Plug and Play Morocco Launches its First Acceleration Batch in Partnership with OCP Group and Mohammed VI Polytechnic University

SUNNYVALE, CA, February 1, 2021 – The OCP Group, along with the prestigious academic and research institution, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), partnered with global innovation platform, Plug and Play to launch an Open Innovation Hub in Morocco. This new location will be one of Plug and Play’s first offices in Africa, with a plan to make Morocco the premiere destination of startups in the surrounding regions. Plug and Play Morocco launched its operations earlier this month and its first cohort has an initial focus on Smart Cities.

Over 25 startups were selected to take part in their Selection Day on January 15, 2021. Their partners, OCP Group, UM6P and 1337 School, have voted for the final 18 startups that are currently being accelerated out of StartGate on UM6P’s campus, 50KM away from Marrakech. Have a look at our Selection Day video here.

“StartGate is the largest Startup facility in Morocco. We are lucky to have multiple living labs and experimentation fields present on our campus. We welcome and wish success to Plug and Play startups in this first batch,” said Sarrah Cherif Douezanne, Director of StartGate

“OCP’s Digital Innovation Lab is the catalyst of innovative ideas. Today we are partnering with Plug and Play to accelerate this process by benefiting from their expertise in the sourcing and acceleration of startups,” commented Nawal Slaoui, Digital Innovation and Change Officer at OCP Digital Lab

Plug and Play operates in over 30 cities globally with offices across Asia, Europe, North America, South America, and now, Africa. This partnership will help startups across Morocco and the African continent gain access to Plug and Play’s network of corporations and venture capitalists, giving them support to expand and grow their businesses globally. The OCP Group, UM6P, and Plug and Play will work hand-in-hand with these companies to provide mentorship, pilot opportunities, and potential capital to help their growth.

Plug and Play Morocco kicked off its first acceleration batch out of StartGate, North Africa’s largest startup facility situated on UM6P’s campus in Ben Guerir, Morocco and plans on running two accelerator programs per year. Startups and corporations interested can apply here: https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/join/

About Plug and Play

Plug and Play is a global innovation platform. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we have built accelerator programs, corporate innovation services, and an in-house VC to make technological advancement progress faster than ever before. Since inception in 2006, our programs have expanded worldwide to include a presence in over 30 locations globally, giving startups the necessary resources to succeed in Silicon Valley and beyond. With over 30,000 startups and 500 official corporate partners, we have created the ultimate startup ecosystem in many industries. Companies in our community have raised over $9 billion in funding, with successful portfolio exits including Danger, Dropbox, Lending Club and PayPal. For more information, visit https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/