You are currently browsing the monthly archive for December 2010.
Endeavor Entrepreneurs Mostafa Hafez and Ahmet Metwally take another steady upwards step as Timeline Interactive releases CellFactor on PC!
The Egyptian owned and run company, Timeline Interactive, made an international breakthrough in 2009 when it released Cell Factor: Psychokinetic Wars, the world’s first downloadable game to use sophisticated 3D visuals and game play physics.
The Egyptian game developing company became the first Arab company to develop and publish a console-based game. It’s alliance with Immersion Games and Ubisoft was possible because of Timeline’s international standards in innovation, technology and creativity.
Milestone by milestone, Timeline Interactive is quickly becoming a top inspirational success stories for millions of young talented Egyptians.
CellFactor: Psychokinetic Wars Released on PC
Cairo, December 12, 2010: Timeline Interactive, the first certified video game studio in the Middle East, announced the release of its game, CellFactor: Psychokinetic Wars, for PC, following the success of its 2009 Xbox 360 and PS3 release.
The game was originally released by Ubisoft on Xbox 360 and PS3 in June 2009 and made XBLA’s Top Ten Arcade list the following month. This new, self-published PC version is available for download for $10 at Direct2Drive, starting this November: http://www.direct2drive.com/9944/product/Buy-CellFactor:-Psychokinetic-Wars-Download
CellFactor: Psychokinetic Wars, a multiplayer first-person shooter, challenges the player to—literally and figuratively– use their mind to kill. Caught in between the civil war of genetically-altered soldiers and robot rebels, the player uses their character’s superhuman psychokinetic powers to either prevent or hurry the end of man. Jumping between traditional weapon assaults and unique telekinetic powers to move objects or rip pipes off walls from a distance, the player turns the enemies’ environment against them. In seven unique futuristic environments, from lava pools to weapons factories to ocean cliffs, the player uses their powers to fly, accelerate speed, shield, and teleport. Players choose from three superhuman characters. You can battle in three single-player challenge modes (with 30 single-player challenges) or take on live enemies in a massive combat challenge with four multiplayer modes.
Cellfactor: Psychokinetic Wars is a production of Timeline Interactive and Immersion Games. The game is rated Mature for 17 and older.
About Timeline Interactive Studio
Timeline Interactive studio is based in Cairo, Egypt. Privately held and financially backed by the Technology Development Fund and EFG-Hermes, Timeline Interactive is a first-rate game development company in the Middle East. We focus on the design and development of high quality, cross-platform games. With core teams members working in the industry as early as 1994, the current team joined together to establish Timeline Interactive studio in 2005.
For more information on Timeline Interactive, please visit:
To download the game for $10, go to: http://www.direct2drive.com/9944/product/Buy-CellFactor:-Psychokinetic-Wars-Download
The American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Committee hosted 150 stakeholders in development, education, entrepreneurship, & private sector to discuss challenges and solutions facing entrepreneurial growth in Egypt. Endeavor Egypt had a strong presence during the sessions, where our Entrepreneur Services manager, Ahmed El Bedawy moderated the session on Culture.
The idea was to divide participants into four concurrent workshops discussing one of the four basic elements needed for a ripe entrpreneurship ecosystem.
Culture, Legislation (regulatory framework), Entrepreneur’s Development, & Finance were the topics under which the four sessions were held.
The AmCham will issue a report highlighting and summarizing what was discussed and next steps. We would like to thank AmCham for it’s efforts to spark up the ‘entrepreneurship’ conversation amongst key stakeholders and give them an opportunity to discuss their efforts, share their experience, and reflect on concerns.
US Ambassador Margaret Scobey gave the keynote address, making a few announcements and expressing her gratitude for all who are working hard to advance development in Egypt.
Abraaj Capital hosted a huge 2 day event on the 8th and 9th of November at the Madinat Jumeirah Conference Center in Dubai, UAE. The title was “Celebration of Entrepreneurship”.
Endeavor was among the key players at the landmark event. The “non-conference”, as labelled by the organizers, was attended by 2000 people from all over the MENASA region. Attendees ranged from entrepreneurs, to business leaders, to finance providers, to entrepreneurs, civil society, and many more. The focus was one thing and one thing only, Entrepreneurship!
“I think everyone who attended Abraaj’s Celebration of Entrepreneurship felt that they are inspired, empowered and connected. They delivered on what they promised!”
said Ahmed El Bedawy, Endeavor Egypt’s Entrepreneur Services Manager. The three main themes were “inspire – empower – connect”. Speakers included many exceptional names like Naguib Sawiris, Linda Rottenberg, Fadi Ghandour and many more. To see videos of the highlights visit Wamda, website!
