🌟 La Plage Factory July Community update 🌟
LA PLAGE FACTORY
The Africa Tech Business Incubator that drives you to raise funds, scale, and make an impact.
Welcome to the July Edition of the La Plage Factory Newsletter!
With the second half of 2025 in full swing, July brought energy, depth, and plenty of reasons to stay excited. From thoughtful conversations at our monthly meetup to alumni achieving significant milestones and new partnerships driving innovation forward, the month reminded us that the strength of our ecosystem lies in its people.
Between community gatherings, startup breakthroughs, and open learning spaces, July gave us both momentum and meaning. And as we look ahead to the next Growth and Innovation cohort, we’re carrying that energy with us.
Here’s what moved the ecosystem this month, and what’s on the horizon. 👇
🌟Let’s Meet up highlights
We wrapped up July with a vibrant Let’s Meet Up at Coworking Port Louis, where fresh faces, thoughtful updates, and wide-open conversations created that unmistakable La Plage Factory vibe.
As always, the meetup followed our signature rhythm; community news, networking, and startup pitches. But what stood out this time was the depth of exchange and the mix of people in the room. With over 30 engaged attendees, including corporates, founders, and first-timers, the energy was authentic and collaborative.
Pitching Session
The meetup closed with our signature live pitching session, and once again, it delivered. The energy in the room was high, the feedback was sharp, and the progress was visible — especially from founders who’ve consistently shown up to pitch and refine their message.
One of them, Breno, shared a note with the cohort afterward that perfectly captured the spirit of it:
“You can have the best idea in the world, but if you don’t step out of your bubble and say it out loud, nothing big will ever happen... Come pitch. Come practice. Come grow. There’s real magic in it.” 💫
We also welcomed fresh perspectives and saw returning founders apply feedback and gain confidence with each pitch. These moments continue to be a highlight of our community rhythm — open, supportive, and focused on growth.
Guests of the Month: Mauritius Telecom (MT), mytGPT team
As mentioned in previous newsletters, AI is high on the national agenda, with new blueprints and policy measures rolling out. Mauritius Telecom, under the leadership of Veemal Gungadin, is clearly contributing to this momentum. On July 3rd, the company hosted the All myT Business AI Summit (ALL my.t Business AI Summit | Enterprise Event by Mauritius Telecom), where Veemal, CEO of Mauritius Telecom, positioned AI as a central pillar of MT’s innovation strategy, alongside 5G Advanced, predictive platforms, and education-focused tools.
One of the key announcements was the launch of mytGPT, MT’s sovereign AI platform. A few of us from La Plage Factory attended the event and were positively impressed by the clarity and ambition of the initiative.
We then invited the team behind myGPT to come and join our July Meet Up and share more about the project, and here’s what we learned:
mytGPT is Mauritius Telecom’s sovereign AI platform designed to serve both businesses and educational institutions.
For Businesses, mytGPT is an enterprise-grade AI platform designed to support local businesses by ensuring data sovereignty through secure, locally hosted infrastructure.
For Education, the “AI tutor” pilot in Rodrigues aims to support teachers and students by making learning more interactive and personalized. It is a good example of how AI could transform education across Mauritius.
Their live demo sparked real curiosity and raised important questions around local capacity and digital adoption. A strong signal that corporate-led platforms can help support inclusive, forward-looking innovation when aligned with ecosystem needs.
A special thanks to everyone who joined us at co-working: Kelly NG-LUN, Kathila ACHARUZ, Matthieu BENOIT, and Kaushik BHAYRAM from our partner Punch by MCB; Julien TESSIER, co-founder of our new web host partner HODI; Laurent FAYOLLE, CEO of IBL Group's Tech Venture; Hidayat ALLY BANBONY; Teswaree HEERAH, Kevalina DEELJORE, and other members of the Mauritius Telecom mytGPT team. Your presence fuels the kind of meaningful connections we aim to build every time. Thank you for showing up and jumping in!
Startup Achievements: Global Growth & Local Voices
July gave us plenty of reasons to celebrate the founders in our extended La Plage Factory community — from international fundraising milestones to thought leadership right here at home.
🌍 La Plage Factory alumni Rwazi Secures $12M Series A
Big news from one of our first startup alumni: Rwazi, co-founded in Mauritius by Tanzanian entrepreneur Joseph Rutakangwa and Ugandan co-founder Eric Sewankambo, raised $12 million Series A led by Bonfire Ventures.
