DIASPORA – DiafrikInvest launches its international acceleration programme for 55 entrepreneurs

On April 29 and 30, in the ultra-modern facilities of The Camp in Aix-en-Provence, 55 entrepreneurs participated in the international Bootcamp organised by ANIMA Investment Network, in partnership with CONECT, Startup Morocco and CJD Senegal, as part of the DiafrikInvest project.

The Bootcamp marked the launch of the new DiafrikInvest acceleration programme, which offers a full 12-month support programme to a selection of entrepreneurs from Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia and the diaspora.

In the inspirational environment of The Camp, in the centre of Provence, the Bootcamp gathered nearly a hundred people, Moroccan, Senegalese, Tunisian and diaspora entrepreneurs, coaches and mentors wishing to contribute to the development of entrepreneurship in their native country.  Many local economic actors (Région Sud, city of Marseille), acceleration programmes and international entrepreneurship and innovation experts were also present (Zebox, Aix-Marseille French Tech, Talent2Africa, P-Factory, Marseille Innovation, Accélérateur M, Provence Promotion, Africalink, AFD, Factory 319, etc.) to maximize the impact of these major networking and capacity building events between South Region, Mediterranean and Africa.

On the two-day agenda are six personalized and concrete coaching sessions with recruitment advice, a review of market strategies by destination and their sales practices, the creation of their business plan and execution plan, as well as preparation for fundraising. Testimonies and keynotes from talented entrepreneurs such as Olivier Renaud (Verdi Ingénierie), Michel Féraud (President and co-founder of Provepharm), and Jonathan Reichental (former CIO of Palo Alto city, California), punctuated these workshops.

The Bootcamp DiafrikInvest, rich in networking opportunities, ended with a pitch session of 15 selected entrepreneurs to present their projects. Here is an overview of the talents of Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia and the diaspora promoted as part of the DiafrikInvest project:

• Noura Moulali, founder of My Big Box, which commercializes customizable gourmet boxes, made of 100% ethical, artisanal and local quality products;
• Nabil Abouzaid, creator of Affinity Consulting, a DMP-based marketing platform for Moroccan and African companies;
• Salla Faye, creator of Sénégalaise de Brique et de Pavé (SBP), a company that manufactures and commercialises bricks and cobblestones, made from recycled plastics;
• Aziz Senni, founder of C Mon Taxi! a training centre dedicated to supporting taxi entrepreneurs in their management and development;
• Samia Ben Abdallah, Founder of Architect with Artisan (AwA), a brand of leather goods and accessories, product of the combination of a wide range of design and creative expertise;
• Maher Chakroun, creator of Optimalogistic, a digital marketplace to match the supply and demand for transport and handling logistics services.  

Explore all the portraits of our selected entrepreneurs (only in French)

See the Bootcamp picture gallery