Mohammed VI Polytechnic University has named Farmcrowdy, Nigeria’s first digital agricultural platform which provides farmers with smart farming techniques, among the first cohort of its startup acceleration programme, IMPULSE.
Other selected startups alongside Farmcrowdy are ColdHubs, DataFarm, eProd Solutions, Esoko, FoodLocker, Safi Organics, Moldiag, SATGRIE, SAYeTECH, Strayos, TROTRO, AGROOP, LONO and Social Lender.
IMPULSE, a startup acceleration programme developed by Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Morocco announced the list of startups selected following the call for applications launched last June.
IMPULSE is an international programme developed with the support of OCP Group and its subsidiary, OCP Africa to fulfil three concurrent objectives: to reinforce OCP Group’s innovation capabilities in Agritech, Biotech, Nanotech and Mining Tech, to support the entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem, and to bring solutions to the smallholder farmers in Africa.
Since the programme launch, the application period has been supported by an intensive communication effort online with multiple webinars and in-person meetings, in Morocco and in several Sub-Saharan African countries.
The call for applications ended on October 1, 2019, with over 350 applications received from more than 40 countries.
According to a statement, “these numbers are unprecedented for a programme of this nature and demonstrate a true need to support entrepreneurs in the continent.
“After a careful and robust multi-criterium selection process, the first 16 ranked applications have been selected based on a meritocratic only approach.
“These startups, representing 9 different countries and 3 continents, with strong African representation, propose a wide variety of innovative products and services that have the potential to reinforce OCP Group capabilities in order to better contribute to the global food security cause.
“The acceleration programme will begin on January 15, 2020, and will end on April 8.”
