Morocco’s Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) has announced a significant milestone in its contribution to the development of innovative national entrepreneurship. Over the past three years, UM6P’s startup campus, StartGate, has supported over 500 startups from over 15 countries in various stages of their maturity, including pre-incubation, incubation, acceleration, and venture building.

StartGate is currently home to 12 programs that support the launch and development of start-ups, aimed at creating a pipeline of future entrepreneurs by helping young entrepreneurs launch their companies. UM6P’s incubator also offers mature start-ups access to international markets and investment.

The incubation programs offered by UM6P are developed with a multitude of international partners, including prestigious universities such as MIT. The program called “MIT Sandbox” aims to support project holders from five Moroccan universities, both public and private. The MIT-UM6P program provides expertise and mentorship, in addition to funding of up to MAD 250,000 ($28,320), with the goal of helping each startup develop a prototype and find its first customers.

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In addition to supporting startups, StartGate provides support for students with innovative ideas. Through its U-Founders incubation program for students, researchers, and entrepreneurs, lasting from six to 24 months, UM6P has so far supported over 105 startups in 15 different fields.

UM6P has also launched a cluster of four incubating programs called the Moroccan Retail Tech Builder (MRTB). The program is dedicated to startups working in retail and was co-created with the Industry and Trade Ministry and OCP Foundation, covering 40 startups.

The Moroccan university has also partnered with Silicon Valley’s global innovation platform Plug&Play, supporting some of the most promising Moroccan startups and linking them to international investors. In November 2020, UM6P became home to the first office of Plug&Play in Africa.

Moreover, UM6P is leveraging its two investment funds, UM6P Ventures and Bidra, to invest in future unicorns, mainly in the fields of agriculture, water, mining, and energy.

Director of Entrepreneurship & Venturing at UM6P, Yassine Laghzioui, said, “This step marks a turning point in our contribution to the development of innovative national entrepreneurship,” adding that UM6P’s “culture of innovation is rooted in Moroccan youth.”

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The new milestone also demonstrates that “because behind our value creation, there is also a community whose components reflect the spirit of initiative within Moroccan society. 30% of our project leaders are women, and 50% are students. Entrepreneurship is also a powerful lever for socioeconomic empowerment.”

Here are Key Lessons from UM6P’s Case Study:

1. Provision of a range of programs: UM6P’s StartGate offers a variety of programs for startups at different stages of development. By offering pre-incubation, incubation, acceleration, and venture building programs, UM6P is able to support startups from idea to market entry.
   
2. Collaborations with international partners: UM6P has partnered with prestigious universities like MIT and Plug&Play to provide expertise, mentorship, and funding to startups. These collaborations can help to bring global perspectives, networks, and resources to your incubator.
   
3. Focus on specific sectors: UM6P’s Moroccan Retail Tech Builder (MRTB) program is dedicated to startups working in retail, while UM6P Ventures and Bidra invest in fields like agriculture, water, mining, and energy. By focusing on specific sectors, you can provide targeted support to startups and build expertise in these areas.
   
4. Host open innovation events: UM6P has hosted open innovation events for large Moroccan groups, which can help to connect startups with potential customers and partners.

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Charles Rapulu Udoh

Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer, who has several years of experience working in Africa’s burgeoning tech startup industry. He has closed multi-million dollar deals bordering on venture capital, private equity, intellectual property (trademark, patent or design, etc.), mergers and acquisitions, in countries such as in the Delaware, New York, UK, Singapore, British Virgin Islands, South Africa, Nigeria etc. He’s also a corporate governance and cross-border data privacy and tax expert. 
As an award-winning writer and researcher, he is passionate about telling the African startup story, and is one of the continent’s pioneers in this regard