Sprints: The Egyptian EdTech start-up upskilling youth for in-demand tech roles in the Middle East
Over 54,000 students graduate from university every year in Egypt, and face a job market with an unemployment rate of 7%. According to government officials, a primary challenge facing the employment prospects of Egyptian youth is a skills gap, whereby students are specializing in fields for which there is less demand, such as law and commerce. By contrast, while there is a need for talent in the digital and tech sectors, relatively fewer students are gaining skills in these areas.
In 2019, Ayman Bazaraa and Bassam Sharkawy launched Sprints as an end-to-end solution to support Middle East-based youth advance their careers in technology. Since then, service offerings have expanded to offer upskilling, training, and hiring support for individuals, businesses, and governments. For individuals, Sprints offers ten online training “journeys” in topics such as embedded systems, software testing, AI & data science, cybersecurity, and more. Training programs involve AI-powered simulations of the business environment, enabling students to work on tangible software products and guaranteeing employment following conclusion. Students pay fees only after they are hired and over a period of three years. So far, 86% of Sprints graduates have been hired by over 300 tech employers, including Vodafone, IBM, Siemens, Dell, Huawei, and others.
Sprints also orients services to businesses, with offerings including upskilling their existing workforce with tech skills, and access to the Sprints talent hub through which employers can hire graduates. With government agencies, Sprints offers tailored training programs for youth, government staff, and communities. The company also partners with other education institutions to expand reach and impact; in September, Sprints and educational nonprofit TechQuest STEM Academy announced a partnership to upskill youth across Nigeria and Africa.
By March 2024, Sprints had delivered over 52,000 programs and partnered with the governments of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, in addition to the Netherlands, Germany, the US, and various UN organizations. In 2024, the company was recognized as one of Africa’s top 100 AI companies, one of several awards that it holds, including having been listed in 2022 as one of the MENA region’s top 50 EdTech startups. Having most recently raised a US$3 million bridge round, Sprints is preparing to further expand its services into new markets.
