Women in Tech Scholarship 2026 in Egypt: Eligibility, Funding & How to Apply

• Last Updated: August 2026
• Deadline: September 13, 2026
• Award: Up to USD 35,000 in equity-free funding for selected grant winners
• Study Level: Not applicable — this is a startup accelerator
• Eligibility: Women-led, tech-enabled startups registered and operating in Egypt, with at least one female co-founder, an MVP and at least one year of operation
• Application: Official Standard Chartered Egypt Women in Tech page with an Apply Now form

Quick Facts

Important Deadline Notice

Deadline: September 13, 2026

Entlaq, the Egypt implementing partner, announced that applications for Women in Tech: Egypt 2026 close on September 13. The Standard Chartered Egypt programme page currently confirms the live application route but does not display the deadline itself, so applicants should rely on the current Entlaq programme announcement for the closing date.

Women in Tech Scholarship 2026 in Egypt: What Is It?

Despite the scholarship-style search term, this opportunity is not a university scholarship. The current Egypt programme is a growth accelerator for women founders running technology-enabled startups in Egypt. It is funded by the Standard Chartered Foundation and delivered in Egypt by Entlaq, with Village Capital involved in the wider programme.

The programme is designed for businesses that already have a working product and operating history. Selected founders receive investment-readiness support, tailored workshops, expert mentorship and access to wider entrepreneurial networks.

The 2026 Egypt cohort is expected to support 12 technology startups, with three winners receiving equity-free grant funding from a combined pool of USD 35,000.

So, a student looking for tuition, accommodation or a university stipend should not treat this as a conventional scholarship.

Who Can Apply?

You may be eligible if:

• Your startup is registered and operating in Egypt.
• Your team is gender-diverse and has at least one female co-founder.
• The business has been operating for at least one year.
• The startup has a Minimum Viable Product (MVP).
• The venture is at seed or pre-Series A stage.
• Your solution is innovative and has potential to scale.
• The technology creates sustainable environmental, social or economic impact.
• You can participate in programme activities and events, including both online and in-person activities.

You are not a suitable applicant if:

• You are applying only as an individual student seeking university tuition support.
• You do not have an operating startup.
• Your business does not have an MVP.
• Your company is not registered and operating in Egypt.
• The business does not use technology as part of its solution.
• Your venture cannot meet the programme’s participation requirements.

Eligibility Table

The official criteria focus on the business, not on academic grades, IELTS, university admission or household income.

What Does the Programme Cover?

The biggest financial benefit is equity-free funding of up to USD 35,000. This is not a USD 35,000 scholarship awarded to every participant; the published 2026 Egypt information describes a collective grant pool for the top grant winners.

Participants also receive practical business support rather than academic funding. Standard Chartered lists tailored workshops, expert support in areas such as business strategy and governance, and opportunities to access its global networks.

Who Should Apply?

This programme is a strong fit for a woman founder who already has a functioning technology-enabled business in Egypt and needs help moving from early traction toward scalable growth.

It makes much less sense for a student with only a business idea, a university applicant seeking tuition funding, or someone who has not yet built an MVP. The one-year operating requirement is an especially important filter.

Required Documents

The official Standard Chartered Egypt programme page does not publish a formal document checklist.

Prepare these business materials before opening the form:

• Company registration information
• Founder and team information
• Clear description of the technology/product
• Evidence of the MVP
• Business traction and growth figures
• Information showing the startup’s social, environmental or economic impact
• Pitch or presentation materials, if requested by the application form

These should be treated as application-preparation materials, not as a confirmed official checklist. The exact submission fields should be checked inside the live application form.

Common mistake: Do not prepare the application like a university scholarship. Your evidence needs to explain the business, product, traction, scalability and impact.

How to Apply

1. Open the official programme page

Go to the Standard Chartered Egypt Women in Tech page and confirm that you are viewing the Egypt programme, not another country’s Women in Tech initiative.

2. Use the current “Apply Now” button

The official Standard Chartered page links its Apply now button to the programme application form.

3. Confirm your business meets the core rules

Before submitting information, check the most important filters: Egypt registration and operation, at least one female co-founder, one year of operation and an MVP.

4. Describe the technology clearly

Explain what your product does, who uses it and why technology is essential to the solution. Avoid vague descriptions such as “we want to transform the industry.”

5. Show that the startup is already moving

Use real traction evidence such as customers, revenue, users, pilots, partnerships or other measurable progress where applicable.

