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Morocco’s Startups At The Crossroads [Forbes]

Moroccans are natural entrepreneurs, well-placed to take advantage of their place at a global crossroads:

Forbes-logoA few weeks ago, I was a keynote speaker in Casablanca, Morocco at the Global Annual Conference of CEED, a organization that assists entrepreneurs in several emerging markets. There I met countless inspiring people, mostly from Morocco but also from nearby places. I could virtually taste the electricity in the air. Entrepreneurs and other businesspeople were continuously buzzing around the event, pitching, trading, and pursuing their dreams. Morocco, it seems, is rising.

Why is this happening in Morocco? Indeed, we might expand the question to ask: what makes some economies like Morocco rise, while others in the world languish? It’s a question with big implications for the world.

A key answer, I believe, is that crossroads are breeding grounds for innovation. For instance, Silicon Valley is a result of the American frontier, where ambitious people from diverse backgrounds were smashed together in a serendipitous cacophony. Frontier cultures tend to be innovative ones. Diversity often begets wealth.

Morocco is in a similar situation. Is it African? Is it Arab? Is it European? The answer, of course, is yes[full story]

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