Plug and Play Morocco opens applications for its third acceleration program to run from March 10th until June 3rd, 2022

MOROCCO, January 4th, 2021 – Over a year ago, Global innovation platform, Plug and Play, joined hands with the OCP Group and the prestigious academic and research institution, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) to bring the Smart Cities Innovation Platform to Ben Guerir. Plug and Play Morocco launched in 2021, since then they have held two acceleration programs in the region as part of a joint vision to make the kingdom a premiere destination for VCs and startups in the surrounding regions. Now wrapping up their second cohort of Moroccan and African startups, Plug and Play Morocco officially opens applications for its third acceleration program to run from March to June 2022.

The ventures team of Plug and Play Morocco will receive, review, and interview candidates for this three months in-person program providing mentorship, resources and tools that support the growth and expansion of startups. Selected startups will benefit from interactive workshops as well as one on one coaching sessions with international experts in a comprehensive number of subjects such as, but not limited to: growth hacking and digital marketing, pricing and revenue models, accounting and legal, go-to-market strategies, early stage investments, storytelling, purposeful narrative and pitch polishing.

“It was a fast forward experience in learning how to build a company. The mentors we had the chance to meet were experienced, they helped us gain a lot of time, avoid a lot of mistakes, and the team at Plug and Play has been very nice and provided the best conditions for us to give our best,” said Youssef Bouyakhf, Founder & CEO of Deepecho (Plug and Play Batch 2).

During this 3 months program, the selected startups are set to take part in 4 weeks of in-person acceleration, during which a series of workshops, networking opportunities and meetings will be catered to their needs. For the remainder of the 3 months, founders and their teams will have access to StartGate, UM6P’s startup campus committed to providing world-class infrastructure and resources to support entrepreneurs launch, prototype and grow their startups, and to an array of living laboratories in the Green City of Ben Guerir, where they will be able to fully test their solutions and take full advantage of networking events that will shape their business journey. Virtual support will also be provided beyond the in-person weeks to allow our experts to follow each team’s progress throughout and after the program.

On March 4th 2022, Plug and Play Morocco will kick off its third acceleration batch, an equity-free program for innovative and forward-thinking startups that will shape the future of Africa, out of StartGate, one of Africa’s largest startup campuses located on UM6P’s campus in Ben Guerir, Morocco. The program will start with a Selection Day, a half-day event during which representatives of the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, OCP Group, and its engaged subsidiaries will meet our selection of candidates from different African countries, carefully selected by Plug and Play Ventures. They will then vote, through a set of metrics provided by Plug and Play, for the startups they judge to be ready for the program.

Plug and Play Morocco is looking for Africa-based startups in the following focus areas: Retail and E-commerce, Mobility and IoT, Health Tech, Agtech, Real Estate and Construction, Supply Chain and Logistics, Waste and Water Management, Fintech, EdTech, Food and Energy. Applications are open and will close on February 20th 2022. Visit our website for more information and to apply for Batch 3.

“The Plug and Play program is different from other programs in the fact that it brings international and well- known mentors to Morocco. It also helps our startups have access to Silicon Valley’s type of investments and at the same time learn from peers within the Plug and Play network around the world,” commented Yassine Rahmi, E-reputation and Digital Marketing at OCP Group.