By ; Wael Elgafary

Students from initiatives run by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) have claimed top rankings at Startup Teen 2026, a national competition for entrepreneurship and technological innovation organized by iSchool EdTech platform.

The event closed with a final ceremony at Elsewedy University of Technology (SUTech), attended by local and international partners, government officials, and leaders in innovation and entrepreneurship.

A team from WE Applied Technology School took first place for the second year running, with Baseeta, an application that facilitates home maintenance and finishing services by connecting customers directly with technicians and suppliers, bringing more transparent pricing and more reliable service to the sector. The winning team hailed from Alexandria, part of a strong showing by WE Schools that saw 79 students submit 19 projects across eight governorates, with two of their teams advancing to the finals.

Third place went to Insyte, a team of students from the Egyptian Language School who competed independently after honing their entrepreneurial skills through MCIT's Digital Egypt Cubs Initiative (DECI). The team took home a EGP 25,000 prize and the bronze trophy.

The competition's final judging panel included experts and specialists from MCIT, the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT), and several specialized companies.

This achievement speaks to the impact of MCIT's initiatives in nurturing young talent, shaping a generation with the technical know-how, creative drive, and entrepreneurial spirit to turn ideas into real solutions and ventures that help power Egypt's digital economy and drive sustainable growth.

Startup Teen is the first student competition in Egypt and the Middle East to combine entrepreneurship with artificial intelligence and applied technology. It targets preparatory and secondary school students aged 13 to 18, with the aim of cultivating a new generation of entrepreneurs capable of using modern tech tools to solve real-world problems. This year's edition drew 102 teams and 430 students from 35 schools across 10 governorates, with 45 teams advancing to the finals.