Welcome to the April Edition of the La Plage Factory Newsletter!
April was a month of renewed energy for La Plage Factory and our community. Following the successful Growth & Innovation (G&I) event and our deepening cooperation with French Tech, we’re riding a strong wave of collaboration and strategic alignment.
This momentum reaffirms our role as an active ecosystem player — not just creating space for smart entrepreneurs, but building the structures and partnerships to help them thrive. With June’s national budget around the corner, we're hopeful and ready. We continue to advocate for innovation-friendly policies and support mechanisms for startups and changemakers.
In this edition, we’re bringing you a special recap of our Let’s Meet Up event featuring standout guests and a dynamic pitching session, Highlights from our startups’ live showcase during National Research Week, Big news on ecosystem partnerships and project approvals, And a look ahead at key forums and collaborations on the horizon.
Settle in for some exciting updates and inspiring stories from the heart of the Mauritian innovation ecosystem.
Happy Reading!
Let’s Meet up highlights – Special Edition with La French Tech Mauritius
April’s Let’s Meet Up was a vibrant moment for reflection, connection, and projection with a dynamic mix of core community members, partners, and new faces.
The meetup kicked off with welcoming remarks from our managing director, Michel CORDANI, who reminded us why we gather monthly: to bring talented, like-minded people together and grow Mauritius' innovation capacity.
This edition was a Special Edition as it coincided with Mauritius–France Business Forum, with innovation being top on the agenda. Held in collaboration with La French Tech Mauritius, the meetup reflected our shared commitment to strengthening regional innovation ecosystems and fostering cross-border opportunities for startups and changemakers across the region. A special thank you to Sandra Leblé co-president, and board members Stéphanie Bouloc and Emilie Roussety for their active support and continued collaboration.
To mark the occasion, we were thrilled to welcome several special guests and new community members who made the trip to coworking to join us.
Special thanks to our guests, including: Aldo Acking Micro Entreprises Coordinator at MCB Group Business Banking who is helping us co-create and deliver content for the Funding Module of our Growth and Innovation program; Ajmal Saifudeen tech advisor and startup mentor from Enterprise Architects Ltd; Nicolas Desvaux de Marigny specialist in International Growth Strategy & Operations; Samuel Durand from Orange Business; Gaelle Tierz Senior Manager at Accenture with over 17 years of global IT and consulting experience, Ashween Bunwaree an expert coach; Franky Chitson; Gilbert Grant who supports expats and foreign professionals in Mauritius; and Vishwanee Gooriah — among others. You brought perspective, energy, and generosity to the conversation.
Pitching Session
Following rich conversations and networking, we dove into a fast-paced 1-minute elevator pitching session, led with great energy and structure by our new mentor Patricia Louvert. Each startup had just one minute to pitch their project — a focused practice round designed to sharpen delivery and storytelling.
The session proved both intense and insightful. Our guests and mentors were incredibly generous with constructive, high-quality feedback, offering strategic advice and fresh perspectives that truly benefited our Smart Entrepreneurs. We were thrilled to have such engaged contributors in the room, and their presence made the exchange dynamic, practical, and inspiring.
From bold product visions to impact-led business models, this session reaffirmed the value of bringing together entrepreneurs and ecosystem enablers in open dialogue.
La Plage Factory Monthly Highlights
Startup showcase from Research Week
We have startup showcase at the NSIS National Research week organized by MRIC on 18 April a communicated in this article where six startups from our programs showcased their projects live on MBC.
These startups were selected for their ability to address key challenges across education, sustainability, food systems, and digital transformation. Each one a being a role model of innovation-in-action, showing how solid execution can turn bold ideas into impactful local solutions.
The featured startups included:
????Kunjani - An AI-assisted, gamified learning playground for dynamic team via Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, and in-person. It stands out for blending behavioral science with enterprise learning.
????Knowcations - A pioneering applied research venture, possibly the first NSIS-patented startup, tackling knowledge management for grassroots collaboration.
????Simply Good Food - A bootstrapped, health-focused food delivery platform. With zero external funding.
????Dodobird.ai - A deep tech venture using AI to power personalized retail engagement. Founder Thierry Lincoln, a Stanford-trained scientist, also delivered a compelling TED-style talk on the transformative role of AI in education.
????DigitalGo - A digital adtech startup simplifying online advertising for SMEs while helping content creators monetise. It’s inclusive tech with local relevance and reach.
