The first season of Morocco’s “Who will invest in my project? Special Startup” show has come to an end, recording an exceptional audience of over 3 million viewers for each episode. Launched by 2M in partnership with inwi, the 1st Maghrebian techshow dedicated to Startup is the perfect evidence of the commitment of the two partners to highlight the new digital economy and support the growth of Moroccan startups, the two partners said in a press release.

“We are happy with the popularity of the show, both in terms of TV audiences and digital. We have recorded exceptional audiences and this demonstrates the interest shown by the entire population to the entrepreneurial dynamic in our country,” said Salim Cheikh, Managing Director of Soread 2M group, quoted by the press release.

Here Is What You Need To Know

• Since the first Prime, 24 startups representing several regions of Morocco came to defend their projects to convince investors and obtain funds to finance the growth of their startups. These startups cover several fields of activity, namely: agriculture, health, education, commerce, real estate, transport, catering, crafts, textiles, services, energy and security.
• At the end of this first edition, 14 startups raised nearly 10 million dirhams ($1.1m) from Business Angels as well as by way of honorary loans from the Caisse Centrale de Garantie. Particularly, 1 startup was able to secure orders for its products for a total value of 600,000 dirhams.
• In total, 11 Moroccan business angels invested nearly MAD 5 million in participating startups. 
• In addition, 6 prestigious witnesses gave their support to young entrepreneurs, at the end of each episode, namely: Mohamed Horani President of HPS, Rachid Yazami Inventor of the Lithium battery, Amine Zarouk President of APEBI, Hicham Serghini General Director of CCG, Dounia Taarji President of the Hassan II Fund and Hicham El Habti President of UMP6.
• The interactions recorded between these investors and the startups enabled a real feeling of “give-back” to be activated.
• The show had an undeniable impact on young project leaders, with funding, visibility thanks to the strong media coverage, and finally the presence of investors and experienced advisers in their round table.

“Beyond a television program, it is a new model of thought that is taking hold in our country. “Who wants to invest in my project? Special Startup ”is not a competition between entrepreneurs to win a check, but rather a concrete funding opportunity for each startup, with the field support that Business Angels, themselves successful entrepreneurs, have to pass on to them,” said Mehdi Alaoui, CEO and founder of LaStartupFactory, a company which would then proceed to assist successful startups in this edition to implement their projects

“Today, the first season of this techshow is coming to an end, but the program continues through the support of entrepreneurs by LaStartupFactory for the realization of their fundraising and the acceleration of their projects,” he said. 

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• The success of the show “Who will invest in my project? Special Startup” was made possible thanks to the support from several leading national partners, including the Digital Development Agency, the Caisse Centrale de Garantie, LYDEC, HPS, Technopark and even APEBI.
• In the course of the 1st edition, 18 support structures were invited to propose their partner startups and only mature startups having had the approval and recommendation of a member of the ecosystem were able to apply. The startup assessment and selection panel was independent.
• Support for the 24 startups in all phases of the program was provided by LaStartupFactory as an expert actor in the innovation, digital and startup ecosystem. The program was co-produced by Smart Studio in its capacity as audiovisual producer.
• The popular success of the show on TV and on the digital platforms of 2M and inwi testifies to the growing interests that Moroccans have in entrepreneurship and the world of startups.

A Look At “Who wants to invest in my project?” Show

The show’s goal is to provide an opportunity to market your business, gain access to financing and receive mentorship from successful entrepreneurs. It revolves around interactions between candidates and investors, such as the famous American and Japanese programs “Shark Tank” and “Money Tigers”.

In addition to mentoring and access to professional networks of major entrepreneurs, candidates will benefit from investments from the Central Guarantee Fund (CCG), support from the Digital Development Agency (ADD) and the Federation Moroccan Information Technology, Telecommunications and Offshoring (APEBI).

Charles Rapulu Udoh

Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer who has advised startups across Africa on issues such as startup funding (Venture Capital, Debt financing, private equity, angel investing etc), taxation, strategies, etc. He also has special focus on the protection of business or brands’ intellectual property rights ( such as trademark, patent or design) across Africa and other foreign jurisdictions.
He is well versed on issues of ESG (sustainability), media and entertainment law, corporate finance and governance.
He is also an award-winning writer