In partnership with Maroc Export, CEED Morocco hosted a learning tour to New York City for a group of growth stage tech entrepreneurs interested in learning about opportunities for expansion in the United States. The trip took place the week of November 7th and the group of 20+ entrepreneurs met with industry professionals, investors and experts to learn about opportunities to open a rep office in NYC, industry trends in the tech space, and explored the competitive landscape of the market relative to their native Morocco. A majority of the entrepreneurs had the opportunity to pitch to interested investors and for many, did so for the first time. They received invaluable feedback about their position in the U.S. market, potential challenges, and got an insiders view of what investors expect, particularly from international companies interested in expanding to the U.S.
Some of the meetings included conversations with the CEO of TheFrontStore, the Airbnb for commercial and retail spaces; the marketing team at Sparks and Honey, a global digital marketing agency; Director of DreamIT tech accelerator and PreHype accelerator; the FinTech Innovation Lab, and a meeting with YouTube to understand how they support their top entrepreneurs. The Moroccan entrepreneurs were able to get a holistic overview of the tech ecosystem in NYC and had a stronger understanding of costumer mindset in various industries, the marketing required to gain brand awareness and what improvements were needed to pitch to U.S. investors (angel and VC). CEED Morocco worked closely with the entrepreneurs to prepare them for the trip and plans to host additional learning tours around the world for growth oriented entrepreneurs in Morocco.
