Maged Harby: Inside Middle East EdTech, Egypt’s Talent Engine and How Localization Decides Startup Success – E650

Maged Harby, General Partner at VMS, joins Jeremy Au to share his journey from publishing to building one of the Middle East’s earliest EdTech venture programs, explain how Egypt and Saudi Arabia differ as innovation ecosystems, and guide founders on how to enter the region with cultural fit and strong partnerships. They discuss how EdTech adoption accelerated during COVID, why parents still steer children toward traditional fields, and how Gen Z is shifting toward entrepreneurship. Their conversation explores the contrast between Egypt’s talent depth and Saudi Arabia’s purchasing power, the need for localization in pricing and UX, and why Middle Eastern markets must be treated as distinct rather than homogeneous. Maged also outlines what he hopes to see next in personalized learning and why teacher training remains the region’s biggest unlock.

00:25 VMS: Corporate Venture studio based in Saudi Arabia and provide several program to help and support startup to grow such as Bridge program that support startups that need to expand their business to Saudi Arabia and other programs

03:00 Parents push traditional paths: Egypt’s university admissions are rigid and most families still guide children toward engineering or medicine.

07:00 EdVentures built from zero: Maged grew EdVentures into a major EdTech incubator and accelerator with more than 90 graduated startups and 23 investments.

14:00 Gen Z shifts to entrepreneurship: Young people are increasingly drawn to building startups and solving real problems instead of following traditional job tracks.

16:00 Localization defines success: Middle Eastern markets differ in pricing, UX, language and regulation which makes adaptation essential for expansion.

19:00 Competition varies by country: FinTech is saturated in Saudi Arabia while EdTech and health tech remain more open in Egypt and the UAE.

27:00 Teacher quality is the bottleneck: Universities must modernize teacher training so classrooms can match Gen Z and Gen Alpha digital habits.

Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/maged-harby-middle-east-playbook

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