Endeavor Egypt celebrated Global Entrepreneurship Week at the Townhouse Gallery November 5, in a new and unconventional event. With seven inspirational speakers sharing their experience with a diverse audience of over 300 young people, academics, entrepreneurs, business leaders, and many diverse stakeholders, the speeches were brief, energizing, and eye-opening. Addressing failure, impact, fairness, involvement, serendipity and velocity, Endeavor Egypt wants to tackle the existing culture on entrepreneurship and private business.
إحتفلت مؤسسة إنديفور مصر يوم الجمعة ال5 من نوفمبر باللإسبوع العالمي لريادة الإعمال بتجربة جديدة و غير تقليدية تحت عنوان “باشوفها كدا: من خبرتي” بجاليري تاون هاوس في وسط البلد. و ذلك بهدف مخاطبة ثقافة المجتمع و خصيصاً الشباب الخاصة بريادة الأعمال و العمل الحر عن طريق تقديم عدداً من النماذج الناجحة لرواد مصريين في مجالات مختلفة يتحدثون كأشخاص عاديين عن تجربتهم الريادية عن طريق المشاركة و ليس المحاضرات أو التلقين – No preaching No lecturing و علي عدة محاور تتعلق ببناء بيئة ملائمة على المستوي الفكري تدعم ريادة الأعمال مثل التعامل مع الإخفاق و الإلتزام بالتعاملات المنصفة و بناء الثقة و السرعة في الإنجاز و المشاركة و إحداث التأثيرات اللإيجابية و الإجتهاد و كيف يزيد من فرص التوفيق
Stay tuned for more videos from “How I See It!”
و تأمل مؤسسة أنديفور مصر زرع هذه القيم و نشر التوعية عنها في المجتمع و عند الشباب لتشجيعهم على النهوض بمجتمعاتهم و مكافحة الفقر و البطالة خلال العمل الحر الذي يقوده الإبتكار و الأمل.
Speakers – المتحدثين
Alaa Rady – Enmaa Financial Services
On how failure can be a positive metric
علاء راضي – إنماء
يحدثنا عن الإخفاق كمرحلة من مراحل النجاح
Randa I. Abdou – Marketing Mix Consultants & Creative Lab Advertising
On Impact: How simple actions make big changes
رنده عبده - ماركيتينج مكس للتسوق & كرييتيف لاب للإعلان
تحدثنا عن التأثير:كيف يمكن لأفعال صغيرة أن تحدث أثار كبيرة
Ramy Habeeb – Kotob Arabia
On Fairness: On the long run only a fair deal prevails
رامي حبيب – كتب عربية
يحدثنا عن الإنصاف: العلاقات في العمل الحر لابد أن تكون منصفة لتستمر
Hasan El Geretly – El Warsha Theater Troupe
On Involvement:ROI = Return on Investment Involvement
حسن الجريتلي – فرقة الورشة
يحدثنا عن المشاركة: العائد علي اللإستثمار = العائد علي المشاركة
Amr Koura – Al Karma
On Serendipity: The harder you work the luckier you get
عمرو قورة – شركة الكارما للإعلام التعليمي
يحدثنا عن كيف الإجتهاد يزيد الحظ
Ahmed Metwally – Timeline Interactive
On Velocity: A novel idea today is an old one tomorrow
أحمد متولي – تايم لاين إنتر أكتيف
يحدثنا عن السرعة: الفكرة الجديدة غداً تصبح قديمة
Dr. Ahmed Hindawi – Hindawi Publishing Corporation
On Trust: How it reduces the cost of the transaction and speeds it up
د. أحمد هنداوي – مؤسسة هنداوي للنشر الأكاديمي
يحدثنا عن الثقة: الثقة أساسية
From November 4 to 11, Global Entrepreneurship Week came to Egypt where more than 30 entities from government, NGO’s, universities, and private sector were involved. The launch press conference was attended by Minister of Trade, Mohamed Rachid, Minister of Higher Education, Dr. Hany Helal, and Minister of Communications, Dr. Tarek Kamel. GEW Egypt was celebrated in more than 68 events during the week.
In cooperation with the Institute of International Education, Endeavor Egypt’s MD Ahmed Ezzat & IIE’s Regional Director, Liz Khalifa announced the launch of LIFT-OFF at a press conference taking place at the beginning of the “How I See It” event. The LIFT-OFF Initiative was awarded to the Institute of International Education (IIE) by the U.S. Department of State Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) in September 2010 to foster a culture of entrepreneurship among youth across North Africa.
