Moroccan startup retreat the Blue House has launched a EUR20,000 (US$22,318) crowdfunding campaign in order to open its doors commercially, following a successful pilot phase.
Disrupt Africa showcased the Blue House earlier this year following the test launch of the house, which invites entrepreneurs from around the world to base themselves out of the beach-side co-working house, providing all the necessary facilities to run their startup from the serene fishing village.
“We believe people do a better job when they’re happy and feel good. We believe people are more creative when their environment is stimulating. We believe people take better decisions when they’re relaxed. We believe people have outstanding ideas when they get out of their comfort zone and discover new things,” the community explains.
During the trial phase, half a dozen startups from Sweden, France,the Netherlands, the UK and the US joined the Blue House community to work on their startups; with the pilot deemed a success.
Now the Blue House is hoping to raise EUR20,000 (US$22,318) via an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign to open the house commercially as of October.
“The Blue House has always been a community-driven project. The idea of a startup getaway in Morocco was born during discussions with entrepreneurs from all around the world, it came to life during the pilot we did with two groups of amazing people, and now that we needed to fund the house, it was obvious we had to do it with our supporters. With the campaign, we’re aiming to fund the home improvement work we need to do and to purchase the furniture, as well as to spread the word about the place and bring the community together,” Blue House founder Aline Mayard told Disrupt Africa.
The Blue House offers three programmes for entrepreneurs. The “residency” comprises a 10 day programme of inspiring work and discussions with a handful of carefully selected startup teams. The “retreat” option offers three days of adventure, relaxation and inspiration with carefully-selected entrepreneurs; and finally custom-built private programmes are offered for groups of 10 to 100.
Applications to join the Blue House are made online.
