Le Phare, the CMA CGM Foundation’s incubator in Marseille, launches its second call for applicants

Following an initial innovative and promising group of seven successful applicants, the CMA CGM Foundation’s incubator is launching its second call for applicants to continue to help entrepreneurs to set up businesses with a social and educational purpose. Le Phare and the start-ups selected will be able to draw on the CMA CGM Group’s entrepreneurial DNA and its ecosystem.

Tanya Saadé Zeenny, President of the CMA CGM Foundation, comments: “This second selection once again attests to the CMA CGM Foundation’s desire and commitment to support entrepreneurship and foster the development of projects with a significant social impact to help education and access to employment in Marseille.”

The CMA CGM Foundation firmly believes that equal opportunity is crucial in allowing all talented people to flourish and make the most of themselves, and has made education for all its priority. With the launch of its social incubator Le Phare in September 2021, it has extended its efforts to encourage the creation of businesses with a social purpose in the field of education.

Karine Richarme, founder of the KIPAWA association, who was accompanied during the first promotion of the Phare, comments: "The support of the CMA CGM Foundation via its incubator Le Phare, its ecosystem and the guidance by the skills sponsorship has enabled us to develop our expertise and boost our project".

"For those who are hesitant, I would simply say that you should not give up and that being supported by the CMA CGM Foundation at the Phare is already a real recognition of your project" adds Patrick Saoula, whose 4LAB project was also supported by the Phare.

For the second year in a row, Le Phare will select projects developing solutions to encourage the emergence of new educational tools and methods to serve as many people as possible.

Le Phare allows the selected entrepreneurs to use a co-working area five days a week and benefit from permanent contact with other entrepreneurs and the collaborative ecosystem of the hub within L’Épopée, the 12,000 m2 educational innovation village that is home to several dozen other social enterprises in the heart of the northern districts of Marseille. This space aims to help to accelerate their development and provide a breeding ground for ideas.

The selected entrepreneurs will benefit for a period of nine months from daily support from the CMA CGM Foundation and a free 150-hour mentoring and support program. This tailored support will be provided primarily by employees of the CMA CGM Group. As part of the Group’s skills mentoring program, they will provide their skills in the various areas of entrepreneurship such as project management, venture capital, marketing, communications, accounting and legal.

For the first time, high school students from the city’s northern and southern districts will be involved in developing these projects and be taken on by the social incubator as interns. This will give them the opportunity to share their ideas and their view of the problems they face to allow better access the education, professional training and employment.

Who is it for? The call for applications is open to parties with an entrepreneurial project with a significant social impact.

What is the theme? Applications are open to parties with a project:

• responding to a social need that is poorly or not covered, mainly in the field of education;
• targeting the vulnerable or people in difficulty;
• and concerning the creation of a business.
   

How? Applications may only be submitted via the online platform. 

Dates for submitting applications? From May 5 to June 3, 2022