A Moroccan startup aiming to revolutionise the car wash industry with water-efficient technology has secured $600,000 in pre-seed funding. Washminute, which operates across several Moroccan cities, has attracted investment from Witamax, a Casablanca-based venture capital firm, alongside public honour loans from Tamwilcom, a Moroccan public financing institution, and the Near East Foundation, a US-based international development organisation, as well as an unnamed business angel from the Moroccan sports sector.
The investment marks Witamax’s first foray into the clean technology sector. The firm, which describes itself as the first privately backed venture capital fund in Morocco focused on pre-seed and seed stage tech investments, said it was drawn to Washminute’s potential to address water scarcity, a pressing issue in Morocco and the wider region.
Washminute’s business model focuses on minimising water usage in car washing, offering a faster and more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional methods. The company claims to have achieved 30 per cent monthly revenue growth over the past seven months, expanding its operations to seven sites in Casablanca, Marrakech, and Agadir.
The company’s founders, Jean Baptiste Kouatche and Ishak Afrit, both graduates of HEC Paris and Polytechnique, France’s leading engineering school, have positioned the business as a solution to Morocco’s increasing “hydric stress” — a term used to describe water scarcity.
Founded early last year, Washminute has also received support from several other organisations. It is incubated at Technopark, a Moroccan technology hub, and is part of the Innov Invest fund managed by SB3S, a Moroccan firm that supports start-ups from pre-acceleration through to post-investment. It has also participated in programmes run by Orange, BMCI BNP Paribas, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with Flat6Labs and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Near East Foundation in partnership with Emerging Business Factory.
The company says it is committed to social impact, focusing on recruitment and training of local “washmen” and establishing a “Washminute Academy” to provide upskilling opportunities for employees and partners.
The investment comes as Morocco grapples with the impacts of climate change, including prolonged droughts and increasing pressure on water resources. The country has been actively promoting sustainable development and encouraging innovation in water management.
While the $600,000 pre-seed investment represents a relatively small sum in global venture capital terms, it highlights the growing interest in clean technology solutions within emerging markets. Washminute’s success in attracting funding from a mix of private and public sources suggests a growing recognition of the need for innovative approaches to address environmental challenges. The company’s founders have stated their ambition to expand across Morocco and the wider Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.