Our Story

I grew up in Egypt. Not fully Egyptian, not fully foreign. Somewhere in between, which honestly is its own kind of world.
My circle was always school friends. The kind of friendships built over years of classrooms, breaks, and after-school chaos. Then everyone graduated and scattered. London, Paris, Amsterdam, Milan. And when you move back to Cairo, something feels off.
The city is the same. The people are the same. But somewhere between time zones and life chapters, the common ground quietly shifts.
That’s when Cairo starts to feel small in the strangest way. You’re surrounded by people you’ve known forever… and somehow, still lonely.
Making new friends here as an adult is genuinely hard. Circles are tight. Everyone already has their people. You go out, but it’s always the same group, the same places, or a party where the music is so loud you can’t hear yourself think,  let alone meet someone new.
And unlike sipping an Aperol Spritz on a terrace in Italy or chatting to a stranger in a pub in England; starting a real conversation with someone new in Cairo isn’t as easy as it should be.
I saw the gap. And I decided to do something about it.

I didn’t start with a strategy or a brand. Just an idea and a gut feeling. Volume one was a leap of faith. I had no idea who would show up, or if anyone even wanted this. The nerves in the room were real… people hovering, not sure where to stand.
But within an hour, conversations had taken over and no one wanted to leave.
Turns out, people were waiting for it.
Many volumes later, Work Afters has become something bigger than me. Something built by the people who kept showing up, bringing friends, and making it what it is.
People come not knowing a soul, and leave making plans for the weekend. Some have become best friends. Some are dating (we don’t take credit for that… but we’re also not not taking credit for it).

An idea. A feeling. And a better way to end the workday.
From work to Work Afters.