GIZ, Nahdet El Mahrousa graduate 12 green scaleups at GreenShift Summit 2026

Nahdet El Mahrousa (NM), the first incubator for early-stage social enterprises in Egypt and the Middle East, hosted the GreenShift Summit on Tuesday, 27 October, bringing together more than 150 industry leaders, policymakers, investors, development partners and entrepreneurs to discuss how promising green businesses can scale up and drive change across industries.

The summit highlighted the journeys of 12 green scaleups based in Greater Cairo and the Delta that received acceleration support and a total of EGP 57.5m in investment through the GreenShift Programme. Implemented by NM in partnership with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and co-funded by the European Union and the German Federal Government, the programme supports green enterprises in commercialising their solutions and expanding their impact.

Mona Shehab, Director of the National Solid Waste Management Programme, said: “Startups play an important role in building a stronger, more sustainable national economy by generating innovative ideas and creating new opportunities that contribute to economic growth and help advance the country’s future development plans.”

At the operational level, Mostafa Ashraf, private sector adviser at GIZ, highlighted access to equipment financing as one of the main challenges facing businesses seeking to scale up.

“One of the biggest challenges facing these businesses is the high upfront cost of equipment. The GreenShift programme helps address this challenge by financing machinery, enabling companies to continue developing their operations and improve their production processes,” he said.

The 12 graduating scaleups operate across several sectors, including climate action, the circular economy, waste management and recycling.

Egyptian startups are advancing the circular economy by transforming plastic, organic and agricultural waste into building materials, consumer products and sustainable alternatives. Other enterprises focus on recycling, upcycled electronics, handmade crafts and Nile clean-up initiatives.

Tarek Makram, founder of Extractor Co., discussed the challenges of establishing the company’s factory, from sourcing equipment and managing high costs to finding solutions for the waste generated during oil extraction.

He credited the GreenShift Programme with helping the company overcome these challenges through financial support, practical guidance on resource allocation and continued expert consultations.

“GreenShift helped us turn our vision for a factory into a reality. What made the experience different was the combination of financial support, expert guidance, and continued follow-up to help us move forward,” Makram said.

The GreenShift Programme received 1,353 applications and trained 46 fellows through approximately 160 hours of training, consultations and a retreat.

It also provided EGP 1.3m in productive assets to 18 fellows and supported eight of the 12 funded scaleups in licensing and formalising their businesses.