Sixteen startups, drawn from Africa, USA, Portugal, Brazil have been selected to partake in Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6)’s Impulse Acceleration Programme in Morocco, Switzerland and the USA
The programme, which begun on January 13, 2020, has three Ghanaian Agritech start-ups, Esoko, SAYeTECH and Trotro Tractor, selected among 350 applications received after the Impulse African roadshow that made a stop in Accra last August.
The programme proposes a wide variety of startups with innovative products and services that have the potential to reinforce OCP Group’s capabilities to contribute to global food security causes.
The second and third bootcamps of the programme are ongoing in Benguerir and Lausanne.
They consist of masterclasses, demo days, a challenge with the coding school 1337, several meetings with corporate and venture capitalists as well as engagement opportunities with OCP Group and its subsidiary OCP Africa.
Commenting on the programme, Adnane Alaoui Soulimani, Impulse Programme Director, explained that the three-month start-up training programme for Agritech, Biotech and Mining Tech startups includes best-in-class business curriculums, value-added mentoring opportunities and intensive connections with ecosystem players in Morocco, Switzerland and the USA.
According to him, the Impulse programme sought to reinforce OCP Group’s innovation capabilities, bring innovative solutions to the smallholder farmers in Africa and, to support the entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystems in Morocco and the rest of the African continent.
Speaking on the benefits of the programme, Dr Daniel Asare Kyei, Chief Executive Officer, Esoko Limited, stated, “Esoko is excited to be selected among top-notch Agritech companies across Africa to participate in the Impulse Acceleration programme. As a company devoted to pioneering innovations in the agricultural value chains, our participation in this highly relevant acceleration programme has opened before us immense opportunities to even bring more innovative digital services to Ghana and Africa’s smallholder farmers.”
On their part, Kamal Yakub from Trotro Tractor, said, “We are excited to be part of the Impulse Accelerator because of their approach. The alignment of their objectives to that of the selected startups makes it easy to find synergy for growth especially at this stage of our journey. The selection of speakers, facilitators and mentors from various sectors with focus on innovation and excellence in business makes it more exciting and fun.”
“At SAYeTECH, we design smart machines for African agriculture focusing on the pain points of the smallholder farmer. The OCP’s Impulse Accelerator is providing us mentorship with a valuable and far-reaching network of investors and collaborators to tap into to develop improved solutions for Africa’s smallholder farmers,” Theodore Ohene-Botchway, Chief Technical Officer of Sayetech stated.
BY TIMES REPORTER
