Abdul Latif Jameel Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship
Assistant Professor
American University in Cairo
Ayman Ismail is the Abdul Latif Jameel Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship and assistant professor at The American University in Cairo’s School of Business, as well as the founder and director of the AUC Venture Lab. Ayman is a former research fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Kennedy School of Government in Harvard University.
He received his PhD in international economic development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He also holds a bachelor’s in engineering and an MBA from The American University in Cairo, and a master’s in city planning and geographic information systems from MIT.
Ayman is the co-founder and managing partner o Efnovio, a management and strategy consulting firm operating in the United States and the Middle East. Prior to that, he was a consultant in McKinsey & Company, based in New York, for several years. He has advised senior management in leading Fortune 100 companies, fast-growing startups, government agencies, and nonprofits on key organization, operations and technology issues.
He has also consulted and conducted research for international organizations such as the World Bank, IFC and UNCTAD, as well as multiple U.S.government agencies. Ayman has a broad multidisciplinary experience in entrepreneurship, business strategy, economic development, city planning and technology, based on professional practice and academic research.
In 2012, Ayman was selected as a Young Global Leader (YGL) by the World Economic Forum (WEF). He is a co-founder and member the Board of Directors of Nahdet El-Mahrousa, working with social entrepreneurs and community leaders to address social challenges. He is also an active Endeavor mentor, advising entrepreneurs and their high-growth startup ventures in Egypt. He also sits on the boards of directors/advisors of five fast-growing startups in mobile payments, biotechnology, mobile apps, healthcare insurance and book retailing.