Connecta
AI Innovation Factory

Connecta · Hall 4 · 8-10 November 2026

Build something with AI before you leave.

Three days, hands on, free with your pass. Join the AI-powered hackathon, take on a real-world challenge, explore robotics, learn from engineers and mentors, and walk out with something you built yourself.

Get your free passThree ways in
Powered byMercatura ForumTradefairs International

Engineering tomorrow's intelligence

A floor for making, not watching.

Most of Cairo ICT shows you what AI can do. The AI Innovation Factory hands you the tools. Sit at a station, follow a short session and build one real thing: a study helper, a customer-reply bot, a small agent that does a task for you. Engineers from Mercatura Forum are on the floor to help.

No coding needed. Bring your curiosity.

3
days on the floor
5
stops to walk
1
pass for all of it
BOT-01, the Factory's robot, typing on a holographic keyboard
Hi, I’m BOT-01.I’ll be at the desk. Bring an idea; I’ll bring the tools.
BOT-01 scanning a holographic model
BOT-01 typing on a holographic keyboard
BOT-01 processing text with AI
BOT-01 training an AI model
BOT-01 using AI to help plants grow

Inside the Factory

Walk the floor.

Five stops, one floor. Scroll, or pick a stop, and BOT-01 shows you round.

Factory desk

Start here.

Show your pass and tell us what you want to make. We point you to a free PC or the next session with open seats. Booked a class? The group leader shows one QR code and we walk everyone to their seats together.

Good to know: Sessions fill up: check the board at the desk for what is on next.

PC stations

Sit down and build.

Every station is set up with the AI tools we teach, so you start building, not installing. Engineers walk the floor: raise a hand when you are stuck.

Good to know: These are shared PCs: never type a password you care about.

Stage sessions

One build, start to finish.

Each session takes one project from a blank screen to a working result. You make the calls: what to build, what good looks like, what to fix. The AI does the typing.

Good to know: The day’s sessions are on the board at the desk and on this page before the show.

Class seating

Bring your whole class.

Schools and universities book a session for a group. Seats are held together, the session is pitched at your students’ level, and the whole group checks in with one QR code.

Good to know: Arrive 15 minutes before your slot. School groups stay with their own teachers.

Startup showcase

Show what you built.

Founders, students and engineers with an AI idea or product apply for a slot to present to the hall. We read every application and confirm your time by email.

Good to know: No fee, and we take no stake in your idea.

The whole floor

Five stops. One pass.

Come in for ten minutes or stay all day. Every stop is open to every pass holder.

Choose your way in

Three days of making

What to expect.

A three-day, hands-on innovation experience for developers, students, entrepreneurs, startups and anyone curious about AI. You do not need to be an AI expert: bring an idea and the ambition to build it.

  • AI-powered hackathonTurn an idea into a working application with conversational AI and next-generation development tools.
  • Robotics and intelligent automationWhere AI meets robotics: intelligent machines, autonomous systems and automation working on real tasks.
  • Real-world innovation challengesPick a challenge and build a solution for it.
    • Fintech
    • Healthcare
    • Gaming
    • Education
    • Cybersecurity
    • Robotics
    • General innovation
  • Expert talks and workshopsIndustry leaders, AI engineers, robotics specialists and founders: talks to learn from, workshops to try it yourself.
  • Hands-on mentorshipExperienced mentors work beside you, from the first idea to a working prototype.
  • Live demos and final pitchesShow what you built: demo it live and pitch it to the innovation community.
  • Networking and collaborationMeet other builders, startups and industry professionals, and find your next teammate.

The detailed agenda, the speakers and the hackathon’s participation guidelines are published on this page soon.

Choose your way in

Three ways in.

  • Walk in

    Take any free PC, or join a session that has open seats. No booking needed: your Connecta pass is all it takes.

    Get your free pass

  • Book for your class

    For schools and universities: seats held together, one QR code at the desk, and a session pitched at your students’ level.

    Book a session

  • Present your idea

    For founders, students and engineers building with AI: apply for a slot on the Factory stage. We read every application.

    Apply to present
14.8%

of Egypt’s working-age people used generative AI in the first quarter of 2026, close to a million more in one quarter.

Microsoft AI Economy Institute, AI Diffusion Report, Q1 2026 (modelled estimate)

30,000

AI specialists to be trained under Egypt’s National AI Strategy 2025-2030. The Factory is a first step anyone can take.

Egypt National AI Strategy 2025-2030, via OECD.AI

AI Innovation Factory 2025

Last year, they built.

  • Packed tiered seating of young people following an AI Factory session, Connecta 2025
  • Wide view of the AI Factory seating area filled with attendees, Connecta 2025
  • Speaker addresses a full audience on the AI Factory tiers, Connecta 2025
  • Participants working together at rows of PCs in the AI hands-on lab, Connecta 2025
  • Busy rows of AI Factory workstations with participants at work, Connecta 2025
  • Smiling attendees enjoying a session on the AI Factory benches, Connecta 2025
  • Participants gather excitedly around a robot car they are building, Connecta 2025
  • Grand Finale finalists and organisers in a group photo, Connecta 2025
  • Participant typing at a workstation during an AI hands-on session, Connecta 2025
  • Developer working at a Connecta-branded PC in the AI Factory, Connecta 2025
  • Presenter demonstrates an AI app live on the big screen, Connecta 2025
  • Robotics session on the Connecta-branded AI Factory stage, Connecta 2025
  • Engineer presenting robots and drones during a robotics talk, Connecta 2025
  • Close-up of hands wiring and screwing together a robot car, Connecta 2025
  • Participant coding on a laptop next to a robot kit, Connecta 2025
  • Finalist pitching at the AI Factory Grand Finale stage, Connecta 2025

The agenda

What is on, day by day.

The agenda is coming soon. Get your free pass now and you will see it here first.

Good to know

Questions

Something else? Ask the Connecta team and we will answer.

Do I need to know how to code?
No, and you do not need to be an AI expert either. Bring an idea and your curiosity: mentors and engineers help you build it. Some workshops go further for people who want it, and the board at the desk shows the level of each one.
How do I take part in the hackathon?
Get your free Connecta pass now. The hackathon’s participation guidelines, with its challenge areas and how to enter, are published on this page soon. Already building something with AI? Apply to present it on the Factory stage.
Can I just turn up?
Yes. Take any free PC or join a session that still has seats. Seats are first come, first served, so check the board when you arrive.
How do class bookings work?
A teacher or group leader fills in one form for the group. We confirm a day and time by email, and the whole group checks in at the desk on that one booking. School groups stay with their own teachers at all times.
Who can present at the startup showcase?
Anyone building with AI: founders, students, engineers and researchers. An idea is welcome, but a working prototype or a live product has a better chance. There is no fee, we take no stake in your idea, and we tell you either way.
What should I bring?
Your pass on your phone, and a charged phone. A laptop is optional. If you want to work on your own project, bring the files, but nothing confidential: these are shared PCs.
Who runs the Factory?
The AI Innovation Factory is powered by Mercatura Forum and Tradefairs International, inside Connecta at Cairo ICT 2026.

Your first build is waiting.

Sunday 8 to Tuesday 10 November 2026, 10:00 to 20:00, daily. Hall 4, Egypt International Exhibition Center (EIEC), New Cairo.

Get your free pass

One pass, every zone