Deloitte Innovation Hub returned to RiseUp Summit 2026 as the Enterprise Innovation Partner, reinforcing its commitment to support Egypt’s entrepreneurs and technology leaders. The three day summit, held at the Grand Egyptian Museum from February 5 to 7, brought together more than 15,000 attendees and 400 global speakers under the theme “The Turning Point.”
For Egypt’s growing startup community, this partnership is more than a sponsorship. It is a practical investment in talent, leadership and enterprise level innovation. By connecting local founders with global expertise, Deloitte Innovation Hub is helping build stronger companies that can compete beyond borders.
This marks the second consecutive year that Deloitte Innovation Hub has joined the summit. After a successful debut in 2025, the Hub returned in 2026 with a larger presence and a broader role. As Enterprise Innovation Partner, it expanded its team on the ground and increased its technical and advisory engagement with founders and innovators.
Throughout the summit, Deloitte Innovation Hub hosted activities at its dedicated lounge, creating space for direct engagement with entrepreneurs, investors and innovators. The program included panel discussions led by senior leaders and interactive masterclasses focused on artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. These sessions were designed to give founders practical knowledge they can apply immediately in their businesses.
The Hub’s participation reflected its wider mission: to nurture Egyptian talent, support startup growth and align local innovation with international enterprise standards. With a rapidly growing team of more than 750 professionals, Deloitte Innovation Hub continues to position Cairo as a base for world class innovation serving regional and global markets.
Bridging Local Talent with Global Standards
A key highlight of the summit was a high impact session by Sulabh Soral, Chief AI Officer and Partner at Deloitte UK. His session, titled “Agentic Reliability as the Basis for Large-Scale Adoption of Agentic AI in the Enterprise,” included a live demonstration and explored where artificial intelligence is heading.
Soral addressed the critical issue of reliability in agentic AI systems and shared best in class solutions through real world client stories. His message was clear: for AI to be adopted at scale in enterprises, trust and reliability must come first. For Egyptian founders building AI driven startups, these insights are directly relevant as they design products for both local and global markets.
Leadership was another major theme during the summit. Ahmed Salem, Chief Operating Officer at Deloitte Innovation Hub, led a fireside chat titled “The Leadership Challenges of Global Operations.” He focused on the realities of managing teams across borders in an environment shaped by remote work and economic uncertainty.
“Leading a team across borders today is no longer just about time zones; it’s about culture, trust, and alignment at scale. In an environment shaped by remote work and economic uncertainty, leadership judgment is the ultimate differentiator. I was excited to explore how leaders create clarity without proximity and accountability without micromanagement,” Salem said.
His remarks reflect a broader shift in how startups in Egypt are growing. Many are now building regional or global operations from day one. The ability to manage distributed teams and maintain strong governance structures is becoming a key success factor.
A Long Term Commitment to Egypt’s Entrepreneurs
For Hani Girgis, CEO and Managing Partner of Deloitte Innovation Hub, the return to the summit is part of a long term strategy.
“Being part of RiseUp Summit for the second consecutive year is a true reflection of Deloitte Innovation Hub’s dedication to empowering Egypt’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Last year’s summit offered us invaluable interactions with ambitious young innovators, shaping the way we support and engage with local talent today. This year, we came back with renewed energy and focus, connecting homegrown ingenuity with global expertise. It’s a privilege to witness firsthand how local ambition, when paired with international standards, can spark meaningful regional impact,” Girgis said.
His comments underline how the Hub is building continuity rather than one time engagement. In 2025, Deloitte Innovation Hub made an impact through keynote speeches, workshops and direct mentorship sessions with hundreds of young founders. In 2026, the role expanded further with more talent, deeper technical engagement and stronger advisory support.
This continuity matters. Egypt’s startup ecosystem is evolving quickly, but sustained mentorship and enterprise level guidance are critical to help founders scale responsibly. By maintaining a strong presence at RiseUp and investing in long term relationships, Deloitte Innovation Hub is helping ensure that innovation from Cairo can meet global expectations.
RiseUp Summit 2026 served as a strategic platform for this engagement. Under the theme “The Turning Point,” the event highlighted the moment many startups face when moving from early growth to sustainable scale. For Deloitte Innovation Hub, being at the center of that conversation allows it to engage directly with founders shaping Egypt’s digital future.
As the Hub continues to grow its team beyond 750 professionals, it is also reinforcing a larger message: world class innovation can be built in Egypt and exported to the world. Through partnerships like RiseUp Summit, Egyptian entrepreneurs are gaining not only exposure but also access to the mentorship, knowledge and enterprise standards required to turn ambition into measurable impact.
