Hackathon helps accelerate real‑world prototypes and create pathways into Capgemini’s Young Professionals Program
By : Bakinam Khaled
Capgemini organized “Hack the Future of Tourism in Egypt”, a hackathon held during AI Everything Middle East & Africa 2026 Summit and Egypt’s largest AI Event.
Over two days, 24 university students and young graduates formed six multidisciplinary teams to design and prototype AI applications for an end‑to‑end visitor journey to Egypt, from trip planning to on‑site engagement. In line with Capgemini’s commitment to furthering skills development in the region, the top three teams earned enrollment in the Capgemini Egypt Young Professionals Program (YPP), a structured career accelerator with advanced training, mentorship, and exposure to global projects
This hackathon is part of Capgemini’s commitment to developing future‑ready digital talent in Egypt and connecting young innovators to real client challenges through its Global Delivery Center and newly established AI Center of Excellence in Cairo (AI CoE).
“As tourism enters a new era shaped by personalization, immersive digital experiences, and sustainability, there is tremendous potential to harness AI to enhance visitor experiences, preserve our rich heritage, and unlock new economic value” said Eng. Hossam Seifeldin, CEO of Capgemini Egypt. “Through this hackathon, we are empowering young talent to develop practical, scalable solutions with real impact. The Egypt AI Center of Excellence played a pivotal role in initiating, designing, and organizing this entire effort, demonstrating its importance as a national innovation engine. Its leadership ensures that advanced AI capabilities are developed locally and aligned with Egypt’s digital transformation priorities”.
Ahead of the event, participants were hosted at Capgemini premises in Cairo for a Design Thinking Workshop delivered by Capgemini experts. During the workshop they came together to understand user needs, brainstorm ideas, and prototype quickly in a fast, structured, and creative problem‑solving session. Capgemini mentors supported each team during the hackathon with hands‑on guidance as part of the company’s volunteering efforts, helping participants move from concept to working prototypes. Their support ensured teams stayed focused, applied design‑thinking principles effectively, and delivered solutions with real‑world relevance. All prototypes addressed practical use cases such as AI tour guides, itinerary optimization, AR‑led storytelling, predictive demand insights, and real‑time translation, built with data‑driven and human‑centered design approaches.
The competition concluded with three winning teams: Team 1, Misreya from Ain Shams University, secured first place with an AI solution designed to promote the real Egypt beyond stereotypes. Their platform detects biased comments and fraudulent reviews while delivering personalized, trustworthy recommendations to help tourists make informed decisions. Team 2, Proteus from the American University in Cairo, earned second place with an AI‑driven, gamified Red Sea rewards platform focused on diving, marine conservation, and species identification promoting environmental sustainability, marine education, and a points system redeemable with local partners.
Team 3, TUT AI from the German University in Cairo, won third place with an AI‑enabled mobile experience that reveals a monument’s history instantly via a phone camera, offering intelligent recommendations for dining, shopping, and entertainment based on budget, preferences, and verified local experiences curated by trusted insiders. All three teams were selected by a distinguished judging panel comprising experts from the tourism, technology, and education sectors.
