This is a copy of a press release from 18 December 2025. 

 500 Global, one of the world’s most active venture capital firms, announced it has been selected to support the Ministry-led Startup VB initiative, a flagship program under the Digital Morocco 2030 strategy. This announcement marks a significant milestone in 500 Global’s continued expansion across the African continent and its work collaborating with governments to strengthen national innovation ecosystems.

Launched by the Ministry of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform (Ministry)  and deployed by TAMWILCOM, the Startup VB initiative is a flagship program under the Digital Morocco 2030 strategy. Startup VB aims to strengthen Morocco’s innovation and digital competitiveness by accelerating high-potential founders and providing the training and financing pathways needed to launch and scale globally. The Ministry’s goals include enabling the development of innovative and impactful technology solutions, mobilizing founder-led financing, and advancing the country’s digital transformation. As a selected implementation partner, 500 Global is eager to help operationalize these ambitions through founder support, network access, and early-stage capability development, while strengthening Morocco's national innovation systems.

Demola Adegbite, Partner at 500 Global, who is leading the firm’s venture investments across Africa, emphasized how this builds on more than a decade of 500 Global’s work across the continent. With over 20 years of experience in private equity, investment banking, and venture capital, Adegbite noted that closing Africa’s growth gap requires strengthening early-stage ecosystems while ensuring founders can access the right capital and capabilities as they scale. “Our work across emerging markets has shown that ecosystems accelerate fastest when public-sector leadership and private-sector expertise move in lockstep,” he said. “By supporting the Digital Morocco 2030 strategy, we look forward to connecting Moroccan founders to our global growth networks across the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, where we believe the country is uniquely positioned to serve as a bridge for global expansion.” 

As Africa moves toward 2030, we see its demographic trajectory underscoring both the urgency and opportunity of investing in market-shaping innovation. With rapid urbanization and the world’s fastest-growing workforce, we believe the continent demands private capital that builds more than companies—it must also strengthen the foundations of talent, infrastructure, and policy that enable scalable, technology-led growth. By expanding its footprint across Africa, building localized teams, and supporting government initiatives such as Digital Morocco 2030, 500 Global aims to unlock strategic resources that transform emerging ecosystems into investable innovation hubs and supports the continent’s long-term development ambitions.