Flat6Labs expands its portfolio into twenty four companies

Flat6Labs is the only member of the Global Accelerator Network Member in Africa or the Arab World.

The fourth cycle of Flat6Labs was the beginning of the accelerator's second year of operations.

During this cycle, Flat6Labs took on 6 new teams and also witnessed several of the previous graduate companies receive funding, launch their products and start operations of their own.

As Flat6Labs continues to improve with each cycle it has improved its training program and expanded the mentor network to approximately 50 different mentors.

Flat6Labs Cycle 3 started on October 8, 2012, when it welcomed 6 new promising teams to start their companies. Cycle 3 is very different than past cycles as it has more companies in the fields of design, filmmaking and storytelling, all using technology in disruptive ways.

In attendance at the Demo Day were the Flat6Labs mentors and staff, governmental representatives, reputed IT figures from the region, press and investors who were keen on witnessing the progress of the cycle's teams. Mr. Ahmed El Alfi, Chairman of Sawari Ventures and Flat6Labs, was the first to take the floor.

"I am very happy with the evolution of Flat6Labs, it is a project that we believe in and are committed to, and is a direct reflection of our belief in and commitment to the youth of the region," said Mr. El Alfi.

Then three graduates of past cycles shared their journey with the audience and showcased the progress they have made since leaving Flat6Labs. The three companies noted that they launched their products, acquired customers, raised funding and are now exploring opportunities to expand outside of the Egyptian market.

Then each of the six teams from Cycle 3 presented their companies. The First to take the floor was, Hussein Al Saqqaf, CEO of GoEjaza, the first Flat6Labs team from outside of Egypt, who presented his social travel platform, which was built to help Arab travelers plan, book and share their trips.

Then came Amr Sobhy, CEO of Pushbots, who presented a cloud service to send and manage push notifications to help mobile developers easily reach customers.

Followed by Ahmed Galal, CEO of Taskty, he presented an online services marketplace where people can find talented individuals and service agencies to finish their daily, short-term tasks.

He was followed by Emad Mutter, CEO of Castpace, who launched a platform designed to connect filmmakers and help them locate and utilize the resources needed to make the production of their projects happen.

Then Mahmoud Ghoz, CEO of Rawy, presented a digital publishing platform for Arabic content with illustrations for mobile and tablets, the company is also publishing their own digital interactive comic strip for Arabic speaking children.

Finally came Kareem El-Shaffei, CEO of CIRQY, who spoke about his platform, a social marketplace for everyday design; connecting individuals producing and seeking design & inspirational products.

Afterwards, Ramez Mohamed, the CEO of Flat6Labs gave closing comments, during which he lauded the teams for all of their outstanding efforts and looked forwards to the fifth cycle, which will begin in February of 2013.

"It's amazing to see how Flat6Labs is helping drive the Egyptian startup scene with the completion of its fourth cycle and graduating 24 companies, that could have never been possible without the help of our partners, mentors and the entrepreneurship community," said Mr. Mohamed.

"By the end of 2013, Flat6Labs is looking forward to doubling the number of companies it accelerates each cycle," he added.