowledge to become entrepreneurs. As an example of Egypt’s success, Rise Up, which brings the Middle East’s biggest start-up event every year to Cairo, won the “Ecosystem Player of the Year” award at the TechWadi Annual Forum. Despite this growing trend, however, serious obstacles remain for Egyptians hoping to start a new business. “Entrepreneurship is a key driver of economic growth in Egypt and around the world,” said Ayman Ismail, an assistant professor of management, the Abdul Latif Jameel Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship and one of the authors of the report. AUC’s School of Business also joined…
