– Leveraging its recent successful launch of Egypt’s first AirGap Network, Gorilla plans much more
– Egyptian government was Gorilla’s first top-notch kickstart in market
– Gorilla, Thames Freeport to build an innovation hub in Egypt’s new capital
– Gorilla to invest $100m in Egypt under 3–5-year ambitious plan
– Gorilla sees Egypt as ‘potential export zone’ to MENA, Africa, UK, EU markets
– Jay Chandan: Amount, pace of infrastructure development happening in Egypt isn’t like anywhere else in world
– Rajesh Natarajan: Startup culture in Cairo is ‘booming’
Leveraging Gorilla Technology Group’s recent success in creating Egypt’s first AirGap Network and its milestone contract with the Egyptian Ministry of Defence, CEO Jay Chandan and Chief Innovation Officer Rajesh Natarajan share their insights into the Egyptian evolving digital landscape in a recent interview.
Headquartered in London, Gorilla is a global solution provider in security intelligence, network intelligence, business intelligence and IoT technology.
Jay and Rajesh were visiting Egypt for the fourth time in the past 19 months. They said their first visit was in August 2022, when the company secured a coveted project with the Egyptian Ministry of Defence after a rigorous competition.
About working with the Egyptian government, Rajesh Natarajan said it was probably “one of the most exhilarating experiences.” The government officials were very knowledgeable, willing to achieve the impossible or “boil the ocean.”
Jay added that the government officials were intelligent, knew what they wanted, and were willing to lend a helping hand.
Egypt as a regional hub
The Egyptian government was Gorilla’s first steps in the market followed by a lot more initiatives and studies on the market, they added.
“And what was interesting for us was that was not the end. That was the beginning of our journey. Since then, we’ve actually been very heavily involved in a number of other initiatives in Egypt itself.” Jay said. “We found that we had a lot more opportunities to making Egypt a hub.”
Jay outlined a number of reasons behind seeing Egypt as a potential regional hub. The first is the quality and availability of the resources. The second was about the abundance of a rich talent pool in Egypt as Jay said it has a large pool of highly-skilled tech graduates, between 75,000 and 80,000 annually. For the third factor, Jay said the Egyptian government prioritises digitisation, creating a favourable environment for tech companies.
Speaking of the recent announcement of a $100 million allocation to invest in Egypt, Jay said it would be within the next three to five years, “three being the more reasonable assumption.”
“Our aim is to create two important hubs. One is for services, and the other one is for manufacturing.” Jay said, referring to the company’s plans to hire and train local talents and to even deploy them outside of Egypt on projects both in-sourced and outsourced.
For manufacturing, Jay said Gorilla aims to be the “catalyst to get into the broader inner market.” This followed by making “Egypt as a potential export zone to exporting made-in-Egypt hardware components to the Middle East, North Africa market, to the UK, and the broader European markets as well.”
He also mentioned the possibility to even export them to the broader African market, benefiting from trade bloc agreements such as the COMESA, which has 21 member countries to date.
The $270 million landmark project
Speaking of the $270 million project with the Egyptian government, which marks the biggest ever contract Gorilla signed, Rajesh said the partnership marked a significant milestone in the company’s mission to create a secure and connected governance ecosystem.
By integrating cutting-edge technologies such as AI, IoT and data analytics, Rajesh said Gorilla is poised to revolutionise the way governments safeguard their critical assets. Under the collaboration with the Egyptian government, Gorilla is committed to delivering innovative solutions that empower governments to proactively address emerging security challenges. The implementation of these advanced technologies and systems within the smart government security convergence project is aimed at creating a highly secure and interconnected air-gapped environment.
The project that Gorilla is working on is building Egypt’s first Air Gap Network, which is going “to be used to cross-reference and bridge all the governmental facilities into one core network so that people can effectively collaborate, communicate, and share information in such a way that it is protected from leaks.”
Insights into digital transition Egypt
About the comprehensive digital transition Egypt is undergoing, Rajesh stressed the importance of the participation of the private sector in the digitisation process efforts.
“… if the private sector doesn’t start contributing into this mass effort, the rate at which digitisation is going to be adopted is going to be hindered.”
“And interestingly, if you look at the startup culture in Cairo over here, it’s booming over here. In fact, there are incubators in Egypt which have incubated about 200+ projects over here, and of which I think about 15 to 20 of them are actually becoming mainstream at this given point of time.” Rajesh noted.
Egypt’s digital transformation hinges on the participation of the general populace, he stated. Every citizen has a role to play in the digitisation process. Fostering this requires openness and readiness, which the current legislation aims to achieve. While areas like data sovereignty and privacy rights need further refinement, ongoing legislative work addresses these concerns, Rajesh said.
Collaboration with local developers
Gorilla has been actively discussing collaborations with a number of local partners on Egypt’s smart city initiatives, Jay said.
