Editor’s note: African-Startups is a sister publication of EU-Startups, bringing trusted coverage of startups, venture capital, and innovation across Africa.
Egyptian digital ecosystem builder GrowthLabs has acquired Startup Gate, a platform connecting founders, investors, and mentors, in a deal approaching $655,681 (35 million Egyptian pounds). The acquisition aims to build MENA’s first unified digital infrastructure for innovation, entrepreneurship, and startups, marking a significant consolidation in the region’s startup landscape.
In a press release, the companies confirmed that the acquisition was orchestrated by M-Empire, which oversees a portfolio of more than 200 technology startups spanning over 30 countries and nearly $40 million in assets under management. The acquisition will see the merger of Startup Gate and Catalyst OS, GrowthLabs’ digital operating system for managing incubators and accelerators under GrowthLabs’ leadership.
The integration creates a unified platform that redefines how startups are discovered and supported by connecting community, data, and execution.
GrowthLabs was founded in 2023 to become the infrastructure behind ecosystem-wide collaboration at scale. It does this by providing integrated technical and advisory solutions to support incubators and institutions in managing innovation programmes. The company has successfully executed over 60 international programs and supported more than 5,000 startups across diverse markets, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Pakistan, and South America.
Islam Mohamed, CEO of GrowthLabs, said, “This acquisition embodies our vision to construct an integrated entrepreneurial infrastructure that yields a profound, far-reaching impact on the broader economy.
“Our objective is to deliver a systematic and sustainable impact through an operating system that nurtures the journey of startups from inception to expansion, ensuring they generate tangible market value. Fostering a transparent and supportive environment for startups is a direct catalyst for job creation, investment stimulation, and accelerating the engine of economic growth.”
Founded in 2025, Startup Gate was originally initiated by Aria Ventures and later spun off after attracting seed funding from M-Empire. It is a leader in building entrepreneurial communities and serves as a central link between stakeholders in the innovation ecosystem.
“What began as a platform connecting founders to opportunities is now expanding into the first fully integrated digital infrastructure for entrepreneurship,” said Emmy Tawfik, Startup Gate’s founder and COO of GrowthLabs Holding. “Together with GrowthLabs and Catalyst OS, we are building a unified infrastructure that supports startups from the earliest stages to investment readiness and sustainable growth. This is not a new direction, it’s the natural scale of what we set out to build. Our ambition is to become a core pillar of entrepreneurship across the region.”
The combined entity aims to become a formidable force in the region. GrowthLabs plans to launch a suite of seven flagship corporate innovation programs and debut the first cross-border regional entrepreneurial community in the MENA region, with an ambitious roadmap targeting five new countries by the end of 2026.
The unified platform will serve a broad range of stakeholders, from angel investors and venture capital firms to governments advancing digital transformation agendas. M-Empire views the deal as a blueprint for eliminating fragmentation across the MENA startup ecosystem.
“We are proud to have orchestrated this integration, which positions GrowthLabs as the definitive engine for innovation in the region,” said Maged Ghoneima, co-founder and Managing Partner of M-Empire.
