Hype: The Egyptian AI Hangout App Built by Users

In the first installment of Startup Spotlight, a new series highlighting emerging startups reshaping the region’s entrepreneurial landscape, the focus falls on Hype, an AI-powered app for real-world hangouts founded by Cairo-born entrepreneur Ammar Montaser.
For more than a decade, Egypt’s tech scene has been defined by its fintech, logistics and healthtech champions. Today, however, a new generation of founders is charting a different path: creating consumer products designed from the ground up to meet the realities of local users. Hype is among the clearest examples of this evolution. Since its debut at RiseUp Summit, the app has been downloaded more than 2,000 times in Egypt, with users from over 35 nationalities registering - even though it remains operational only in Cairo. For investors, those early numbers point to promising product-market fit and a blueprint for expansion into other emerging markets.

Montaser built Hype not in isolation, instead embedding the community into every step of the process. “I built Hype from cafés and co-working spaces, talking to people every single day,” Montaser recalls. “More than 5,000 gave me feedback, many became friends, and they shaped Hype’s evolution. It wasn’t just about building an app - it was about proving that Cairo can create products born from its own community, with the potential to scale anywhere.”

This grassroots process reflects a wider trend across MENA, where founders are no longer content to borrow from Silicon Valley. Instead, they are creating platforms rooted in lived realities while still designed to scale globally. At its core, Hype addresses one of modern life’s paradoxes: people are more digitally connected than ever, yet lonelier than ever. Using AI, the app makes casual, everyday hangouts effortless, whether that means grabbing coffee, exploring new food spots, or meeting a potential co-founder.

Montaser also recognised a missed business opportunity that extended beyond users themselves. “Even the best venues lose millions daily because there’s almost no use of data to improve experiences, loyalty programs are weak and feedback rarely reaches decision-makers,” he explains. With its soon-to-launch Hype Wallet, the platform goes beyond social value to give venues and brands a data-driven loyalty and engagement tool, positioning itself at the intersection of community and commerce.

Antler’s decision to back Hype marks more than validation for the founder; it signals a shift in how global investors view Egypt’s ecosystem. Antler is known for its rigorous standards and preference for seasoned entrepreneurs with prior exits, which made Montaser’s acceptance into the program all the more remarkable. “One question that always came up was about my age - how could I convince people without 15-plus years of experience or a prior exit?” Montaser says. “It was intimidating at first, but I leaned on what I do have: speed, resilience and proof of execution. For me, it’s not about years in the industry, it’s about results and vision. I think my work resonated.”

Hype’s trajectory underscores Cairo’s emergence as more than just a local launchpad. By rooting itself in everyday consumer behavior and securing validation from one of the world’s toughest VC programs, it demonstrates that MENA-born ideas don’t need to be replicas - they can be originals with global scale. With early traction, a hybrid B2C–B2B model, and international recognition, Hype represents both a turning point for Egypt’s social-tech scene and a signal to global investors: Cairo is ready to produce innovation that competes on the world stage.