Africa Tech Business Incubator

Welcome to La Plage Factory

The Hub for Startups

We propel impact-driven African tech startups and innovative, growth-driven SMEs.

Welcome to La Plage Factory

La Plage Factory supports impact-driven African tech startups and innovative SMEs, by providing mentorship, business development, and access to funding.

Located at the very heart of the old Port-Louis, our coworking space includes two beautifully preserved colonial houses connected by a large cobblestone courtyard.

We are the perfect address for tech businesses targeting Africa and Europe from Mauritius.

AFRICA TECH BUSINESS INCUBATOR
La Plage Factory

Our Services

Mentoring

We connect you with an experienced entrepreneur who will act as a true partner.

Business Design

Our programmes rely on a proven product-market fit method, to make you investor-ready.

Support Services

We assist you with administrative formalities, so that you can focus on business development.

How We Work

We use a unique entrepreneurial framework to accompany entrepreneurs seeking to bring about positive change within the African continent and beyond. Our goal is to provide a conducive environment for startups and innovative SMEs to grow and to receive support from their infant to their maturity stages, particularly when they are eligible to receive funding from business angels and venture capital. We do this through our incubation programme which is based on two pillars: a proven business design method and quality mentorship.

  • Quality mentorship: Each of our startups is paired with a dedicated and experienced mentor, in a special mentor-entrepreneur partnership to help them in their entrepreneurial journey. Mentors hold weekly mentoring sessions with their assigned startups.

  • Business design method: Our unique business design model is provided through the Vianeo platform, a unique business modelling method and set of tools. Entrepreneurs can check the pillars of their startup and ensure that their solutions have a solid product-market fit, a must-have to generate revenue and run sustainably. Our incubation programme combines workshops, training, focus groups and specifically tailored reviews.

To further augment the startup’s journey, we offer other supporting services, including access to our Coworking space, administration services, access to funding and networking.

The Startup Journey


1) Join our network of changemakers!

We are looking for early-stage and innovative tech businesses with a good idea, coachable and talented founder, and a business model that make sense.

We foster cross-country and inter-cultural startup teams. We incubate international businesses provided a company is incorporated in Mauritius.

We are the perfect address for tech businesses targeting Africa and Europe from Mauritius. Send us a brief summary of your startup project and we will invite you for a pitch meeting.

Our gut tells us this is a good idea with a sensible business model, but before a dollar is spent on a single pixel or code, we will research the industry you're serving, the competition, and other proxy businesses.

The Startup Journey


2) FUND IT, BUILT IT, LAUNCH IT

Now that we have a plan, it's time to build whatever it is we've been talking about for a few weeks. It takes a little money, some help from our partners, advice from our mentors and a high level of engagement from your startup team.

While the designers and developers get started, the founders will be planning the go-to-market strategy, contacting potential customers, collecting beta users, and securing all legal and financial aspects with the support of our team of mentors. Once your web or mobile application is ready, we'll throw a launch party.

This will be an opportunity to showcase and pitch your new startup to beta users, friends and family, and potential investors. You will be coached by "pitch masters" in the venture community to help you get the most from this experience.

Once it's launched, the work is not over, it has only begun!

The Startup Journey


3) ITERATE & GROW YOUR BUSINESS

We are here to see you succeed and that's going to take some time. If your business needs funding to scale quickly, then our team will work diligently to connect you with the local community of business angels and a few venture funds.

If you are building a slow and steady lifestyle startup, then we'll immediately work on customer acquisition, marketing and further product improvements. Either way, you are most welcome to keep your desk for a few months until your business has taken off completely.

Ecosystem

Mauritius has positioned itself as a hub for African Innovation and Investments. The country offers a wide range of regulations and schemes to facilitate the creation and development of innovative businesses, including the National SME Incubation Scheme; a public-private partnership with Accredited Business Incubators.


Meet our partners

As such, La Plage Factory, since its conception, has been dedicated to supporting this mission by contributing to the success of high-quality entrepreneurs and innovators.

We provide them with access to our growing network of professionals, a platform of administrative and capacity building as well as the best experts in each field, while providing a conducive environment for our founders to thrive.

To achieve its goals, La Plage Factory has assembled a strong network of public and private partners within Mauritius, Africa, and the globe, who are championing positive economic, environmental, and social impact.
Ecosystem Stories

Latest News

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La Plage Factory Community Update – October 2024

12 Dec, 2024
With barely two months to go until 2025, our team has been reflecting extensively on what we have achieved this year and the lessons learned along the way. We’re proud to have hosted our s
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Star-tup of the month: Smart Communities, a Tech4Good platform

12 Dec, 2024
About Smart Communities Smart Communities promotes a unified vision for all communities where residents are empowered to make their communities s
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Call for Innovative Projects: join our Growth and Innovation Cohort 2025!

22 Nov, 2024
Are you an entrepreneur with a growth mindset? Do you have an innovative project that you would like to market and scale? If so, you have come to the right place. La Plage Factory, an incubator accre
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Our testimonials

What they’re saying

"La Plage Factory gave us a wealth of knowledge and skills crucial to our company's growth and success."


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Joseph Rutakangwa
Founder, Rwazi.

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"La Plage Factory MD, Michel Cordani, believed in our vision, mentored us, and connected us to investors & networking opportunities."
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Kaushik Rathod
Founder, Yugo.

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"La Plage Factory helped us set up our business, navigate administrative procedures and understand the local business environment."
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Stefan Sakoschek
Founder and CEO, Inspexion.com.

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La Plage Factory was instrumental in my startup launch, connecting me with mentors and fellow entrepreneurs for guidance and support.
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Chiraz Jaafar Maalej
Founder, Pharmaforma.

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La Plage Factory provided the necessary trigger to kickstart my startup by offering both administrative and support services.
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Stephanie Bouloc
Founder, La Dechètèque.

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