Typically, governments spearhead these projects, laying the groundwork for private sector involvement. The beauty of smart cities goes beyond infrastructure as it is about embracing digitisation and robust connectivity, he noted. There is also the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone) project as Jay visited the Ain Sokhna Port with plans to forge partnerships that fuel smarter cities and ports, driving real-world change.
Smart economy
The recent visit to Egyptian ports in SCZone such as Sukhna and Port Said, revealed a transformative shift as the focus has moved beyond individual port development to a holistic vision of national industrialisation and connection, Jay noted.
This “step change” goes beyond smart cities, aiming for a “smart country” that empowers smart citizens and fosters a thriving smart economy.
“… once you’ve created your smart country, you now created a smart citizen. When you have a smart citizen, you have your smart economy.” Jay asserted.
For his part, Rajesh said: “The future of Egypt has always been bright. Now it’s brighter.”
“… your future generations are going to reap tremendous benefits out of the investments that’s going on right now. I know when we travel around, there’s a lot of construction going on. There’s traffic over here. Things get a little uncomfortable. This is a very small price for us to pay today in such a way that the future generation is better.”
Gorilla: Building with Egyptians
One of Gorilla’s core values is leaving a positive footprint wherever it operates, Rajesh stated. Bringing in international talent wouldn’t contribute significantly to Egypt’s economic growth. That’s why, from the start, Gorilla is focusing on establishing “a very firm base over here and build our company around Egyptians.”
“Our goal has always been, if you’re going to make Egypt a hub, our attitude towards that is it starts with the mantra of make in Egypt, use in Egypt. But we want to make sure that we are following make in Egypt used in Egypt but built by Egyptians.”
For this part, Jay said Gorilla will bring in expats from the perspective of doing knowledge transfer so that it can uplevel local talents.
The Egyptian talent pool is really exciting and diversity is key to developing world-class software, he added. Yet, a global team is needed to come and pool in helping Gorilla build that particular technology. That doesn’t mean neglecting local talent. Partnering with Egyptian organisations and startups will amplify Gorilla’s efforts and vision.
About having an expert team with knowledge of Egyptian culture ahead of designing any mentorship or training, Rajesh said there was extensive research preceding Gorilla’s arrival in Egypt, but the true picture emerged upon with the physical presence. This led to the establishment of Gorilla Egypt, staffed with local industry experts who brought invaluable experience. There is more opportunity for Gorilla to go explore and do better in that particular phase, he added.
For the possibility of discussing the current curriculum being taught in Egyptian universities to help the students have better knowledge of the market needs after graduation, Rajesh said Gorilla had started exploring the different initiatives that are in place. He commended the Information Technology Institute’s (ITI) efforts in this perspective, saying ITI’s focus on analysing market gaps and creating specialised curricula with established companies aligns perfectly with Gorilla’s vision. That’s why Gorilla plans to have collaboration with ITI to create a Gorilla specific curriculum as well. As a technology company, he said Gorilla is committed to work on structuring robust internship programmes that provide students with real-world experience as part of the group’s anticipated innovation hub.
Moreover, Gorilla plans to train 100,000 students as part of its 2030 vision to create an impact, Rajesh added, saying “if you don’t dream big, you can’t achieve it.”
Investing in people
Asked whether the research services Gorilla will provide for students will be financed through loans or grants, Jay said Gorilla believes providing money is not enough. Working closely with entrepreneurs and startups is better and more feasible than just funding them as this will enable everyone to create the minimum viable products (MVPs), eliminating roadblocks in areas like finance, legal, HR, administration, and etc.
“… we will look at it, so not as a grant or a loan, it would be more an investment, okay, into them, because they need to feel valued. Right, when someone is investing into you, they feel respected, they feel liked. Grants are great, you can do a project and you can move on with your life and find something else. We want to actually help them build that MVP.” Jay elaborated.
Once the MVP is built, Gorilla provides pre-seed funding to jumpstart their growth, the CEO added. Then Gorilla leverages its network to bring in additional investors, fostering a robust ecosystem.
Moreover, Jay announced Gorilla’s plans to establish a venture-capital fund (VCF) in Egypt by next year to invest in and support startups and serve as a magnet attracting other investors and contributing to a thriving ecosystem where startups can flourish. Through this fund, Gorilla aims to participate with the entrepreneurs and handhold them on their journey to eventually build a full-fledged business, he noted.
For his part, Rajesh said many entrepreneurs fall into one of two camps; business-focused with limited technical skills or highly technical but lacking in business acumen and here lies Gorilla’s role to bridge the gaps. The company would first assess each entrepreneur’s skillset, then offer them training programmes to cure their weaknesses, and later connect entrepreneurs with technical experts to create well-rounded teams, he added. For this mission, Gorilla Network was created as a comprehensive support system that empowers entrepreneurs to handle the “worldly pressures” like funding, enabling them to focus on what they do best – developing their ideas and leading their ventures.
