They aren’t content with the open-plan offices of Sidi Maarouf. They are looking for rooms where people talk product, architecture and fundraising, without having to justify their accent.
Casablanca concentrates most of the country’s tech activity. The nearshore centers of major European groups employ thousands of people there, Technopark has hosted generations of companies since 2001, and public policies (Digital Morocco 2030, innovation incentives) aim to turn the kingdom into a regional platform. In this context, meeting places are not a minor detail of expat life. They determine how fast skills circulate, how projects take shape, and whether foreign talent puts down roots — or leaves.
The regular gatherings that structure the scene
The most visible right now is Checkmate & Connect. Every Wednesday at 6 p.m., at Commons Zerktouni (corner of Boulevard de Londres and Boulevard de la Résistance), around fifty people gather around tables where chess is also played. The event is free, with no registration and no selection. The community claims more than 400 members. You’ll meet local founders, engineers from IT services firms, and a few international profiles testing the Moroccan market. The talks are short and practical; the real work happens in the conversations that follow.
French Tech Maroc, accredited within the global network and renewed for 2026-2028, plays a more institutional role. Chaired since February 2025 by William Simoncelli, it organizes Apéros Tech, round tables and formats such as the AI Cafés (Cafés de l’IA). Its stated ambition is to connect the Moroccan ecosystem (more than 2,000 startups listed, according to its own figures) with French Tech communities around the world. For a French or French-speaking expat, it is often the first formal entry point. The partnership signed in April 2026 with Technopark, on the sidelines of GITEX Africa, aims precisely at making it easier for foreign startups to land and for Moroccan teams to access European markets.
Technopark itself remains the densest physical hub. Beyond hosting and incubation, it runs a steady stream of afterworks, workshops and meetups (Oracle Day, wellness sessions, pitches). In 2025, the network claimed more than 300 training sessions and workshops. For an expat looking for an institutional contact or a local partner, this is often where the first connections are made.
Coworking spaces and developer communities
New Work Lab, present since 2012-2013 in the Anfa/Gauthier district, has long been the rallying point of the entrepreneurial scene. It continues to host meetups (the historic Pitch Lab, round tables on funding and incubation) and offers coworking. The atmosphere there is more “historic community” than purely technical. Several expats told me they found their first cofounders or local clients there.
On the developer side, Meetup and community groups are active even if their calendars remain irregular: GDG Casablanca (nearly 1,000 members), AWS User Group Casablanca, Moroccan Software Crafters (monthly or bimonthly meetups centered on craftsmanship), GenAI Morocco, and the circles that grew out of Geeksblabla. These formats attract more local technical profiles and returning members of the diaspora than purely foreign expats, but they remain open. The 13th edition of Devoxx Morocco, held on November 4 and 5, 2026 in Casablanca, was a reminder that there is a conference calendar capable of bringing in international speakers.
Purely expat networks exist in parallel. InterNations Casablanca claims more than 11,000 members and organizes regular brunches and afterworks. CasaExpats, more upscale, targets executives and managers with events held in partnership with consulates. These circles are useful for practical matters (housing, schools, paperwork) but less dense on purely technical topics.
What these places reveal, and what they don’t solve
Language still structures the groups. French remains dominant in French Tech circles, New Work Lab and a large share of IT services firms. English is gaining ground in developer communities and newer formats such as Checkmate. A German or Dutch developer will find their place more easily at a technical meetup than at an Apéro Tech. The Moroccan tech diaspora, returned from Europe or North America, often plays the role of a bridge.
The economic stakes are real. The country is trying to close a digital skills gap estimated at several tens of thousands of qualified profiles per year. Attracting or retaining international talent also depends on the ability to offer them places where they don’t stay in silos. Open, free formats (Checkmate, some developer meetups) speed up introductions; more structured networks (French Tech, Technopark) facilitate partnerships and institutional access.
Limits persist. Precise data on the number of tech expats in Casablanca is scarce; the available figures mostly concern the global French community (about 12,000 people registered with the consulate in the city, with a broader estimate around 15,000). Many events remain concentrated in a few neighborhoods (Gauthier, Maarif, Technopark). Purely English-speaking or non-French-speaking profiles are less visible. Finally, the boundary between the local community and the expat community is never completely watertight, but it still exists.
Open perspectives
The coming months will show whether these places become denser or more specialized. The rise of AI-focused formats (AI Cafés, GenAI Morocco, Technopark sessions) could create new meeting points less marked by national origin. The strengthening of the Technopark–French Tech partnership and the growing number of large public events (Devoxx, etc.) offer opportunities for mixing. It remains to be seen whether tech expats get involved beyond their first months of settling in, or continue to move mainly within parallel circles.
Communities don’t replace an attractiveness policy (visas, taxation, quality of life), but they are a concrete, observable lever for it. In Casablanca, they are currently built more through an accumulation of regular gatherings and physical venues than through one big overarching structure.
Key figures and reference points
- Checkmate & Connect: every Wednesday at 6 p.m., Commons Zerktouni, free, 400+ claimed members
- French Tech Maroc: accredited community, regular events (Apéros Tech, AI Cafés), Technopark partnership (April 2026)
- Technopark Casablanca: more than 300 workshops/training sessions in 2025, incubation and events hub
- InterNations Casablanca: more than 11,000 members (all profiles)
- Estimated French community in Casablanca: about 12,000 registered with the consulate
FAQ
Do you need to speak Arabic to fit into Casablanca’s tech communities?
No. French dominates in most startup and nearshore circles; English is common at developer meetups and in newer formats.
What is the most accessible event for a newcomer?
Checkmate & Connect on Wednesday evenings at Commons Zerktouni: free, no registration, open to anyone interested in the startup scene.
Are coworking spaces enough to meet other tech expats?
They provide a daily anchor, but the most useful encounters happen mainly at organized events (Checkmate, French Tech, developer meetups, afterworks).
Are there communities specifically for non-French-speaking profiles?
They remain less structured. Technical Meetup groups and some InterNations afterworks are the most open entry points.
