OPPORTUNITY – THE NEXT SOCIETY launches its Tech Booster programme for research based entrepreneurs
Published on 06 September 2019
How to establish the connection between research and industry? THE NEXT SOCIETY, an open community of public and private actors engaged in innovation and economic development, led by ANIMA Investment Network with the support of 30 partners and co-financed by the European Union, decided to launch the Tech Booster programme to boost technology transfer in the Mediterranean. Tech Booster supports and highlights the success of scientific research-based start-ups in Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia.
The Tech Booster is a tailor-made acceleration programme for research-based entrepreneurs who have developed a technology or research project and wish to commercialise it and transform it into a company. Thanks to a team of experts, mentors and investors, research-based entrepreneurs validate a business model, a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) ready to access the market, an investment and/or client pitch deck, and benefit from the visibility and web presence and the opportunity to benefit from B2B meetings with industry leaders and innovation professionals in their sector. A strong emphasis is on entrepreneurial skills, Intellectual Property (Assessment, Rights and Protection) and go-to market strategy.
After the first sessions in Lebanon in October 2018 and April 2019 in Tunisia, the Tech Booster is officially launched in September 2019 with simultaneous activities in Egypt and Lebanon. The programme offers several opportunities for young researchers from the MENA region: Bootcamps Tech Transfer, coaching, pitching sessions and BtoB meetings with investors, industry leaders and targeted experts during market-oriented meeting days (Innovation 2 Industry). The winners of the Tech Booster 2019 will also have the opportunity to participate in the 2019 edition of Emerging Valley in Marseille and Aix-en-Provence to work on the integration of organic innovation in the construction of the city of tomorrow during the workshop “Leverage on organic innovation to access African markets” bringing together innovators, design offices and operators active in the MENA region and in Africa.
The Tech Booster acceleration program will be implemented in Egypt and Lebanon in September 2019 with national partners from THE NEXT SOCIETY, TIEC, and Berytech. In Morocco, Jordan, Palestine and Tunisia, several activities for research-based entrepreneurs have already been scheduled and will be organised in the near future.
For more information on the Tech Booster: