Casablanca, Morocco – The Global Entrepreneurship Network is excited to announce the opening of a new Startup Huddle chapter in Casablanca to support the growth of the local startup community while crowdsourcing advice and support for its entrepreneurs. Startup Huddle Casablanca joins a global network of more than 60 Startup Huddle chapters world-wide and hosted its first event on October 8th.
40 attendees comprising of local founders, innovators, and business leaders gathered to help an entrepreneur work through their challenges and crowdsource solutions. Safae Berrahmoune, founder of Dyamo—a platform that matches high school and college students with university students and professionals, enabling young people to have a mentor and a best friend on their mobile—presented at Startup Huddle Casablanca's first session.
“Startup Huddle is important to my city because Casablanca needs more than capital, it needs connection. Startup Huddle is important because it strengthens the invisible threads between entrepreneurs, mentors, universities, and investors, weaving a more resilient ecosystem. It's not just about one startup succeeding, it's about building a community that uplifts everyone,” says local organizer Dr. Lamyaa El Bassiti
At each Startup Huddle event, local founders give six-minute presentations outlining challenges facing their companies. Each presentation is followed by a 20-minute conversation with an audience of peers, mentors, educators and advisers who provide constructive criticism focused on finding solutions and increasing founder know-how. With new founders cycling through each gathering, and previous presenters joining the audience to give back, the community continues to expand while connections deepen.
“My dream is to build a Startup Huddle that feels like a family: warm, welcoming, and full of magic. By the end of year one, I’d love to have spotlighted dozens of startups, connected hundreds of people, and perhaps even witnessed the birth of success stories that wouldn't have happened without these gatherings. I’d also love to see Casablanca shine on the global map as a place where entrepreneurs not only survive the dark arts of business, but also thrive, grow, and celebrate together!” El Bassiti says.
Startup Huddle Casablanca is supported by IDMAJ Foundation and Startup Universe Morocco. To learn more about Startup Huddle Casablanca or to join a local event, visit www.startuphuddle.co.
About Startup Huddle
Run by the Global Entrepreneurship Network in partnership with local organizers, Startup Huddle is a program designed to help one entrepreneur at a time while strengthening the local ecosystem. Entrepreneurs discover challenges to the solutions they face through purposeful engagement with a broad array of voices from their local community. Currently, there are local Startup Huddle chapters in more than 50 cities around the world. For more information, visit www.startuphuddle.co.
About the Global Entrepreneurship Network
The Global Entrepreneurship Network operates projects and programs in 200 countries to make it easier for anyone, anywhere to start and scale a business. By fostering deeper cross border collaboration and initiatives between entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, policymakers and entrepreneurial support organizations, GEN works to fuel healthier start and scale ecosystems that create more jobs, educate individuals, accelerate innovation and strengthen economic growth. For more information, visit www.genglobal.org.