I Wrote/ Sama Mohamed
Shell Egypt, in collaboration with the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, hosted the Youth Impact Ceremony on the second day of EGYPES 2026, bringing together student innovators, entrepreneurs, and industry stakeholders to mark a key moment in the event’s young professional agenda.
The ceremony highlighted the outcomes of Shell’s flagship social investment programmes, with a focus on practical solutions developed by young people across Egypt, as well as ventures emerging from early-stage entrepreneurship pipelines.
At the centre of the ceremony was the NXplorers competition, held for the third consecutive year as part of EGYPES’ young professional features.
This year’s edition brought together 14 teams and more than 100 participants representing universities from across different Egyptian cities, reflecting the programme’s growing reach and the increasing engagement of students in tackling complex challenges through structured innovation.
The competition concluded with three winning teams presenting solutions developed through systems thinking methodologies.
The Green Vision and Impact Makers teams were awarded third place, followed by the SOIL team in second place. First place was awarded to the Will Power team for their project addressing the growing challenge of online gaming addiction among children.
Speaking during the ceremony, Dalia El Gabry, Vice President and Country Chair of Shell Egypt, said: “Developing talent starts with giving people the tools to think differently and the space to apply those skills to real challenges.
Through NXplorers, Intilaaqah, and Shell Eco-marathon, we are seeing that translate into practical ideas, working business models, and strong technical performance. These programmes are built to create that progression—from learning, to application, to impact.”
In parallel, the ceremony also featured the outcomes of the Shell Intilaaqah Egypt pitch day, where a group of selected startups presented their business concepts to a panel of experts and industry representatives. The winning startups were announced during the event, highlighting ventures that demonstrate clear pathways to growth and relevance to Egypt’s evolving economic landscape.
The winners of this Intilaaqah programme cycle were Riadi, which secured first place, followed by Bookit in second place. Herbanol and Carbonera were jointly awarded third place, reflecting the strength and diversity of emerging entrepreneurial solutions supported through the programme.
Riadi, a sports-tech startup, is focused on digitizing and enhancing access to sports services, enabling users to connect more easily with facilities, coaches, and training opportunities. Bookit offers an intelligent booking platform designed to streamline reservations and improve user experience across service-based industries.
While Herbanol is an agri-tech venture transforming agricultural waste into value-added, sustainable products, contributing to circular economy solutions. Carbonera, a sustainable materials startup, is developing environmentally friendly alternatives derived from natural resources, supporting more sustainable production practices.
The event also recognized three Egyptian university teams that participated in this year’s Shell Eco-marathon global competition in Doha, Qatar, acknowledging their engineering performance and continued progress in energy-efficient mobility solutions.
Among the standout performers, Menoufia University was awarded 2nd Place in the Data and Telemetry Award, highlighting excellence in performance monitoring and analytics and Cairo University achieved 4th place in the Urban Concept (ICE – gasoline) category and successfully completed the first valid electric Prototype run since 2019, ranking as the top-performing Egyptian team in terms of successful runs.
Meanwhile, Helwan University secured 6th place in the ICE Urban Concept category and 15th place in the Battery Electric Prototype category, demonstrating strong multi-category participation.
Their participation reflects sustained interest from Egyptian universities in applied engineering challenges and international competition platforms.
The Youth Impact Ceremony forms part of Shell Egypt’s broader approach to capability building, with programmes designed to equip young people with the skills to engage with real-world challenges, whether through innovation, entrepreneurship, or engineering.
By bringing together students, startups, and industry stakeholders within the context of EGYPES, the ceremony connects early-stage ideas with the wider energy ecosystem, creating visibility for emerging talent and practical solutions developed locally.
Shell Egypt’s participation in EGYPES 2026 continues to bring together its work across energy delivery and talent development, with a focus on how both evolve in parallel.
