Call For Startups
OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE
UM6P Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm. It is the investment arm of UM6P whose mission is to develop entrepreneurship and accelerate science innovation for enabling technologies to enter the Moroccan and greater African market.
Interest in Deeptech is global, and Morocco has all the prerequisites to promote excellence of its research. Morocco’s strategic location at the crossroads of Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, coupled with its growing infrastructure, positions it as the entrance to Africa for science and technology. In this light, we at UM6P Ventures aim to be a key player within the African Deeptech landscape and launch a call for applications for Deeptech startups in Morocco and beyond.
Our main objectives are to:
Identify promising startups in Deeptech sectors showing significant potential for early-stage investment.
Accelerate the growth of innovative Deeptech startups within Morocco and the Moroccan Diaspora.
Connect startups with a relevant ecosystem that stakeholders can support their growth and enhance fundraising capabilities.
The main goal of this initiative is to identify and support innovative ventures founded by individuals within the Moroccan Diaspora communities that demonstrate significant potential for growth and technological advancement. UM6P Ventures provides Deeptech Ventures with capital and advanced talent sourcing, subject domain expertise, and the ability to access specialized equipment and infrastructure and additional funding in the subsequent rounds.
Agriculture
Agriculture accounts for an estimated 35% of Africa’s GDP and provides a livelihood for 50% of the population. Recent World Bank data showed that 73 million people in Eastern and Southern Africa face acute food insecurity. The food security crisis has ravaged many African countries. Agri-foodtech’s contribution to agribusiness in Africa is projected to help solve the food security crisis. Increased investments in the agriculture tech sector will pave the way for Africa to record massive growth. Agriculture startups remain instrumental in developing the agribusiness sector.
To support and enhance agriculture innovations, UM6P Ventures is accepting applications from agriculture startups in Morocco and Moroccan diaspora that are using emerging technology and transformative business models to positively redesign the food system as climate change impacts and food insecurity worsen globally and more so in the African continent. At UM6P Ventures, we support and empower agriculture startups to take on the many challenges facing the Morocco and greater African food and agriculture system through investment and support via access to wet lab space, market, expertise, global mentors, community, and investor network. UM6P Ventures accelerates startups in the food and agriculture sector in Morocco and Africa.
Breakthrough technologies include Agricultural Biotechnology, Agrobiotechnology, Agroecology, and AgTech which have the potential to significantly reduce resource consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, offering a more sustainable method for food production in an ever-changing global climate.
Greentech
A major strategic turning point for many firms is to become green and sustainable. In this context, the Greentech Industry is a cornerstone which provides products that potentially reduce environmental impacts caused by the emission of greenhouse gases (such as CO2).
The term “Greentech” usually signifies green technologies and it is advantageous with respect to other sectors such as cleantech, sustainable technology, etc. The need for industries to decrease their carbon footprint by the utilization of Green Tech is crucial in achieving the global goal of net zero CO2 emissions. It is a crucial point for the long-term sustainability of product manufacturing sectors and engaging in initiatives towards a greener future is not only a responsible move for the environment but has practical benefits for businesses in terms of carbon tax reduction and increased appeal to end customers.
The green tech industry has vast potential in terms of growth due to the demand and surging of zero-carbon technologies. Additionally, collaboration between like-minded startups, tech firms, corporations, regulators, and investors are very important to drive meaningful changes to make Green Tech more sustainable.
So far, the Greentech industry is one of the most significant areas of market growth around the world. More startups are seeking green technology options than ever before. Currently $300 billion (1) is available for Green Tech start-ups, signaling a bright future for this industry.
With this regard, UM6P Ventures is sourcing startups in the Greentech sector with a specific focus on green hydrogen and green ammonia technologies, carbon sequestration, and water purification.
Healthtech
As in Africa and around the world, problems with the global healthcare system were amplified during the COVID pandemic. Deficient hospital infrastructure, insufficient healthcare access, inequitable healthcare based on economic and geographical location, antibacterial resistance, widespread and unchecked virus spreading, chemotherapeutical resistance, lack of communication between individual regional healthcare systems, and more are all problems associated with today’s global healthcare system. These are reasons why the global life expectancy is decreasing for the first time in decades.
As just one of many problems highlighting the inadequate global healthcare system includes statistics that every 3 seconds by 2050, one person will die from antibiotic resistant bacteria. Personalized healthcare and technology with AI are destined to change healthcare in the future. Here, we wish to connect global ventures with healthcare corporations to introduce healthcare industry peers to each other and learn best practices.
UM6P Ventures focuses on health technologies in Medical Biotechnology, Medical Devices and Diagnostics, Genomics and Precision Medicine, Healthcare Analytics and AI.
WHAT WE OFFER?
Significant investment tickets between $100k and $500K for pre-seed and seed rounds.
Business expertise, resources, and capabilities to support startup launch and growth.
Access to best-in-class labs and resources through the UM6P community.
Support through our Subject Matter Experts network.
Training and expertise from our network who have commercialized technologies through millions around the world.
Access to markets throughout our partners networks in Morocco, Africa, Europe, and other countries across the world.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?
To assess applications, our sourcing team will refer to the following criteria.
Have at least one co-founder from Morocco or the Moroccan Diaspora.
Have a scalable innovative solution with a clear economic and sustainable impact related to the following Deeptech sectors (Agriculture, Greentech, and Healthtech).
Is at an early stage (pre-seed, seed) (i.e., have a Proof of Concept and have an early adopter’s base).
Minimum viable product (TRL4-TRL6).
WHAT WE EXPECT?
Full time engagement by the founding team.
The team has a solid scientific background and industry knowledge.
Regularly communicate status updates with the UM6P Ventures team.
HOW TO TAKE PART?
Fill out the online application form
Please apply online by May 10th, 2024, via the following link.
Please provide all requested information and documents to ensure your inclusion in the selection process.
Virtual Pitch session
Based on the eligibility criteria presented above, UM6P Ventures will pre-select convincing startups that will be invited to a virtual pitch.
Invitations to the pitch sessions including your time slot will be sent out by May 17th, 2024.
The virtual pitch sessions will be held in May 2024 (May 20th – 31st, 2024).
Any Questions?
For further questions and inquiries regarding the application process, please contact us via email at contact@um6pventures.com