Mirame Khamis always loved reading and writing stories, especially for children. She wanted to share her passion for Arabic literature with the younger generation, but she faced many challenges in the Egyptian publishing industry. She struggled to find high-quality books that reflected the culture and identity of Egyptian children, and faced difficulties in distributing her books to a wider audience. She decided to create her own publishing company, Asfoura Books, to fill this gap and make Arabic books more accessible and enjoyable for kids.

However, Mirame still needed more capital, more exposure, and more digital tools to grow her brand and expand her market. That is when she heard about Shark Tank Egypt, which she saw as a golden opportunity to showcase her work and secure funding for her company. She applied for the show and faced five Sharks who were ready to grill her on every aspect of her business model, from market size and customer acquisition to revenue streams and growth potential.

While the Sharks were impressed by Mirame’s pitch and praised her creativity and vision seeing a potential to create positive social change, they also pointed out some of the challenges and risks involved in the publishing industry. That is where Vodafone Egypt Business came in with their support for entrepreneurs to grow from the ideation phase to a successful digitally empowered startup and granted her the Golden Ticket. She showed great desire to work with Vodafone Business Egypt to digitise her business and take its performance forward, ultimately enhancing the competitive edge of Asfoura Books

“The Golden Ticket was just what I needed to develop my startup: the consultation, the digital expertise and the wide reach … Vodafone Business helps me in understanding Egyptians’ consumer behaviour” she said.

Mirame’s story is one of other examples of how Vodafone Business Egypt is supporting entrepreneurs by sponsoring Shark Tank Egypt. From this round, Vodafone Business had the opportunity to work closely with three contestants and provide them with digital solutions and consulting services to help them digitise their businesses, improve their performance, and enhance their competitive edge.

Deepened by our aim to inspire other entrepreneurs, we created a Vodafone Egypt Business owned online show “Beyond the Tank” to showcase the human stories behind contestants’ performance and feature successful startups in Egypt.

Being part of the unique platform Shark Tank Egypt, Vodafone Business Egypt is stimulating meaningful dialogues on entrepreneurship across the nation, demystifying the investment and startup journey, by integrating links to the V-Hub Knowledge Centre. This endeavour, rooted in sustainability, fortifies the SME ecosystem and catalyses growth, ultimately contributing to the nation’s vibrant economy.