6. Explain scalability

Show how the company can grow beyond its current customer base or location. Connect your growth plan to the programme’s focus on scaling businesses.

7. Demonstrate sustainable impact

The official criteria specifically mention environmental, social or economic impact. Give concrete evidence instead of simply stating that your business is “impact-driven.”

8. Check every application field

Make sure founder names, company details, business stage and contact information are consistent throughout the form.

9. Submit before the deadline

Entlaq’s current programme announcement lists September 13, 2026 as the closing date. Do not assume an earlier general Women in Tech deadline applies to Egypt.

Official Application: Standard Chartered Egypt Women in Tech — Apply Now

How to Write a Strong Application

The official selection criteria tell you exactly where to concentrate your application: innovation, scalability, technology, sustainability and business readiness.

A weak answer says:

“Our startup uses technology to solve an important problem.”

A stronger answer explains the problem, your technology-enabled solution, what customers are already doing with it, the measurable results so far and what you will scale next.

Do not inflate customer numbers or claim impact you cannot prove. Concrete figures are much more useful than broad claims about changing the world.

Common Mistakes

1. Treating it like a university scholarship
There is no published tuition award, GPA requirement or university admission pathway. This is an entrepreneurship accelerator.

2. Applying before the startup meets the one-year rule
The official criteria specify at least one year of operation and an MVP.

3. Ignoring the female co-founder requirement
The team must be gender-diverse and include at least one female co-founder.

4. Describing an idea without a real product
A minimum viable product is part of the published selection criteria.

5. Calling the $35,000 an individual scholarship
The funding is an equity-free grant pool associated with the strongest selected startups, not a guaranteed $35,000 award for every participant.

6. Waiting until the last day
The current announced closing date is September 13, 2026. Submit early enough to fix errors or missing information.

Important Dates

Entlaq’s current announcement describes the 2026 opportunity as a three-month accelerator and gives September 13 as the application closing date.

FAQ

Is the Women in Tech Scholarship 2026 in Egypt a university scholarship?

No. The current programme is a startup accelerator for women founders. It does not function like a university scholarship covering tuition, accommodation or a student living stipend.

Who is eligible for the Women in Tech programme in Egypt?

The official criteria target women-led, technology-enabled startups that are registered and operating in Egypt, have at least one female co-founder, have operated for one year, possess an MVP and demonstrate innovation, scalability and sustainable impact.

How much funding is available?

Standard Chartered states that the programme offers up to USD 35,000 in equity-free funding. The 2026 Egypt announcement reports that three winning startups will receive funding from the combined USD 35,000 pool.

Can university students apply?

Being a university student does not itself make you eligible. The programme evaluates operating startups, including their product, business stage and impact. A student who is also a qualifying founder may be relevant, but the programme is not designed to fund university study.

What GPA do I need?

No GPA is published because this is not an academic scholarship. The eligibility criteria concentrate on startup operation, MVP, innovation, scalability, technology and sustainable impact.

What is the deadline for Egypt in 2026?

The current Entlaq announcement says applications close on September 13, 2026. The Standard Chartered Egypt programme page currently provides the application route but does not display the deadline on the page itself.

Where do I apply?

The verified application entry point is the official Standard Chartered Egypt Women in Tech page. Its current “Apply now” button leads to the programme application form.

Does the programme cover tuition or living costs?

No academic tuition package is published because the programme is an accelerator rather than a study scholarship. The published benefits are business funding, mentorship, workshops, business support and network access.

Final Verdict

The Women in Tech Scholarship 2026 in Egypt is worth considering only if you are a woman founder with an operating, technology-enabled startup in Egypt. The most important eligibility hurdles are the one-year operating history, MVP, Egypt registration and the requirement for at least one female co-founder.

Its main financial attraction is the up to USD 35,000 equity-free grant pool, backed by mentorship, workshops and scaling support. Applications are currently open, and the key action is to complete the official application before September 13, 2026.

For readers actually looking for academic funding in the region, this is the wrong type of opportunity. A separate MENA-focused academic option is the MEPI Tomorrow’s Leaders Program 2026-27, while women pursuing research may also consider the Hillary Rodham Clinton Research Fellowship 2026.

Official Source

• Primary official source: Standard Chartered Egypt — Women in Tech
• Implementing partner: Entlaq supports delivery of Women in Tech: Egypt 2026 and has publicly announced the September 13 application deadline.
• Official contact: Entlaq publishes its Cairo contact details and email on its official contact page.