Rwazi is redefining how companies access real-time consumer intelligence — capturing zero-party data directly from consumers across 190 countries to power decision-making for global brands like Coca-Cola, Nestlé, and Visa. Their AI-powered platform is now becoming the go-to decision engine for companies looking to anticipate market shifts and respond with speed and clarity.
This milestone is a huge leap for African-founded deep tech startups on the global stage — and a proud moment for all of us who’ve seen Rwazi grow from idea to international force.
👉 Read more from Joseph's post here
“This isn’t about looking back. It’s about responding while it’s happening.” — Joseph Rutakangwa, CEO
Vinay Kanhye Featured in Business Magazine
Closer to home, Vinay Kanhye — founder of Kanhye Health Foods and current participant in our Punch cohort — was featured in Business Magazine (June 2025 edition).
In the interview, Vinay called for a “vrai écosystème local” — a true local innovation ecosystem that’s inclusive, productive, and future-focused. He highlighted the disconnect between available technologies and their adoption in key industries and the urgent need for SMEs to access tailored financing, local talent, and supportive policies.
His voice adds depth to an ongoing national conversation about innovation, automation, and the role of startups in solving structural challenges.
“Our market is too small to compete on price — we must compete on innovation.” — Vinay Kanhye
La Plage Factory Highlights: Partnerships, Platforms & Practical AI
At La Plage Factory, July was all about building bridges, sharing knowledge, and putting tech into action. Here's how we kept the momentum going on our mission to empower founders and strengthen the ecosystem.
🤝 New Partnership: HODI x La Plage Factory
We’re proud to announce our partnership with HODI, a local web hosting provider committed to digital innovation in Mauritius and the Indian Ocean Islands region. Through this collaboration, HODI is offering free hosting, digital support, and expert consulting to startups in our programs — helping them get online quickly, professionally, and securely.
It’s more than just hosting; it’s about giving founders the infrastructure they need to show up, scale up, and stay visible.
👉 Read our previous post to know more about this partnership here
🧠 Digital Efficiency: From Data to Automation; Our First Open G&I Masterclass
July also marked our first open masterclass under the Growth & Innovation Masterclass Series — a new initiative aimed at promoting Tech for Good across the wider ecosystem.
Led by AI experts from our community, this session offered pragmatic, hands-on guidance on how to turn raw data into actionable insights and how automation can help startups save time, gain clarity, and scale smarter.
This series is more than just a workshop; it is about equipping smart entrepreneurs beyond our cohort/programs with practical tools and approaches to build responsibly with tech. And this was just the beginning.
🤖 Budget Assistant Now Updated with Finance Bill
And finally, the Mauritius Startup & Entrepreneur Budget Assistant, developed by our expert and mentor Franck Da Costa, has now been updated to include the Finance Bill.
This custom tool, designed for founders and investors, now offers even more accurate insights into incentives, fiscal schemes, and regulatory changes — helping you decode what’s available, what’s changing, and what to act on.
This is what embracing AI for good looks like: tools that are useful, transparent, and built for founders, by founders.
🔊 Call to action
Co-optation for the next cohort of innovative, smart entrepreneurs has started!
We’re starting to form our next cohort of Smart Entrepreneurs, and we’re on the lookout for 12 innovative projects to join us by the end of September.
If you (or someone you know) is an ambitious entrepreneur or small business owner (no need to be a startup founder!) with an innovative project that you wish to bring to life, our Growth & Innovation program is designed to help you build, test, and scale with confidence.
Ready to grow with a driven community of founders, mentors, and partners?
👉 Apply now through the Start-Ups section of our website, or refer someone amazing.
🌐 Join our community of innovators
Are you passionate about innovation and entrepreneurship? Eager to make a difference?
We invite potential founders, mentors, experts, and sponsors to join our vibrant community. Your expertise, guidance, and support can help shape the next generation of smart entrepreneurs and drive meaningful change.
Visit Our Website: Explore more about our initiatives at laplage.io
Contact Us: Reach out to us at hello@laplage.io
Join Our Monthly Meetup: Connect with like-minded individuals at Coworking Port-Louis on Friday, August 29, at lunchtime.
Do all three! 😉
“Let's build a brighter future together for Mauritius, Africa, and the world! 🌍”