In 2022, The Near East Foundation (NEF) and its local partner, Emerging Business Factory (EBF), established the Youth Climate Innovation Incubator (YCII) in Marrakech to support innovative, youth-led business solutions to climate change impacts, with an initial emphasis on agribusinesses. This project represents EPSCF’s first investment in Morocco and an expansion of our relationship with NEF.

NEF and EBF have engaged more than 20 public and private sector partners to foster an enabling environment for young entrepreneurs which simultaneously seeks to disproportionately engage young women in green, innovative economic opportunities. Funding from EPSCF enabled the collaborative design and launch of the YCII among several stakeholders, a community of trainers, mentors, and advisors, and recruitment and training of youth-led enterprises. As a testament to the widespread collaboration, additional funding for the YCII was provided by Islamic Relief USA, and the Conseil Regional d’Investissement (CRI), a regional stakeholder in Marrakesh that provided in-kind funding to support project activities.  

In the 12-month project period, YCII reached 85 entrepreneurs from 32 enterprises, almost three times as many individuals as originally planned. NEF and EBF identified and selected entrepreneurs for incubation through hackathons and bootcamps. The hackathon and bootcamp were combined into one efficient event, with two events during the program period. The first event focused on 1) water scarcity, a national priority for King Mohammed VI, and 2) innovative sustainable agriculture practices. The first event was held in-person in October 2022 and the second was virtual in November 2022. The first event occurred over a two-day period while the virtual event was spread over a 14-day period, which allowed entrepreneurs to attend while still managing their other commitments (school, work, family, etc.). The virtual format enabled the participation of individuals outside of Marrakesh, this included coaches from all over Morocco. NEF and EBF found the virtual event to be not only more cost effective, but also reduced logistical challenges like transportation and cost to attend.  

NEF has provided coaching and training to all 32 selected enterprises as part of the incubation phase. This phase includes in-person lectures and training sessions on managerial skills, small group coaching sessions focused on business plans, and networking events. To ensure accessibility, sessions were available digitally and coaching sessions could be held via Google Meet. Interestingly, during the incubation phase fewer entrepreneurs per enterprise participated, though 64% were women. At the end of the incubation phase, a committee will select the top 10 businesses to receive seed grants.

Throughout the project, NEF and EBF staff encouraged entrepreneurs to attend other networking events and job fairs to build their networks, find alternative funding opportunities, and secure clients. Four YCII startups were invited to participate at the ABHT Al Haouz Water Fair to present their solutions and connect with farmers. Their participation fee was waived by the organizers. One enterprise from the Water Show hackathon/bootcamp, Shrimp Green Water (SGW), was selected to participate on the panel. SGW offers an innovative water filter as a solution to the problem of water salinity in agriculture. SGW’s environmentally friendly filters are created from shrimp shelling waste and organic matter, a biofertilizer rich in phosphorus and mineral elements. The product simultaneously filters water for agriculture and enriches the water to increase agricultural yield. YCII networking events have provided this two-female team with funding and relationship-building opportunities that include:

• Connecting with new shrimp waste suppliers

• Acquiring two customers who have asked for annual quotes

• Presenting their innovation at the Agence du Bassin Hydraulique in Al Haouz Water Fair where they met the Moroccan Minister of Equipment and Water;

• Participating in a ‘Network Leadership Summit’ panel, an international event organized by Enactus Morocco and the CRI

• Facilitated by EBF, SGW also was selected by the National Human Development Initiative (INDH) funding program, which aims to improve the economic and social conditions in Morocco, to be eligible for a MAD 100,000 grant

Many of the YCII enterprises are already securing customers, though mostly larger companies who are more risk-tolerant than small farmers and more likely to be early adopters. To reach more rural, marginalized communities, the implementing partners have facilitated meetings, demonstrations, and site visits to introduce the climate resilient innovations to farmers.

Catalyst funding from the EPSCF pilot helped secure additional funding from another donor to continue activities until August 2023. With this co-funding, YCII will continue to deliver business acceleration services for three months to the 10 selected start-ups to grow and professionalize their businesses. This includes advanced training, one-on-one mentoring with experts, marketing support, networking opportunities, and preparing and linking businesses to additional investment/finance. NEF will help entrepreneurs not selected for seed funding to further pursue their business idea by connecting them with alternative funding opportunities and business support, including through NEF’s digital funding platform,Tamwil.