Bringing a consistent IT strategy for the IT structure from the UK or elsewhere to Egypt would be a mistake, he stated.
“We have to understand the local ethos, we have to understand the general emotions of the local population, and then figure out who are these entrepreneurs and how are they going to mend that?!” Rajesh noted.
“… our first goal was to become a local company by hiring locals so that we get that viewpoint of who these people are. What’s working for them, what’s not working for them.”
Initiatives
Speaking of initiatives to support innovation in Egypt, Jay said Gorilla is working on many. One of them is the knowledge transfer by bringing international expertise to train local talents. This not only upskills the current workforce but also creates a new generation of trainers, he added. Second is about creating a synergy where both international experts and local talent learn from each other.
For this, Gorilla has had talks with Administrative Capital for Urban Development (ACUD) to establish an innovation hub in collaboration with the Thames Freeport.
“We’ve already committed, and we’re going to put that on paper over the next few weeks, to building an innovation hub along with the Thames Freeport.”
“We brought in the Thames Freeport from the UK. And as you know, the Thames Freeport is a partnership of the ports of Tilbury, DP World, Ford, Verizon, and so on and so forth. So, we’re bringing all of their collective knowledge. It’s not just Gorilla. It’s the collective knowledge and putting it onto the land here,” Jay noted.
Diversification, business policies
Gorilla is structured around diversity, valuing people with different backgrounds and perspectives, Rajesh said. As a technology company, Gorilla understands the importance of speed to market. Sometimes, building everything from scratch can delay delivering solutions, he added. That’s why Gorilla fosters collaboration, embraces forming partnerships with other tech companies to accelerate solutions to whether a customer or a country. The true measure of success is not just building a product, but building a solution that truly works for the user, he further explained.
“… we have partnerships with companies like Cisco, with Red Hat, etc., which actually helps us embrace some of those additional diversities as well.”
For his part, Jay said it “means we will have to build an ecosystem of partners who can coexist together, come together.” Creating smart city solutions requires a robust ecosystem of partners, he added. Gorilla works with various entities – government departments, counties, and others – to understand their specific needs and align our offerings accordingly. The biggest challenge for smart cities is defining the digitisation journey and knowing the ultimate goal?
Moreover, Jay said Gorilla prioritises compartmentalisation and early delivery to demonstrate return on investment (ROI) quickly as it will enable the company to course-correct based on user feedback and evolving needs, ensuring the final product remains relevant. That is why Gorilla believes by starting with the end in mind but delivering smaller, value-driven pieces, it can identify and address potential issues early on. This saves time and resources compared to traditional, monolithic project structures, he further explained.
Public-private partnerships
When asked about future plans to whether cooperate with the government or foster partnerships with the private sector, Jay said Gorilla would do both.
He explained that the government plays a crucial role in smart city initiatives. However, significant private sector investment is also essential. That’s why there is a need to “create a coexisting plan” to have both working together more efficiently and actively. The private sector can do more by pumping necessary investments to accelerate development and providing expertise to help the government embrace new technologies faster. Furthermore, the private sector needs to step up and assist the government in laying the ground for a thriving digital economy.
The development euphoria in Egypt’s infrastructure
Jay has commended the amount and pace of infrastructure development in Egypt, describing it as unimaginable anywhere else in the world. He outlined two reasons behind this euphoria, one of them, he said, is that “strategic planning was a baseline for that infrastructure growth.” The second reason, Jay said, is the dedication of the Egyptian people who support the government’s vision.
The future of AI
Asked about the projections for the future of artificial intelligence (AI) worldwide, Middle East, and Egypt, Jay said the AI promises incredible advancements but he believes Egypt is still in the early stages as the priority, right now, should be building strong technological grassroots – secure systems, robust infrastructure, and a thriving ecosystem.
“Whether you’re building smart cities or so on, I wouldn’t focus so much on AI today … let’s get to the grassroots. Let’s build your ecosystem. Let’s build your connectors. Let’s build your technology. Secure your technology. Then we’ll talk about AI as the next level …You’re a growing economy.”
Jay said implementing advanced technologies like AI too soon can lead to challenges, citing Raj’s saying “keep the end in mind, but start small” approach.
For his part, Rajesh said Egypt is well-positioned for AI adoption, but investment is crucial.
“I believe Egypt is probably one step after being on ground, maybe two steps after being on ground … But somebody has to invest and build that.”
Gorilla has been working on AI for nearly 18 years and it believes in the importance of continuous learning and development. Like any developing technology, AI needs nurturing, it is a child. Investment in research and development is essential. “If we do not feed this child today, it’s not going to be ready tomorrow.” Rajesh noted.
“People inputs on that. So, it takes time. It’s a child’s time. The child has to grow. It has to learn. It has to get better.”
AI advances through collaboration, he added, as every user interaction and innovative application contributes to its growth.
“So, seeding thoughts, seeding innovation strategies that adopt it, and seeding innovation strategies that can actually help maximise it.”
