doroob: Supporting young entrepreneurs in Egypt’s Agriculture industry

Supporting impact driven entrepreneurs in Egypt’s Agriculture industry

doroob is an integrated support program for empowering future entrepreneurs to develop practical life skills and create social impact. It aims to identify students and recent graduates with innovative ideas that tackle challenges in three economically and socially crucial sectors and support them in building their impact-driven businesses.

The program provides tailored training, dedicated mentoring, network development opportunities, access to workspaces, access to external expertise and technical resources, and direct financial support of 600 Euros/month for each member of the incubator teams so that they are able to dedicate their time, energy and resources to turning their ideas into viable solutions. 

This is the second track of the program that will support idea-stage entrepreneurs in the Agriculture industry.

 We’re looking for 40 innovative ideas across four challenges

1. Lack of data and knowledge sharing — Develop a solution to address the significant need for credible and customizable data that fosters knowledge sharing between the agriculture/agri-tech sector stakeholders. Your idea can adopt innovative solutions such as a centralized data platform, localized knowledge hubs, capacity-building programs, customized advisory services, and technology adoption.
2. Supply chain management — A comprehensive solution is needed to improve supply chain efficiency, reduce losses, and ensure safe and timely crop delivery. Your idea can adopt innovative solutions such as infrastructure upgrades, technology integration, cold chain logistics or market diversification.
3. Agriculture waste management — Explore innovative solutions to manage the agricultural waste produced during farming, harvesting, and shipping, either waste collection, recycling, or utilization strategies.  Your idea can adopt innovative solutions, including bioconversion technologies, organic fertilizer/compost production, waste-to-product innovations, or the use of bioplastics and biodegradable materials.
4. Access to finance and marketing options — Challenging financing and traditional marketing strategies place an enormous burden on agricultural stakeholders, who must independently bear the full cost of cultivation while facing considerable financial risks. Your idea can adopt innovative solutions, including monitoring systems for banks’ loans, microfinance platforms, agri-Fintech solutions, community-based financing models, or online marketing platforms.

Download this document to learn more about the challenges and eligibility criteria.

Find out if doroob is the right program for you

• You are a university student or a recent graduate who is over 18 years old
• You are Egyptian, or you have a valid Egyptian residency
• Your innovative idea tackles one of the four challenges directly or indirectly
• Your innovative idea has the potential for scalability and can benefit from early-stage startup support

In order to promote equity, applicants from underserved groups* as well as applicants whose ideas have the potential to create sustainable social, economic, and/or ecological impact are given additional consideration in the selection process. 

Underserved groups* are defined within the framework of this program as women, people with disabilities, refugees, or people in remote (in reference to the capital city, Cairo) or rural locations in Egypt. 

Download the challenges and eligibility criteria overview.

You can always e-mail us at shc@enpact.org to receive support with your application within 24 hours of your request. Please note that this is the only official support channel for the doroob program and the only way to guarantee a timely response.

Meet doroob's idea competition winners

10 teams of young entrepreneurs started their journey of 3 months of pre-incubation, the second phase of doroob. Get to know them:

Pulpo, led by Alaa Hussein

Pulpo offers an integrated solution for manufacturing paper pulp from Egyptian agricultural waste, suitable for various industries, including paper, tissue, and baby diapers, providing an environmentally friendly alternative at competitive prices, and reducing dependence on imports.

GreenShift, led by Anwar Adss

GreenShift directly addresses the challenge of agriculture waste management by utilizing innovative microbial synthesis technology to transform agricultural waste into polylactic acid (PLA) plastic, fostering a circular economy solution by providing a biodegradable material that can be reintegrated into the environment without causing harm.

ZolaFeed led by Manar Hazaa

ZolaFeed develops a protein-rich strain of Azolla free from harmful heavy metal residues, making it a valuable and safe protein source for livestock feed. This mitigates the impact of the import crisis but also aligns with sustainability goals, fostering resilience in Egypt’s agricultural sector.

Bokaco led by Mohamed Ahmed Hafez

Bokaco produces “bokashi,” a Japanese word that means “fermented organic matter.” Bokashi Compost is odorless and is produced by recycling food waste through anaerobic fermentation with beneficial bacteria and turning it into fertilizer.

CarbON Led by Ezzudeen Eisawi

CarbON produces biochar hydrogel from agricultural waste recycling, complemented by integrating specific ingredients such as insect castings and cactus extracts. The biochar hydrogel is used as a composite that can enhance soil quality, fostering the principles of circular economy and sustainable agriculture.

PouPow by Amr Ramadan

PouPaw designs and implements biogas units by using poultry house waste as a source for methane gas production, covering a house’s energy needs. PouPaw units are suitable for remote, non-administrative areas.

Maize Marvels led by Ghada Ghazy

Maize Marvels creates maize waste-based Lego bricks and eco-friendly toys, reducing plastic reliance and landfill burdens. Maize Mavels also supports job creation in rural areas along with educating children about eco-conscious choices to build a greener future with every playful brick.

Carbonera led by Maha Elattar

Carbonera converts agricultural waste into carbonaceous materials that can be utilized in agriculture, water treatment, biomedical applications, and energy storage, promoting sustainability, and resource efficiency, and contributing to realizing a circle economy.