‘Morocco Venture Forum 2026’ Connects Global Investors with Local Venture Funds

Global limited partners (LPs) and Moroccan general partners (GPs) convened at Technopark Casablanca on April 15, 2026, for the inaugural Morocco Venture Forum 2026, an event designed to connect international institutional capital with local venture funds. Organized by Silicon Badia, Plug and Play, and the Ministry of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform, the one-day forum combined panels and curated networking to position Morocco as a more attractive destination for venture capital and to showcase emerging regional fund managers to global investors.

"The forum seeks to 'address the need to inject more capital into Morocco to move from a promising ecosystem to a top-tier investment hub,'" said Halima Zahzah, Country Director of Plug and Play Morocco, in an interview with Morocco World News.

Context and details

Organizers framed the event as a two-way bridge between international capital providers and local fund managers. Global LPs were given access to emerging Moroccan and regional venture capital firms, while local GPs were able to present their strategies and track records to institutional investors exploring opportunities in Morocco’s venture landscape.

• Panels and networking sessions focused on capital formation, ecosystem development, and investment readiness.
• Speakers emphasized that founders increasingly expect more than capital: operational support, connections to markets and networks, and early-stage credibility.
• Participants warned against passive capital; investors who provide funding without strategic involvement offer limited value to startups aiming to scale.

Speakers at the forum also discussed the trajectory for Moroccan VCs, noting that building value-add capabilities is a gradual process. Emerging firms need time to develop the experience and networks common in more mature ecosystems, and participants urged that nascent funds not be held to mature-market standards too early. The conversation highlighted structural strengths—strong local talent, cost efficiency and growing ambition—while flagging challenges including the need for a more global mindset from the outset, simpler processes for startups operating internationally, stronger trust across the ecosystem, and improved access to growth-stage capital.

Erass Majdoubeh, partner at Silicon Badia, pointed to rising momentum and increasing alignment between local and international investors. "We’re very excited about the impact that has been created so far. We have about 80 tech people working out of Morocco, selling into regional markets and now even into global markets," Majdoubeh told Morocco World News, citing early examples of Silicon Badia-backed startups such as Journify.

Outlook

Organizers and participants framed the Morocco Venture Forum as an early but practical step toward mobilizing international capital behind local managers, while also setting expectations about the time and experience required for local funds to become deeply value-adding partners. With government involvement through the Ministry of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform and continued engagement from regional playgrounds such as Silicon Badia and Plug and Play, the forum aimed to lay groundwork for increased LP interest and to accelerate the formation of growth-stage pools that Moroccan startups will need to scale internationally.