Morocco’s Impulse Accelerator offering share of $250k to startups from around world

Morrocco’s newly launched zero-equity Impulse Accelerator will offer the top tech startups that pitch at its demo day a share of $250 000 in cash prizes.

The tech accelerator, located in El Kelaa of Sraghna which is about 100km from Marrakesh, was launched last month by University Mohammed VI Polytechnique (UM6P) in partnership with the OCP Group and its subsidiary OCP Africa.

The accelerator’s 12-week programme was designed by global accelerator organisation MassChallenge.

The programme is aimed at startups in the agritech, biotech, mining tech, materials science and nano engineering verticals that have a proof of concept or a minimum viable product (MVP).

Applications for Impulse Accelerator’s 12-week programme close on 1 October

In a statement on its website last month, UM6P said participants of the startup programme stand to benefit from access to financing through a set of national and international investment funds and business angels.

Startups that take part in the programme will also have access to UM6P’s infrastructure and laboratories, study trips to Boston in the US and Lausanne, Switzerland, as well as a 430m² co-working space.

In addition, the startups will also benefit from mentorship and coaching from OCP experts UM6P professors and doctoral students, as well as mentors of the MassChallenge network.

Additional benefits include access to business opportunities via OCP Group, OCP Africa and UM6P networks.

Applications close 1 October

Applications for the accelerator programme opened last week and will close on 1 October.

Startups from around the world are eligible to enter. OCP Group and Mohammed VI Polytechnic University will help successful companies obtain visas for the duration of the programme.

Between now and September, the accelerator will hold an Africa roadshow during which it will hold information sessions in Ethiopia, Ivory Coast and Nigeria.

Thereafter startups selected to join the accelerator will be announced in November, with the accelerator set to start on 15 January.

Impulse Accelerator will hold its US and Switzerland bootcamps in March next year, with a demo day and awards ceremony set to take place in April.

Featured image: milgrullasdeviaje via Pixabay