Google Bus Looking for Talent in Egypt

Not only did Wael Ghonim help spark a political revolution in Egypt but it appears the former Google employee may have peaked his company's interest in his home country.

A Google branded bus will begin traveling across Egypt this week look looking for the next generation of technology ideas and the thinkers behind them, according to The New York Times.

"We will put someone’s dream through a seven-month crash course that will help turn it into a commercially viable business," Wael Fakharany, Google’s manager in Egypt, told the paper. "We have been working on this concept for nine months. We had signed a contract with the Egyptian government in 2009 to invest in the country’s Internet ecosystem and this is part of that commitment."

The project is called Ebda2, or start in Arabic, and it is part of a larger effort by technology companies to find talent amongst the young, well-educated class in Egypt that played a central role in last spring's uprising that led to the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak.

Ghonim is currently on sabbatical from Google and working on a new book about the Egyptian revolution.

Projects and seminars like Alexandria Startup Weekend, Tahrir2, PlugandPlayEgypt.com and Flat6labs.com have all plugged into Egypt's vibrant youth to try and discover new talent like Google is trying to do.

Google's bus will visit several college campuses across Egypt, including in Cairo and Alexandria.

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