SMU Incubator

The SMU Incubator present first appeared in September 2019 in order to respond to the community of Leaders of South Mediterranean University (MSB & MedTech).

In fact, driven by the spirit of Innovation in a rich entrepreneurial ecosystem, 10% of our students and Alumni are "young women and young men" Pioneers of change and creators of values.

Rich in its faculty, skills and experience, South Mediterranean University has chosen to support its ambitious talents, and project leaders in the development and realization of their business ideas.

Our SMU Incubator offers a 5-month training course for entrepreneurs in the ideation phase, through workshops, mentoring, coaching as well as access to our MSB & MedTech courses, which will allow them to make 'Pitches' their concept in front of a jury of experts.

SMU Incubator offers a unique opportunity for our entrepreneurs to broaden their vision to other markets and geographic territories but also to gain access to funding organizations through a large network of Alumni and Partners.

Our Co-working Space, SMU Incubator, aims to be a place for collaboration between the different entrepreneurs of each cohort, by capitalizing on skills, resources, network and business-engineering synergies.

Our 1st SMU Incubator experience enabled 11 startups to be successfully certified: ASG, Barbecha, Eat & Fit, Flow, Hezni Maak, Histoire d'une fleur, Medtrip, Myoya, Tchou-Tchou, Unwasted, Wock’t,

5 of them are Start up Act certified.

For more information about our Incubator program, you can contact us at: smu.incubator@smu.tn

“ Our 1st SMU Incubator experience enabled 11 startups to be successfully certified: ASG, Barbecha, Eat & Fit, Flow, Hezni Maak, Histoire d'une fleur, Medtrip, My Oya, Tchou-Tchou, Unwasted, Wock’t, “

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Context

To benefit from the SMU incubator services the startups need to adhere to three conditions. The newly created companies must comply with startup needs (Judicial, Financial, Business, Technical and Logistic), capitalize on SMU’s assets, and contribute with a clear added value to the ecosystem. The incubation process requires the assistance of all SMU stakeholders such the Alumni Association and the Research Centre.

Application & Selection process

Within the first two months prior to the incubation program, entrepreneurs must send their online applications. The applications will be reviewed by the stakeholders and the participants will be selected based on SMU’s priorities.

Need assessment process

As soon as the entrepreneurs are selected, they will have to pitch their idea in front of the SMU community followed by a Q&A session. The stakeholders will then provide recommendations that are deemed helpful for entrepreneurs. The main aim of this process is to assess the needs of the startups and provide personalized support.

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Mentorship

Within the first month, throughout a matchmaking event, the entrepreneur will have the opportunity to work with a professional SMU alumnus alongside a dedicated professional coach from the university’s faculty.

Training

On a weekly basis, throughout an event, entrepreneurs will get together and share startup progress. The event will also include guest speakers that will share their experiences. The incubator will offer, as well, various sessions on topics such as communication or stress management.

Bi-monthly workshops

The incubator will hold two-day workshops for the entrepreneurs in which topics such as Branding & Positioning; Design Thinking; Business Modelling; Digital Marketing, Public Relations & Growth Hacking; Startup Valuation and Fundraising; Software Development; Intellectual Property; Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence; User Experience / User Interface, will be discussed. They will also have the chance to work on their ideas with other entrepreneurs and SMU faculty members.

Startup special event

Once a month, SMU stakeholders and faculty, alongside entrepreneurs, will launch an event to help promote the company and build its community. The event will also be an opportunity for networking and finding potential future stakeholders.

Mid-program review

By the end of the second month, an evaluation of the progress will be conducted through an event. Throughout the event the entrepreneurs will give a 3-minute pitch of their ideas to an independent jury. The startups might have the opportunity to access a small fund, through a local crowdfunding system, to create prototypes.

Demonstration day

By the end of the program, which will last 3 to 4 months, the incubator will celebrate the progress of the startups throughout a special event. During this event, entrepreneurs will conduct a 3-minute pitch of their company. The main goal of this event is to increase the visibility of the company and generate leads while easing the fundraising process.

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Currently, 5 of the 11 startups are certified startup acts (Hezni Maak, Tchau Tchau, Barbecha, My-Oya, BMMT).

These startups are active in diverse industries like Education, Health, Clean Tech, GreenTech, Manufacturing, Marketing & Communication, …

As part of our thriving entrepreneurship ecosystem, SMU is aiming to celebrate its students' and Alumni’s voices and uncover their inspiring stories of trials, hope, and success in everyday life. One of the career center’s key responsibilities is to follow up with its students & Alumni. It is done through surveys, in order to showcase their career path in owning and operating businesses all over the world, as well as to learn more about their business profiles. We have recorded through the surveys a rate of 10% of graduate-all programs combined-that embark on entrepreneurship. And, that’s how the idea of creating SMU Incubator was born.

Among the startups that participated in the first launch of the SMU incubator event on 16th of September 2020 at SMU campus, 13 have been identified and selected. The Objectives are: To better assess entrepreneurs' needs and provide personalized support to startups, through training sessions and mentorships.

Furthermore, 11 out of 13 startups from our SMU Incubator 1st Cohort are certified. And, 5 of them are Start up act certified.

If you want to know more about our certified startup’s of the 1st Cohort, and their achievements, you can download the SMU Incubator magazine as follows:

Download Catalog

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We are very proud to announce that SMU Incubator’s 2nd Cohort has started and 18 Startups were selected for the next stage.

39 Entrepreneurs with different profiles and backgrounds will join us on Campus during the 3-day Bootcamp, starting from tomorrow September 30th.

We wish our applicants the best of luck!

#SMU #incubator

38 entrepreneurs from 18 different startups participated in this Cohort. 64.10% of them are Male and 35.90% are female.

66.67% are startups from our SMU Community and the rest are external startups.

The backgrounds and profiles of this year’s entrepreneurs are very diverse. In fact, some of the backgrounds that they hold are business, engineering, medical, Physics, law etc.. Furthermore, 28.95% of the entrepreneurs are masters’ holders, and 2.63% are PHD takers.

We are very proud to have such talented and brilliant people among us in the Bootcamp that started on Thursday, October 30th. It will also last to Saturday October 2nd. Training sessions and workshops will be provided for free by Dr Noomen Lahimer.

On Saturday, the Pitch session will be held, during which the entrepreneurs will have the chance to pitch and present their startups in front of our jury members.

And, we are very excited and proud to announce that the Jury is composed of:

Mme Anissa Allagui: MSB Faculty

Mme Sabra Gargouri: CEO & Co-Founder of MedTrip and also one of the entrepreneurs from SMU Incubator’s 1st Cohort and an EMBA Alumna.

Mr Raouf Aouadi : P D G and Co-Founder of Maxula Bourse.

Mr Hatem Hlaoui: Co-Founder of Maxula Bourse

And, Mr Walid BelHadj Amor General Director of Comete Engineering and EMBA Alumnus.

We wish the best of luck to our entrepreneurs !

After the pitch session, following the jury members and board decisions, only 19 entreprepreneurs from 12 Startups have been accepted to start SMU Incubator 2nd Cohort journey. 6 of the 11 startups are certified startup act (Dracoss, ASQII and LoDeep,Monsapo, D Carte, Wise Vision). These startups are active in diverse industries like Education, Health, Clean Tech, GreenTech, Manufacturing, Marketing & Communication, …

Moreover, SMU Incubator collaborates with SMU Career Center to connect students with startups for internship opportunities and collabrorates with MSB and MEDTECH faculty to launch challenges in the program of our university.