DIASPORA – Kedge Business School and ANIMA launch BRIDGE AFRICA Provence for entrepreneurs who want to develop on two continents from Marseille

Kedge Business School and ANIMA Investment Network are launching BRIDGE AFRICA Provence, in collaboration with the Aix-Marseille-Provence metropolis, a project development program for entrepreneurs wishing to develop their business between the Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal and France.

Presentation of BRIDGE AFRICA Provence

This program operated between Marseille and the three African countries will accompany entrepreneurs of the African diaspora in France and African entrepreneurs in a common program of internationalization and discovery of the respective markets.

Entrepreneurs’ target: entrepreneurs from the diaspora of the three African countries and African entrepreneurs who wish to establish themselves on the French market.

Maturity of contractors’ projects: products or services for which contractors have validated customer need, which are in process of being finalized (MVP) for which the contractor is seeking the first customers.

Proposed accompaniment:

• Hybrid digital/classroom common core for all entrepreneurs to formalize the business project
• 4 workshops to explore target markets
• Individual coaching sessions by entrepreneurial experts in each of the target countries.
• Targeted meetings with actors of the four ecosystems that can accelerate projects in the targeted countries (company networks, prospects, financing actors, business ecosystems, public support ecosystems).
• Exploratory visit to Marseille.

The system relies on the experts and the network of Kedge Business School incubators in Marseille, Abidjan and Dakar, and ANIMA’s offices in Marseille and Rabat.

The program is operated in partnership with the Metropolis of Aix-Marseille-Provence, which participates in its financing, in particular by supporting the exploratory missions of the entrepreneurs within the framework of the metropolitan approach “Provence Africa Connect” and by proposing a dedicated program of soft-landing in Marseille. Africalink network is also a partner of the initiative and its member companies will participate in the orientation and support of the BRIDGE AFRICA Provence laureates.

The South Provence-Alpes Côte d’Azur Region also supports the program through their partnership with the ANIMA network.

The ambition of the partners is to promote Aix-Marseille-Provence and its region as a crossroads allowing talents from both continents to collaborate in the development of their business projects between Europe and Africa.

Pilot phase: Kedge and ANIMA are recruiting a pilot class of 9 projects for 2023: 6 projects from the diaspora, 3 African projects. Launch of the call for projects on March 27, 2023, closing on April 20, 2023.

Price: Free for Kedge students. 450€ for 6 months of support excluding travel expenses for all other entrepreneurs.Price: Free for Kedge students. 450€ for 6 months of support excluding travel expenses for all other entrepreneurs.

Exploratory Visit Dates:

• Senegal, May 16, 2023
• Morocco and Ivory Coast, to be programmed in partnership with Africalink
• Marseille, November 27-28, 2023

Press contact:
Lauriane Ammouche – lauriane.ammouche@anima.coop
T. 04 96 11 67 68

Contact for applications:
Myriem Ziani – myriem.ziani02@kedgebs.com

À propos de KEDGE Business School

KEDGE Business School is a leading French business school with 4 campuses in France (Paris, Bordeaux, Marseille and Toulon), 4 international campuses (2 in China, Shanghai and Suzhou, and 2 in Africa, Dakar and Abidjan) and 3 associated campuses (Avignon, Bastia and Bayonne).

KEDGE community is made up of 15,000 students (23% of whom are international students), 200 permanent professors (43% of whom are international), 300 international academic partners and 75,000 graduates worldwide. KEDGE offers 38 courses in management and design for students and professionals, and provides tailor-made courses for companies at the national and international levels.

Since 2020, KEDGE has created its own Apprentice Training Center. A member of the Conférence des Grandes Ecoles and accredited by AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA, EESPIG label and Qualiopi certification, KEDGE Business School is an institution recognized by the French State, with targeted programs. KEDGE is ranked by the Financial Times as the 39th best Business School in Europe in 2022 and 42nd in the world for its Executive MBA in 2022.
kedge.edu – @kedgebs – LinkedIn/kedgebs