La Plage Factory | La Plage Factory Community Update

✨ La Plage Factory September Community update

Welcome to the September Edition of the La Plage Factory Newsletter!

September at La Plage Factory was a month of vibrant connections, new milestones, and ecosystem growth. As our community continues to expand, we welcomed a record turnout at our monthly meetup, brought together founders, mentors, and partners from across the innovation landscape, and celebrated the achievements that are shaping the future of Tech4Good entrepreneurship in Mauritius and beyond.

From insightful community updates and a powerful Entrepreneur’s Therapy session, to standout pitching rounds and international recognition for our startups, this edition captures the energy and ambition driving La Plage Factory forward. With new mentors joining our ranks, exciting collaborations with Mauritius Telecom, and a renewed focus on capacity building, September set the stage for even greater impact in the months ahead.

Dive in to discover the highlights, meet the changemakers, and find out how you can be part of our journey!

Let’s Meet Up event highlights

September’s Let’s MeetUp was more than just a monthly gathering—it was a true ecosystem event, bringing together nearly 50 participants representing every role in the innovation value chain: founders, mentors, investors, corporates, and ecosystem builders. The atmosphere was charged with energy, collaboration, and a genuine spirit of community.

Michel CORDANI opened the session with the community and ecosystem update, setting the tone for a month focused on integration, innovation, and collective growth. The message was clear: La Plage Factory’s strength lies in its diverse, engaged community and the partnerships like our collaboration with Punch by MCB that drive Tech4Good forward.

Entrepreneur’s Therapy with Jason Delorie

This month’s Entrepreneur’s Therapy session featured Jason DELORIE, Senior Program Manager for Africa at VC4A, and Entrepreneur in Residence at La Plage Factory, who shared a deeply personal and insightful journey through the realities of building a startup in Mauritius.

“Entrepreneur’s Therapy”?

Behind every pitch deck and polished milestone lies a more personal story—one of grit, doubt, resilience, and growth. Entrepreneur’s Therapy is our space to share, learn and honor that journey.

We encourage founders to share authentic insights into the entrepreneurial journey, including challenges such as sleepless nights, complex decision-making, emotional demands, and the often-overlooked small successes. These discussions emphasise that entrepreneurship extends beyond strategy, operations, and funding—it is fundamentally about people, values, and the courage required for difficult decisions.

The Entrepreneur’s Therapy series offers a dedicated platform where founders can openly engage with peers in a supportive environment, utilising storytelling as a powerful means for shared learning and inspiration.

Pitching Session

This month’s pitching session was especially meaningful, as we welcomed two founders who hadn’t pitched in a while—stepping back into the spotlight to share fresh perspectives and renewed ambition. We were also joined by a potential prospect founder, eager to become part of the La Plage Factory founder's community and develop their project.

The session provided a supportive environment for all participants to test their ideas, receive constructive feedback, and build confidence. Our mentor, Alexandre CHIMON, summed up the spirit of the session perfectly: “The pitch session is a safe space to learn, improve, and grow—thanks to the incredible quality of the audience and the richness of their feedback.”

Each round reinforces this dynamic, turning pitching into a collaborative exercise where founders gain practical insights and the entire community contributes to raising the bar.

We were honored to welcome a vibrant mix of new and returning guests, including corporate leaders, ecosystem builders, and innovators whose presence made this meetup truly memorable.

A special mention goes to Isabelle DE MELO, Co-Founder and Lead of Mo Angels, Emilie ROUSSETY board member of La French Tech Mauritius; Jacques HAREL and Jocelyne BORDELAIS from BIRGER whose participation reflect the collaborative spirit that drives our community forward. Thank you to everyone who joined us for bringing your energy, ideas, and commitment to building a stronger innovation ecosystem.

La Plage Factory Monthly Highlights

🔹French Tech Connect Back-to-School Event with ALU

September kicked off with a vibrant French Tech Connect event at the Mauritius Telecom Campus, in collaboration with La French Tech Mauritius, CCI France Maurice, and African Leadership University (ALU).

This “back-to-school” edition brought together founders, corporates, and 25 ALU students on a learning expedition—creating a unique space for networking, knowledge exchange, and cross-border collaboration.

Read more about the event highlights from our recent post here

🔹Mauritius Telecom Startup Package and Mauritius Telecom Focus Groups

In partnership with Mauritius Telecom, we’re co-designing a Startup Package exclusively for NSIS-incubated startups. This initiative aims to provide affordable, high-value tools to help founders bootstrap scale faster.

