OUR FOUNDER OF THE WEEK- Every Tuesday, Founder of the Week looks at how a successful member of Egypt’s startup community got their big break, asks about their experiences running a business, and gets their advice for budding entrepreneurs. Speaking to us this week is Amr Sameh (LinkedIn), founder and CEO of Ascai & Co.

My name is Amr Sameh, and I am the CEO of Ascai & Co., a collective of enterprises that operate in entertainment, nightlife, food and beverages, and events.While I studied at Girne American University in North Cyprus, my studies had no impact on me — neither personally nor professionally. While education is undeniably important, I believe that you can achieve whatever you set your mind to without a university degree.

Ascai & Co. was born as the last of all my ventures, so I could group them all under one umbrella. My business strategy has revolved around researching and fulfilling client needs — I like identifying what people are looking for, and providing those services for them with top-notch quality. I began in 2018 with Viaggio, a community café. I wanted to give people a comfortable place to hang out after work for a coffee and a chat, to watch matches, or to play board games. A shoe manufacturing factory followed to provide locally made footwear that lived up to global standards.

In 2019, I realized that small- and medium-scale rappers were on the rise in the concert industry. I hosted Russ in the North Coast under my event company, Cvents, with major success. I noticed a shift into electronic music in 2020, and created Ulter in response, hosting MaceoPlex as our launch event. Since then, we have hosted many high-profile artists including ARTBAT, WhoMadeWho, Kevin De Vries, Woo York, Massano, and KAS:ST.

I decided to centralize all my business ventures under one parent company after the creation of Ascai Weddings, a service launched to tailor wedding and engagement party arrangements to the couple’s vision of their special day, leading to the institution of Ascai & Co.

My primary goal was to offer diverse services within the event management and F&B industries — whether that was event organization, wedding planning, concerts, catering, or other amenities that fit the bill. I chose this field because it offers the steepest learning curve — you’re forced to continually develop your problem-solving and communication skills, and work under immense pressure without cracking.

Entering the market was a very long and tough journey, but it was an incredibly rewarding one. When I first started out, the market was full of strong competitors and there was no gap for me to fill. But as I became more familiar with noticing trends, I was able to create pockets for myself and build strong names for each brand. I believe that each branch of Ascai & Co. successfully fills a gap in its own industry, which is why we’re able to go head-to-head with large competitors who have been in the business for years.

I could see Ascai & Co.’s success even at its weakest point. Every time we fell down, we managed to come back bigger and better. We built a prestigious reputation that is recognized on both a local and international scale, and are now being contacted for collaborations outside of Egypt. Within the next five years, I see us showcasing our abilities as an Egyptian company in the European market, hosting premium events and delivering exceptional experiences.

While the current economic challenges are an unfortunate hurdle, I believe that things will get better. We’ve faced difficulties booking international artists due to inflation, which has forced us to increase costs by 50% through ticket prices, which I don’t think is fair to the consumer. But I’m proud to be a part of the reason why so many international artists are interested in performing in Egypt, and will continue to showcase the quality with which we operate, which we aim to be even better than the international standard.

There are three things I’d like to change about the industry. The first is leaving enough space for small competitors to grow. Without competition, there is no market. We learn from each other by challenging one another to compete in quality. Another very important aspect I’d like to change is crowd etiquette. The number of event-goers has been rapidly increasing at a steady pace, and attendees practicing proper crowd etiquette ensures everyone having the best possible experience.

Attendees also need to stop buying into the negative perception of the events industry. I would love for the Egyptian crowd to believe that anything being done in an international event can be done even better in Egypt. They should give themselves the chance to enjoy local events, to support local artists, and to respect local event promoters.

The most challenging part of my job is multitasking. I handle so many projects at the same time, manage so many different relationships, and deliver a number of diverse services to different clients with different interests all at the same time. Sometimes I’ll find myself hosting an event for 3k+ attendees as well as a 600-person wedding on the same day. So it definitely is a challenge, but I love doing what I do and I’m capable of juggling multiple brands at the same time. It is hectic but incredibly rewarding at the same time.

If I could give my younger self a piece of advice, it would be to focus your energy.Working hard and dedicating yourself to your goals are the only way to make the business bigger and better everyday. If you want something to happen, work day and night to make it happen. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

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