2023 REFLECTIONS

As the year draws to a close, we express gratitude for the formidable moments that have defined our journey throughout the year. It has been a period of substantial growth and learning, marked by both triumphs and challenges that have brought out the best in us. Having walked this journey with us, we are delighted to reflect on and share some of the most memorable moments of our collective journey. 

🌟Meet up highlights

Throughout the year, we have consistently hosted monthly community gatherings, uniting startups, mentors, ecosystem participants, and friends. These gatherings provide a platform for networking, idea-sharing, and community-building. Our inaugural Community meet-up took place in July, and we have maintained a regular schedule, holding meetups every month until our last one in November.

Over time, these gatherings have transitioned from simple networking events with shared food to more structured sessions. Now, community members actively provide valuable feedback to our startups, who are given opportunities to present their pitches. 

🚀La Plage Factory Highlights  

This year, like last year, was filled with a lot of incredible milestones, which we are happy to highlight:

🔹 Our first Tech for Good Challenge took place in January. 

🔹La Plage Factory partnered with ALC Valley to deliver a pre-incubation program-April

🔹 Website revamp and 2022 highlights: we had major revamps on our website—you can now find out more about our partners, FAQ's, 2022 highlights and even testimonies from our startups.

🔹 Our Mentor Frederic WAEBER became a certified Vianeo Expert  

🔹 Our mentor recruitment campaign was successful, and we now have five new mentors to support startups. 

🔹 Hosted the second edition of Techstars Startup Weekend in November.  

🚀Startup Highlights 

🔹 Rwazi was honoured with the 2023 Innovator in Trade award from the LA Chamber and the World Trade Week Southern California Committee. 

🔹 Yugo celebrated its 5th anniversary and initiated an engaging new social media campaign. 

🔹La Plage Factory published compelling articles spotlighting the journeys of startups, including PharmaForma, Knowcations, and La Déchetèque. 

🔹 Inspexion.com achieved remarkable success by doubling monthly sales since January and securing Series A Funding. 

🔹 La Déchetèque established a partnership with the Eclosia Group and is set to open its first physical location in Floréal, Mauritius. Its founder, STEPHANIE BOULOC , received the Women’s Entrepreneurs Award. 

🔹 Knowcations conducted its inaugural focus groups for its knowledge co-creation platform. 

🚀Ecosystem Updates 

🔹 Michel Cordani was re-elected as a board member of the La French Tech Mauritius in March and passed the baton to the new co-presidents, who have reignited the movement and reached 100 members.

🔹 Participated in ecosystem events focusing on early-stage funding such as , Grow by FUNDKISS and Invest night co-orgnanized by Mo Angels and French Tech Mauritius.

🔹 La Plage Factory, represented by Managing Director Michel Cordani, actively participated in the Viva Technology 2023 Conference in Paris in June. 

🔹La Plage Factory played a role in the India-Africa Entrepreneurship and Investment Summit, with our Managing Director representing the organisation at the MRIC roundtable. The summit explored opportunities for collaboration between Indian and African investors and entrepreneurs in cross-border businesses. 

🔹 La Plage Factory hosted Anna Ekeledo , CEO of AfriLabs , for an Ecosystems gathering at our Coworking Port Louis spaces. Check out Afrilabs video here.

🔹La Plage Factory hosted Green Tech pitching event, an hybrid event organized by La French Tech Mauritius that brought together Mauritian startups alongside other startups from the Indian Ocean islands of La Réunion and Mayotte. 

🚀Call for Tech for Good Startups Projects 

Are you an ambitious entrepreneur gearing to turn your innovative idea into a reality? Or perhaps you are a SME looking for avenues to scale up? Look no more; we are looking for founders with a growth mindset to join our next incubation cycle. Follow this link to apply. 

🌐Get in Touch 

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our friends and partners who have stood and journeyed with us throughout the year.

Interested in engaging with La Plage Factory as a startup, partner, sponsor, or mentor? Visit our website at laplage.io or reach out to us at hello@laplage.io.   

Let's build a brighter future for Mauritius, Africa, and the world! 🌍