Orange Morocco has selected three startups as the national winners of the 2026 Orange Social Venture Prize in Africa and the Middle East, known as POESAM. The competition received 345 applications from across the country. Fourteen startups made it to the national final, with AgroLora, Invirtus and Arwa Solutions taking the top three places.
AgroLora won the first prize for a technology that uses artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things to track agricultural holdings. The system is designed to help farmers manage their operations in a smarter and more sustainable way.
Invirtus came second with an AI-based recruitment platform. The platform focuses on measuring the real skills of job candidates.
Arwa Solutions won third place with an AgriTech platform that connects farmers with AI-powered advisers. The platform aims to help farmers adopt more sustainable farming practices.
The three startups will now enter the support programme run by Orange Digital Center and Orange Fab Maroc. They will receive training, expert advice and support to develop and expand their businesses.
The winners will also represent Morocco at the international stage of POESAM, where they will compete with winners from the other 16 countries where Orange operates.
Hendrick Castelle, general manager of Orange Morocco, said the programme was designed to help startups grow beyond the competition.
“Our ambition is not only to reward Moroccan innovation, but also to give it the means to scale up. These entrepreneurs start from a concrete reality in Morocco, and they use technology to provide practical and useful solutions to these challenges. This is precisely where Orange’s role lies: connecting talent with technology and opportunities in order to contribute to the emergence of the solutions of tomorrow.”
The 16th edition also showed the range of technology projects being developed by local entrepreneurs.
The 14 finalists worked in areas including health, education, the circular economy, cybersecurity, finance and mobility.
Peren AI was among the health-focused startups, while Bewize worked in education. Plakkar focused on the circular economy and Radar Cyberone on cybersecurity. Akkan and Legalplus developed solutions for finance, while Venez worked on mobility.
POESAM was launched by the Orange Group more than 15 years ago. The programme operates across 17 countries where the telecoms group has a presence. It supports early-stage technology startups that use digital tools to address social, environmental and economic challenges.
The 2026 results also reflect growing interest in AI and connected technologies for local problems.
Agriculture remains a major area for digital innovation, with water shortages and climate pressures increasing interest in tools such as smart farming, IoT monitoring and AI-based resource management.
Skills-based recruitment is another growing area. Platforms such as Invirtus are part of a wider move towards digital skills assessment, upskilling and more structured recruitment.
The three winners will now move into the international phase of POESAM, giving them access to a wider network of support, partnerships and opportunities across Africa and the Middle East.