IIE, an independent nonprofit founded in 1919, is among the world’s largest and most experienced international education and training organizations. LIFT-OFF is implemented by the IIE Regional Office in Cairo in partnership with Endeavor Egypt. The LIFT-OFF Initiative features activities that target MENA region youth across three age tiers (16-18; 19-24; 25-35) to promote and support entrepreneurship as a viable career-choice for young people. Activities include the creation of entrepreneurial e-moment documentaries, a virtual IdeaLab, contests and competitions at schools and universities, capacity building for university and youth entrepreneurial support centers, an Entrepreneurial Leadership Program for university students, and Endeavor Egypt support for high potential young entrepreneurs as they enter the market.
و بالتعاون مع معهد التعليم الدولي أعلنت في مؤتمر صحافي إستبق الحدث إطلاق مبادرة ليفت-أوف LIFT-OFF
و هي مبادرة منحت لمعهد التعليم الدولي من قبل مبادرة الشراكة الشرق أوسطية لوزارة الخارجية الأمريكية في سبتمبر 2010 لتعزيز ثقافة روح المبادرة بين الشباب في جميع أنحاء شمال أفريقيا. معهد التعليم الدولي ، وهي مؤسسة مستقلة غير ربحية تأسست عام 1919 ، تعد من أكبر مؤسسات التعليم و التدريب في العالم والأكثر خبرة. و تنفذ مبادرة “ليفت-أوفLIFT-OFF من قبل المكتب الإقليمي لمعهد التعليم الدولي في القاهرة بالشراكة مع إنديفور مصر. مبادرة “ليفت-أوف” “LIFT-OFF تتضمن إقامة العديد من الأنشطة التي تقام من أجل الشباب في جميع أنحاء منطقة الشرق الأوسط و شمال إفريقيا على مستويات ثلاثة من السن (16 -18 ؛ 19-24 ؛ 25-35) لتعزيز ودعم روح المبادرة المطلوب لتقديم ريادة الأعمال كخيار للحياة الوظيفية للشباب. وتشمل الأنشطة إنتاج عدد من الأفلام الوثائقية عن قصص نجاح نماذج مختلفة من الشباب و إقامة موقع إليكتروني تحت مسمى ”معمل الإفكار” ، وإقامة سلسلة من المسابقات والمنافسات في المدارس والجامعات ، وتعزيز قدرة الجامعات ومراكز الشباب على دعم المشاريع الصغيرة و المتوسطة، وهو برنامج القيادة الريادية لطلبة الجامعات.
صور الحدث في
http://www.endeavoreg.org/en/media-center/gallery.html
Endeavor Global announced at the Abraaj Capital Celebration of Entrepreneurship event the strategic alliance with Abraaj Capital and the opening of a regional Endeavor hub in Dubai:
“Dubai, UAE; November 8, 2010: Abraaj Capital and Endeavor announced today a strategic alliance to combine the expertise of the region’s largest private equity firm with Endeavor, a non-profit organization that transforms emerging markets by establishing high-impact entrepreneurship as the leading force for economic development.
The joint venture will include the founding of an Endeavor regional hub for the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (MENASA) region, which will be hosted by Abraaj Capital and headquartered in Dubai. This will become a base for the organisation to grow its capabilities in the Arabian Gulf and beyond, offering the opportunity for early stage businesses to access the mentorship and networks required for them to flourish. The Dubai office will allow Endeavor to promote its expansion to new countries in the region and to provide expanded services to its country affiliates in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, all of which will continue to operate independently.
Proof of the value that Endeavor’s high-impact entrepreneurship growth can bring can be found across the globe. In Latin America, businesses assisted by Endeavor have created over 100,000 jobs and generated over $3 billion in annual revenues. With the United Nations Development Program estimating that Arab countries alone will need to create more than 50 million new jobs by 2020, the fostering of entrepreneurship is critical in meeting this need.
Abraaj Capital is already a champion of entrepreneurship in the MENASA region, hosting the landmark Celebration of Entrepreneurship, which will bring together the many elements of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. At the event, Abraaj Capital will also announce further details of its Riyada Enterprise Development investment platform, a $500m fund that will invest in SMEs throughout the region, providing much needed capital and support to a broad range of businesses.
Arif Naqvi, CEO and Founder, Abraaj Capital said: “The growth of entrepreneurship is a commitment shared by both Abraaj Capital and Endeavor. Through their focus on high-impact entrepreneurship they have demonstrated how fostering SMEs can contribute positively to job and wealth creation. The partnership is a natural union of two like-minded institutions.”
Linda Rottenberg, Co-founder and CEO of Endeavor said: “I am incredibly passionate about the prospects for growing high-impact entrepreneurship in this region, which has an amazing amount of talent and energy. Endeavor will dramatically increase its presence in countries across the MENASA region over the next five years to ensure we are doing our part.”