The package includes Commercial Tools (Internet, phone numbers, accounting, CRM), and Production Tools (Cloud CPU & GPU resources).

To ensure these offers truly meet founders’ needs, we joined two dedicated focus groups at the Telecom Campus in Ebène—one for early-stage startups and another for growth-stage startups—to validate and fine-tune the package. This collaborative approach reflects our commitment to building solutions with, not just for, the ecosystem, and we applaud Mauritius Telecom’s willingness to support startups with cutting-edge technology.

🔹 New Mentors, Stronger Support

Our mentor network keeps growing! This month, we welcomed Sandra FON SING, Jérôme Coupé, and Ajmal SAIFUDEEN to the La Plage Factory family. Their expertise spans strategy, technology, and business growth, and they’ve already started engaging with founders to provide hands-on guidance.

Mentorship is at the heart of what we do—and seeing mentors actively supporting founders in their quest for Growth & Innovation is a powerful reminder of the strength of our community.

Global & Local Highlights

🔹International exposure: Tamil Nadu Startup Summit

Big news for our community! Two of our founders—Hans ZIETSMAN, founder of Kunjani from our Growth & Innovation Pilot cohort, and Breno LE GAL, founder of Crafty from Growth & Innovation Punch cohort—have been selected by the Tamil Nadu Startup organizers facilitated by Mauritius Economic Development Board (EDB) to represent Mauritius at the Tamil Nadu Global Startup Summit 2025 (TNGSS) in India.

The Tamil Nadu Global Startup Summit is one of India’s premier platforms for innovation and entrepreneurship, bringing together startups, investors, corporates, and policymakers from across the globe. Designed to foster cross-border collaboration, showcase cutting-edge solutions, and connect founders with strategic partners and funding opportunities. The summit offers our founders a unique opportunity to gain global exposure to investors and markets beyond Africa, build powerful networks with industry leaders and ecosystem builders, and access learning sessions on scaling, fundraising, and emerging technologies. Most importantly, it’s a chance to position Mauritius as a hub for African innovation on an international stage

We can’t wait to see the connections, insights, and opportunities this experience will unlock for them and for our entire ecosystem.

🔹2025 Afrilabs Annual Gathering

The Afrilabs Annual Gathering—one of Africa’s most influential innovation ecosystem events—takes place from 13th to 15th October in Nairobi, Kenya. This year’s theme, “Africa’s Innovation Future: Policy, Partnerships, and Progress,” reflects a bold vision for the continent’s entrepreneurial landscape.

The gathering will convene startups, hubs, investors, policymakers, and development partners to shape the next decade of innovation. Expect high-level dialogues, capacity-building sessions, and showcases of groundbreaking solutions that align with our own Growth & Innovation mantra: building ecosystems that are collaborative, inclusive, and future-ready.

We celebrate this milestone event as a catalyst for cross-border partnerships and transformative ideas that will continue to inspire our work in Mauritius and beyond.

🔹CareerHub Job Fair

Our community member Emmanuel MAUJEAN, founder of Meet Your Job and part of our Growth & Innovation Pilot cohort, is hosting JobFair 17 this Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th October at L’ Aventure du Sucre, Beau Plan.

This HR-focused event will bring together companies, professionals, and job seekers for networking and recruitment opportunities. We’re proud to see one of our alumni leading an initiative that connects talent with the market and strengthens the employment ecosystem in Mauritius.

Bring Your Bold Idea to Life

Are you building something innovative and driven to make a real difference?

The 2026 Growth & Innovation Programme is designed to support your journey and help you scale your high-impact project.

Applications are now open for the next cohort of 12 Smart Entrepreneurs. This is your chance to take your high-impact project to the next level!

Connect via our website or refer someone amazing.
⏳ Deadline: 30 October

We’re also welcoming outstanding mentors and experts.

Are you ready to share your experience and empower rising founders through guidance and specialised knowledge? Let us know! Your involvement makes a real impact, and we offer flexible levels of commitments to suit your availability.

Join our community of innovators

Are you passionate about innovation and entrepreneurship? Eager to make a difference?

We invite potential founders, mentors, experts, and sponsors to join our vibrant community. Your expertise, guidance, and support can help shape the next generation of smart entrepreneurs and drive meaningful change.

Visit Our Website: Explore more about our initiatives at laplage.io

Join Our Monthly Meet Up: Connect with like-minded individuals at Coworking Port Louis on Friday, October 31st at lunch time.

Do all three!

“Let's build a brighter future together for Mauritius, Africa, and the world!”