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Funding · 7 min readApply to 212 Founders accelerator (CDG Invest)
212 Founders is the national accelerator of CDG Invest, the venture arm of the Caisse de Dépôt et de Gestion. The programme is equity-free at acceptance, followed by a convertible-note investment of up to USD 500 000 from CDG Invest Growth into companies that hit milestones.
What you actually receive
| Phase | Duration | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Bootcamp | 4 weeks | Intensive curriculum (PMF, GTM, fundraising, legal); cohort of ~15. |
| Acceleration | 5 months | 1:1 mentor matching, demo days, intros to MENA & Europe VCs, free workspace at CDG Invest Casablanca. |
| Investment (subject to milestones) | Post-programme | Convertible note up to USD 500k from CDG Invest Growth. |
| Alumni network | Lifetime | 60+ portfolio companies, follow-on intros, hiring channels. |
Eligibility
- Tech or tech-enabled start-up (SaaS, fintech, agritech, healthtech, marketplaces, AI).
- Moroccan-incorporated or willing to incorporate in Morocco within the cohort.
- Less than 5 years old at application.
- 2–4 founders, full-time.
- MVP live with at least early traction (paying users, LOIs, contracts).
- Founders willing to relocate to Casablanca for the bootcamp month.
Timeline
- Calls open twice a year (spring & autumn). Watch 212founders.com.
- Application window: ~ 6 weeks.
- Pre-selection (file review): 2 weeks.
- Pitch interviews: 1 week.
- Final selection & cohort start: 2 weeks.
The application package
- One-pager — problem, solution, traction, ask.
- Pitch deck (10–15 slides).
- Founders’ profiles — LinkedIn + 3 personal references.
- 3-year financial model — revenue, costs, burn, runway.
- Demo video — 2 minutes, founder-on-camera + product walkthrough.
- Cap table — clean, with all SAFE notes / advisor equity disclosed.
What the selection panel looks for
- Founder–market fit: why YOU specifically. Souss-Massa founders with deep agritech, fishtech or tourism domain experience consistently progress.
- Traction over slides: 5 paying customers beats 50 LOIs.
- Pan-African ambition: Morocco-only is fine for cohort; but the convertible note rewards regional thinking.
- Capital efficiency: evidence you can stretch USD 100k for 6 months.
- Cap-table cleanliness: > 60 % held by active founders preferred.
Convertible note — what to expect
Standard 212 Founders / CDG Invest Growth term sheet (illustrative, 2026):
| Instrument | Convertible note (Moroccan / French law). |
|---|---|
| Amount | USD 100k – USD 500k. |
| Discount | 20 % at next priced round. |
| Valuation cap | USD 5M – USD 10M (post-money). |
| Maturity | 24 months. |
| Pro-rata | Yes, full pro-rata for next round. |
| Information rights | Quarterly KPIs, annual audited accounts. |
| Board | Observer seat post-conversion. |
Tips from Souss-Massa alumni
Use the regional angle. 212 Founders explicitly seeks geographic diversity. A serious Agadir, Laâyoune or Dakhla pitch with regional traction has a real edge.
- Pre-incubate at Technopark Agadir or UIZ StartUp Hub first — alumni references carry weight.
- Apply with the Tatwir Startup grant already secured to show capital efficiency.
- Do a dry-run pitch in Agadir at the monthly Startup Grind Souss-Massa event before submitting.