From September 29 to October 1, Endeavor hosted its 36th International Selection Panel (ISP) in Pebble Beach, California, welcoming 22 new High-Impact Entrepreneurs (representing 13 firms) from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Jordan, Mexico and Turkey.
Congratulations to the organizers and panelists at our first-ever West Coast ISP, and to the following selected entrepreneurs:
Argentina
Entrepreneurs: Andres Alterini, Mariano Elizari & Santiago Pinto Escalier
Company: Smowtion
Description: Smowtion operates an ad serving network that maximizes ROI for advertisers and publishers through innovative use of targeting and optimization technology.
Entrepreneurs: Martin Enriquez, Juan Manuel Damia & Gustavo Arjones
Company: Socialmetrix
Description: Socialmetrix provides market research solutions that monitor companies’ presence across social media and helps them improve their image, products and communications.
Brazil
Entrepreneur: Tiago Moura Mendonca
Company: ABC – Atacado Brasileiro da Construcao
Description: ABC operates a growing chain of home improvement stores in the province of Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Entrepreneur: Marcos Burattini
Company: Vivere Brasil
Description: Vivere is a first-mover in providing an innovative BPO solution to the real estate loan market in Brazil, helping to make that country’s rapidly expanding mortgage market more efficient and accurate.
Chile
Entrepreneur: Dr. Pamela Chavez-Crooker
Company: Aguamarina
Description: Aguamarina is the leader in the development of biotechnology processes and services for the mining industry in Chile and abroad.
Entrepreneurs: David Assael & David Basulto
Company: Plataforma Networks/ArchDaily
Description: Plataforma Networks operates important online media platforms that connect architects and companies worldwide.
Colombia
Entrepreneurs: Pedro Tosin & Diego Diaz del Castillo
Company: Oruga
Description: Oruga is an emerging player in the Colombian animation industry.
Egypt
Entrepreneur: Ahmed Hindawi
Company: Hindawi Publishers
Description: Hindawi uses an Open Access publishing system that has made it an emerging player in worldwide scientific research and journal publishing.
Jordan
Entrepreneurs: Ramzi Halaby & Zafer Younis
Company: Modern Media
Description: Modern Media delivers comprehensive integrated marketing solutions that enable clients throughout the MENA region to use social media to stand out and connect with their target audience.
Entrepreneurs: Firas Al-Otaibi, Mohammed Asfour, & Wael Attili
Company: Think Arabia (Kharabeesh / Untitled)
Description: Think Arabia is an innovative player in developing creative Arabic animation content for new media platforms.
Mexico
Entrepreneurs: Eduardo Graniello & Felipe Labbe
Company: Intellego
Description: Intellego provides business intelligence solutions that increase clients’ revenues, cut costs and improve performance.
Turkey
Entrepreneur: Yunus Guvenen
Company: Digitouch
Description: Digitouch is creating a marketing revolution in Turkey by creating the first affiliate marketing network in that country.
Entrepreneur: Erdem Yurdanur
Company: Kokteyl
Description: Kokteyl focuses on business-to-consumer marketing projects on both mobile and web platforms.
Dr. Ahmed Hindawi of Hindawi Publishing Corporation uses an Open Access publishing system that has made it an emerging player in worldwide scientific research and journal publishing.
Ahmed Hindawi
Industry: Publishing
Founded: 1997
Hindawi Publishing Corporation aims to make scientific research available and affordable worldwide through Open Access publishing.
The Business
Hindawi Publishing Corporation was founded in 1997 and has subsequently developed a portfolio of more than 270 English-language scholarly journals. In 2005, Hindawi landed on Open Access – a concept that leverages digital publishing and Creative Commons licensing to make articles freely available, swapping traditional journal subscriptions for author processing charges as a way to cover costs. Over the last five years Hindawi has become one of the three largest Open Access publishers worldwide with plans to launch 50-100 new journals each year for the next five years.
The Entrepreneur
Ahmed was first introduced to academic publishing during his days at the University of Pennsylvania. While completing a PhD in High-Energy Physics, he learned about the industry‟s supply side. Though this had initially appealed to Ahmed, he began to think that he could have a bigger impact as an entrepreneur than as a physicist. He saw that the Internet was beginning to shake up the publishing industry, and so he returned to Cairo in1997with a PhD in hand and a risky, entrepreneurial idea in mind.
Ahmed was convinced that he could create a viable publishing business in Egypt, relying on low cost digital publishing to compete in the global market. With no outside financing, he and his wife founded Hindawi and decided to focus on the STM (Science, Medicine & Technology) niche.
