A community builder, thought leader and angel investor who supports early stage entrepreneurs to grow and scale their businesses. Nominated as one of the worlds most influential Arabs under 40 Dina El-Mofty has become a prominent figure on the business scene. Her journey is marked by a commitment to education, a passion for supporting startups, and a focus on fostering a holistic approach to well-being, self empowerment and conscious living.
Dina is a perfect example of how we can make a difference and real impact in our communities when we are led by a greater sense of purpose in life. When you are driven by passion and purpose the sky is the limit, and for Dina this was the driving force throughout her career. Along with her partner building an organization for over a decade which fostered various collaborations to spread an entrepreneurial mindset and culture into schools and universities helped impact over a million young people across Egypt. Today she has taken a different turn and is leading the path for wellness advocacy via a new company she co-founded in addition to other initiatives that promote health, wellbeing and conscious living. In this interview, we had the privilege to have a conversation with Dina and get to know more about her journey.
Entrepreneurial Advocacy
Dina’s impact on the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Egypt is substantial, primarily through her role as the founder of INJAZ Egypt, which was one of the first organizations in Egypt that focused on creating a culture of entrepreneurship. According to Dina, the main mission of INJAZ Egypt is to “empower students and equip them with the knowledge and practical skills needed to thrive in todays world.”
At INJAZ, they pioneered global programs in schools and universities fostering skills such as leadership, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, communication, team building and work readiness skills where students would be mentored by professionals from the private sector who would volunteer their time to help instill students with confidence and equip them with the practical skills they would need to excel in their future careers. These initiatives served to empower future young professionals and aspiring entrepreneurs with crucial skills often lacking in the traditional education system
“These programs served to create life long relationships between mentors and students, and foster strong ties between the private sector, schools and universities. This not only gave students a competitive advantage through the experiences they gained, in addition many of these students were still supported by their mentors even after they graduated and started their own careers ” Dina shared.
INJAZ helped impact close to a million young people and helped seed fund close to 100 startups. The emphasis on work readiness and entrepreneurship has empowered a new generation of young people to tap into their ultimate potential and contribute to the business landscape.
Shaping the Startup Ecosystem
Beyond educational initiatives, Dina has actively contributed to shaping Egypt’s startup ecosystem. Serving as a main judge on Egypt’s version of the Shark Tank TV show, she has been a catalyst for promoting and nurturing startups. Her involvement in the show, originally aired as ‘Hona Al Shabab’ and later as ‘Al Forsa,’ has brought attention to promising entrepreneurs, providing them with a platform to showcase their ideas and secure funding.
In addition to her TV presence, Dina showcases her commitment to connecting Egyptian entrepreneurs with global opportunities.
“Our team took great pride in facilitating the launch, acceleration, and seed funding of nearly a hundred successful startup businesses. The program also provided annual exchanges, offering startups invaluable opportunities in Silicon Valley.” Dina added.
Dina El-Mofty mentors many early stage entrepreneurs especially women who are starting their entrepreneurial journey, she coaches them through various aspects of their business and supports them through various challenges they may face also focusing on helping them become better leaders as they grow their team and scale their business. She is also a recognized figure, nominated as one of the world’s most influential young Arabs under 40 by Arabian Business. In 2017, she received the Young Achiever Award and was honored among Egypt’s Top 50 Women in Business, showcasing her impactful contributions and commitment to positive change.
Wellness Advocacy
After a 20 year journey growing and establishing an organization supporting the entrepreneurial ecosystem Dina took a break during the pandemic and shifted her focus to explore a new area of personal passion. Over the years having attended various global programs and retreats on personal growth and development and received training and certifications on various coaching modalities she was ready to explore a new challenge.
“I was always passionate and interested in wellness and personal growth as it helped me tremendously during my life both personally and professionally as there were endless challenges that came with building an organization and managing a team all while growing a family and raising my children. This led me into a new venture called Soulful where we help promote a culture of health and wellness hosting events and festivals in Egypt which aims to help people instill healthier habits and behaviors into their daily lives to equip them with the right mindset to overcome the stresses of daily life.”
Dina is also engaged in a new project called Mystics Travel which hosts wellness and healing travel experiences around the world.
“We are slowly growing a close knit community by hosting exclusive travel experiences at unique locations where people not only get the chance to step out of the hectic routines of their daily lives and take time for themselves and get pampered but also receive various healing techniques and facilitations in the areas of healthy living, nutrition, mindset, yoga meditation, breath work and various other modalities that help to relieve stress, anxiety and burnout. People leave having acquired new practices and a shift in mindset that allows them to create and integrate better habits and behaviors into their daily lives. They also gain new friendships and are held accountable to their new practices by a community of like minded people who are there to support each other.”
Dina’s personal growth journey has equipped her as a leader while simultaneously raising a family and 3 wonderful children, making her a role model for those seeking alignment in their personal and professional lives.
A word for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
When asked to share a piece of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs Dina shared the following: “
First, Look for what excites you the most, seek what drives and motivates you, focusing on that will always lead you to find your passion, and will steer you in the right direction.
Second, work on developing a growth mindset and observe and be aware of how you deal with problems and challenges that come your way. Train your mind to always seek out solutions and focus on that instead of lamenting on the problems as that can lead to a negative spiral causing anxiety and stress. This is something that comes with practice so take the time to develop that sense of awareness.
Third, always be mindful to take care of your own personal health and wellbeing for if you cannot take care of yourself you cannot take care of others. Movement and exercise and nutrition affect the way we think and feel, we must always make it a priority.”
Fourth, seek out a mentor and join a community of like minded peers who can help and support you as you grow and scale your business.
Dina El-Mofty’s journey is a testament to the transformative power of visionary leadership and dedication to positive change. Through her roles in entrepreneurship, education, and wellness advocacy, she has left a solid mark. Driven to help and support people to unlock their full potential and cultivate a holistic approach to well-being, self empowerment and conscious living, Dina continues to inspire as an advocate for fostering an environment where innovation, education, and wellness converge for lasting impact.
