Products ‘Made In Egypt’ Showcased at AUC

By: Nesrien Abdelkader

@NesrienAshraf

This year’s ‘Made In Egypt’ bazaar, organized by AUC’s Entrepreneurs’ Society (ES) in collaboration with the Alumni Office, gave over 70 Egyptian startups the opportunity to promote their businesses.

The campus gardens were bustling on October 27 as the community got the chance to purchase a wide variety of handmade and innovative products that ranged from soaps and candles to jewellery and clothing.

“We found out that a lot of students on campus have their own businesses, [even if] it’s a very small thing they started. We thought why not start with these people and try to help them grow and expand because ES is all about startups and innovation,” ES President Mariam Aboul-Seoud told The Caravan.

Aboul-Seoud also mentioned startup success stories including The Doodle Factory and Up-Fuse that previously got exposure from the event.

The Doodle Factory is an Egyptian brand that uses designs made by children to create products, such as clothing and stationary. Up-Fuse produces bags and accessories from recycled materials.

“The event helps [startups] get more reach, get feedback about their products from the AUC community and make some profit,” she said.

Aboul-Seoud also explained that this year the ES is trying to follow the current sustainability trends in AUC by making ‘Made in Egypt’ more eco-friendly. In some cases, reusable tote bags were given to students who made purchases in order to reduce plastic use.

‘Made In Egypt,’ which was first held in 2016, has become an annual event on campus.

Supporting local startups is important to both the ES and the Alumni Office, so the bazaar is one way for businesses to gain exposure among AUCians.

This is the second year the Alumni Office joined forces with ES in order to reach out to Alumni who have chosen the road of entrepreneurship.

Alumni Office Fund Manager Jala El Gammal said that the event targeted all members of the community.

“We had a big number of applicants. It’s even more than last year. We’re trying to have an equal number of people exhibiting from different industries,” she said.

El Gammal said that supporting small businesses is very important and ‘Made in Egypt’ gives those businesses the opportunity to reach a huge number of potential customers in a single day by displaying and selling products in booths.

Officer of AUC Funds and Student Alumni Engagement Marwa Zayed said that their office prioritized alumni and AUC students who were participating by offering them a discount on the rental fee for the booths used by businesses to display their products.

Such initiatives helped Business Entrepreneurship senior Omnia Yehia, founder of the MUUN online fashion store, display her products at this year’s event.

“This is the fourth time we’ve attended ‘Made in Egypt’ in AUC. It’s really helping us to showcase our products because we don’t carry inventory. We are e-commerce, so it’s an online platform,” she said.

Farida Tarek, computer science junior, supported the event because she liked that organizers brought in local businesses and she definitely plans on coming back next year.

Visual Arts junior Sara Saleh initially came to support her sister because she’s an alumna who had her own booth for hair care. However, Saleh enjoyed the variety of products and all the local business.

Startups across the country are also receiving more exposure as natural, locally made products are becoming a big trend. Bazaars featuring local brands and products have been frequently popping up around malls such as Downtown and Point 90.

The World Bank also recently launched a $200 million project to finance small businesses in Egypt.