Egypt-based RiseUp, the organiser of the biggest entrepreneurship summit in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena), has acquired Egypt-based StarterHub, the online community for startups and aspiring entrepreneurs, to become RiseUp Connect platform. 

This acquisition occurred a month after StarterHub's launch, marking one of the fastest exit in the Mena region. The move is part of the growth plan for RiseUp Connect, which aims to make the Mena entrepreneurship ecosystem more accessible by providing members more exposure to the entrepreneurship community, access to business resources and events along with benefits that include mentorship sessions, event access and possible discounts and offers.

“We are excited about joining forces with StarterHub. The reason behind our collaboration lies in the common values and vision shared by both entities, which is supporting entrepreneurs in Mena with relevant resources, events, mentorship programmes and more. We’re proud to have RiseUp Connect platform that will provide a chance for everyone to get closer to the entrepreneurship community, accurately identify their needs and effectively close any gaps in the ecosystem,” Said AbdelHamid Shararaa, chief executive officer (CEO) and founder of RiseUp. 

“Entrepreneurs are always looking for that engaging community both virtually and physically. With this acquisition we will be able to complement the great virtual with much more content, training and meetups giving the audiences much more needed resources to thrive their business. They will now become part of the RiseUp community giving them access to all the resources that we have.”

The newly formed platform will be led by StarterHub founder Amr Hussein who will also lead on other RiseUp community activities as a Startup Community Manager.

“Partnering up with RiseUp will open many paths for StarterHub to become the largest consortium of fast growth founders communities originating from the Mena region, and will broaden our horizons through establishing more connections in the entrepreneurship ecosystem. As StarterHub founder I’m so excited to join the RiseUp journey to help and empower local entrepreneurs through offering a wide range of relevant resources and giving them more exposure, perks, and business events,” said Hussein, founder of StarterHub.

Earlier this year, RiseUp acquired MenaBytes, a Saudi-based startup and technology publication for an undisclosed sum. The acquisitions are part of RiseUp’s vision to be “a one-stop shop for the entire spectrum of resources, entrepreneurs, and startups in the region that need to grow” according to Sharara.