From a rough idea
to a real venture.

UM6P Explorer isn't just a support program. It's a structured path from idea to execution, with the funding, mentorship, and resources to help you build for real.

  • Mentorship from top minds at MIT and UM6P
  • A community of hundreds of entrepreneurs from across Morocco
  • A home at STARTGATE, UM6P's startup campus
  • Up to 250,000 MAD in non-dilutive seed funding
Fall 2026 applications open July 23, 2026 Watch the Recording Apply

Missed the info session? View the slides — applications due August 31, 2026

Program at a glance
CohortsSpring/Summer + Fall
Running sinceMarch 2020 · 13 cohorts
Equity takenNone
CulminationExplorer Showcase

UM6P Explorer Innovation Fund

Delivered in collaboration with the MIT Sandbox Innovation Fund, UM6P Explorer is an innovation fund designed to give innovators from UM6P and partner institutions (GEP, MASCIR, 1337, YouCode, Cadi Ayyad University, Hassan II University, Mohammed V University, and Al Akhawayn University) a personalized educational and entrepreneurial experience: turning a project into a tested venture through customer discovery, prototyping, and early validation.

Applications open July 23, 2026 Apply now See key dates
Information session

Missed the info session?

Catch up on program structure, eligibility, and how to apply.

Held Wed, August 12 · 6:00 PM (Morocco time)

Watch the Recording View the Slides
Fall 2026 cohort

Key dates to know.

Everything you need to plan around, from applications opening to next year's Showcase.

Fall 2026 Cohort: Applications OpenJuly 23, 2026
F26 Info SessionAugust 12, 2026 · Recording · Slides
F26 Applications Due DateAugust 31, 2026
F26 Kick-off SessionOctober 10, 2026
F26 Mock Funding BoardOctober 22, 2026
F26 Cohort StartsOctober 26, 2026
Explorer 2027 ShowcaseApril 2027
The network

Meet the people in your corner.

45 mentors: 26 international, 19 based in Morocco. Entrepreneurs who've built and sold companies, engineers who've shipped hard products, investors who've written the checks. They don't just show up to a meeting and disappear. They're on stage at every Showcase, in the room for every funding conversation, and genuinely invested in watching your idea become real.

Founders & operators

People who've built and sold companies of their own, now helping you avoid the mistakes they made the first time around.

Investors & funders

The people who write checks, sitting in the room with you (not just at the mock funding board, but throughout the cohort).

Domain & technical experts

Engineers, scientists, and specialists who've shipped hard products, for teams building something more than a slide deck.

Present at every showcase
Invited to MIT Sandbox events
Voice in funding decisions
Apply as a Mentor Meet the mentors

All 47 of our mentors (from Morocco and MIT) are live in the directory now, searchable by name or area of expertise.

Mentors in action

A mentor walking a team through their product at a Showcase booth
A mentor in an animated discussion with a student at Explorer
A mentor and student in conversation at a booth
A mentor engaging with founders during Explorer
13
Cohorts since March 2020
252
Teams last cohort: 163 new, 89 continuing (both records)
563
Participants, Spring 2026
45
Active mentors: 26 global, 19 in Morocco
The finish line

Every cohort ends on a stage, not a form.

Speaker presenting Teams Presentation on stage at the UM6P Explorer Showcase, full auditorium Engaged audience at the UM6P Explorer Showcase auditorium

2027 UM6P Explorer Showcase (April)

Teams present live, then open their booths to the community: founders, mentors, and UM6P leadership in one room, at the end of every cohort.

17
Teams on stage
50
Booths
~1000
Attendees
Visit the Showcase site
Who can apply

Built for builders across the ecosystem.

Undergraduates, master's and PhD students, postdocs, researchers, and professors from the wider UM6P-affiliated ecosystem, solo or as a team.

UM6PUM6P Green Energy ParkGreen Energy Park MASCIRMASCIR 13371337 YouCodeYouCode Université Cadi AyyadCadi Ayyad Universite Hassan II de CasablancaHassan II Université Mohammed VMohammed V Al Akhawayn UniversityAl Akhawayn TechnoparkTechnopark* PASETPASET*

Technopark & PASET members: eligible for mentoring, workshops, and resources; not eligible for funding.