Launched in April 2021, UM6P Ventures, the venture capital fund of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), is one of the largest financing and support structures for startups in Morocco. This financial vehicle invests in pre-seed (start-up) and seed (launch phase of a first product) startups, specializing in Deeptech (products or services with high added value) and Low-Tech (useful technologies and accessible to all).
In its portfolio of investments, we find startups belonging to sectors such as agriculture, chemistry, green technologies and health technologies. The list includes Atarec, targeting the production of electricity from wave energy, Akorn Technology and De Novo Foodlabs, specializing in agricultural technology, Biotic, dedicated to environmental solutions, and NitroFix, active in chemical technologies. .
A portfolio of 27 projects, including 20 Moroccan startups
“We fulfill an important role which is that of financing startups, but we also ensure the promotion of talents and provide these companies with infrastructure such as R&D and innovation laboratories, as well as the capital to promote their growth.“, affirms Yassine Laghzaoui, general director of UM6P Ventures and director of entrepreneurship and venture capital within UM6P, met by Le360 during Gitex Africa 2024 in Marrakech. “We invest in these startups through tickets of up to 7 million dirhams“, he says.
Read also: Start-ups: UM6P passes the milestone of 500 supported projects
Three years after its birth, the venture capital fund is very proud of its achievements. “Within UM6P, we have incubated more than 800 projects developed by startups. UM6P Ventures has invested in 27 projects, including 20 Moroccan startups and 7 internationally», reveals our interlocutor, specifying that today, Deeptech represents 70% in the investment portfolio, in particular Greentech and Climatetech (technologies centered around energy transition and sustainable development), Chemtech (chemical technologies ) and industry 4.0.
“On the Low-Tech side, we invest in B to B and in digital transformation companies which operate mainly in Morocco, and which offer innovative services.», underlines Yassine Laghzaoui.
Important point: UM6P Ventures does not limit its operations to Moroccan startups. Nuggets from the African continent are also in its sights. “We consider ourselves a pan-African fund. We cannot develop an innovation ecosystem by focusing only on our regional system. This is why investing in pan-African startups, which are solving the continent’s pressing challenges and which can be exported elsewhere, is a priority for us.», Supports our interlocutor.
Broadening the bases in Africa
“We are in the process of identifying startups in sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa, assessing the added value of our fund in the event of investment, as well as the types of support useful to stimulate their growth», he continues.
This year, UM6P plans to invest in 7 new startups, mainly Deeptech, in order to expand its portfolio. “We analyze the ecosystem and evaluate market needs and our ability to support startups every year. Beyond the capital, we also make available to companies the entire infrastructure of UM6P and its network of networking and experts”explains Yassine Laghzaoui.
Read also: UM6P joins forces with Technopark and Glovo to support Moroccan startups
As a reminder, on May 29, UM6P Ventures sealed two new broad-spectrum partnerships. The first, initialed with the Ministry of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform, CDG Invest, Technopark and Glovo, aims to support and accelerate the growth of Moroccan startups. The second, signed with Inwi, provides for the establishment of a support and acceleration program for the projects of the winning startups of the inwiDays Awards competition.
By Elimane Sembène And Mouad Marfouk
06/14/2024 at 8:17 a.m.