????La Déchetèque - Mauritius’ first circular economy platform for second-hand construction materials. Their “Kase Ranze” model is bridging sustainability with scalable reuse for individuals and businesses alike.
This showcase was more than a presentation; it was a powerful affirmation of Mauritius’ innovation capacity and the rising force of our startup ecosystem.
Holberton School: Silicon Valley's Developer School expands in Mauritius
We’re proud to share that Holberton School, a Silicon Valley-born coding institution and one of our alumni success stories, is officially launching its Mauritius campus in this May.
Spearheaded by our entrepreneurs and mentors Frédéric Waeber, Patricia Louvet Fuster, and Cyril Quintyn, the school brings a project-based, industry-aligned approach to tech education, with ties to Google, IBM, and Tesla.
This is more than just a school, Holberton aims to energize the digital economy through partnerships, meetups, and hackathons. We can’t wait to see the first cohort take flight; this could be a game changer for the region’s digital future. Check this post for more.
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La Plage Factory highlights
We’re thrilled to share some major progress for the Punch cohort, our newly onboarded startups from the Growth & Innovation program launched in March.
All 13 projects submitted for funding under the MRIC’s NSIS scheme have officially been approved by the Steering Committee — a huge milestone and strong endorsement of the quality and ambition within this cohort. Since the program kick-off, our entrepreneurs have dived into their first learning module on Business Design and already completed two hands-on workshops, setting the tone for a high-impact journey ahead.
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Data Visualization session by Felipe Rego
We also want to highlight the growing support from MCB in empowering entrepreneurs “beyond banking.” Their commitment was clearly demonstrated when they organized a session on Data Visualization led by Felipe Rego, a leading expert in AI, data science, and storytelling. This hands-on workshop was part of the Punch cohort’s capacity-building journey, offering participants powerful tools to sharpen their business narratives and enhance market readiness. MCB’s involvement in bringing this level of expertise to the ecosystem underscores their role in unlocking the potential of data to drive smarter decisions and future-shaping innovation. See their post here.
We're proud to continue playing an active role in driving innovation — not just through programs, but through deeper ecosystem collaboration (see section below).
Ecosystem update
Since the beginning of the year, we've seen great momentum in Mauritius, with a renewed interest in innovation and the development of the startup ecosystem:
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Assises de l'Innovation et de la Recherche, organized by MRIC under the Ministry of Tertiary Education, Science and Research & Ministry of Information Technology, communication and Innovation to highlight the new pillar of National Roadmap for research and innovation in Mauritius.
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Invest Night second edition co-organized by Mo Angels and La French Tech Mauritius featuring a panel of entrepreneurs who shared their experiences in raising funds and complained about the absence of early-stage investment funds in the region.
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Growth & Innovation Event (3rd Edition) by La Plage Factory & partners marking the official launch of the Punch Cohort and showcasing the innovative projects supported by MCB Punch by MCB. It featured an engaging panel discussion on the opportunities and challenges for startup growth.
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Research Week by Ministry of Tertiary Education, Science and Research & MRIC under the theme of “Uniting Research, Industry and Innovation”, where Minister Sukon disclosed the national priorities.
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Delegations of international player interested in building capacity in Mauritius: Holocene co-hosted by our partner Mo Angels focusing on early-stage climate tech investing in Africa; JOIST Global, a European innovation hub that expressed strong interest in Mauritius as a future regional innovation hub; International Solar Alliance delegation of startuppers, co-organized by Business Mauritius in coordination with MRIC.
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Forum d’Affaires France - Maurice, with a panel dedicated to Innovation and our Managing Director speaking about the need to fix the early-stage funding gap.
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Plastic Odyssey, a great initiative with inspiring young person and the implementation of pilot units; plastic recycling facilities in Mauritius.
La Plage Factory has consistently been a proactive and committed participant in our ecosystem. We have contributed to various events and organized our own in partnership with Punch by the MCB. We are steadfast in advocating for improved policies, especially as the national budget announcement approaches, and we remain hopeful for the development of a Smart Mauritius island.
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.
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Visit Our Website: Explore more about our initiatives at laplage.io
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Contact Us: Reach out to us at hello@laplage.io
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Join Our Monthly Meet Up: Connect with like-minded individuals at Coworking Port Louis on Friday, May 30 at lunch time.
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Do all three!
“Let's build a brighter future together for Mauritius, Africa, and the world!”
Related
La Plage Factory – Q1 2026 Community Update
Let’s Meet Up – A milestone edition launching Cohort 2026 and strengthening the Mauritius Tech for Good community
