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Tunisia, often overlooked in discussions of Africa’s burgeoning tech scene, quietly boasts a vibrant ecosystem ripe with potential. While giants such as South Africa and Nigeria command headlines, the small North African nation is strategically positioning itself as a vital bridge between Africa and Europe.

With a surge in startups, increasing government support, and a unique geographical advantage, Tunisia is poised to become a key player in the continent’s innovation landscape. The question is: Can it make the leap from promising up-and-comer to a true scaleup hub 鈥� and what can other emerging tech ecosystems learn from its progress?

Tunisia sits at the early stage of the Innovation Ecosystem Life Cycle Curve, alongside thousands of other regional hubs.

When analyzing an emerging ecosystem, there are two perspectives:

• 10,000-mile view (aka half-empty glass): The world of innovation is not flat. A handful of major tech hubs dominate the global startup scene, attracting the attention of 鈥渋nnovation hunters鈥� 鈥� VC funds and multinational companies. Without critical mass or strong international connections, smaller ecosystems risk remaining invisible and off the Scaleup Global Atlas.
• Opportunity view (aka half-full glass): For these ecosystems, the challenge is to scale rapidly and secure a spot on the Scaleup Global Atlas. Strategic government policies can significantly accelerate this process, fostering growth and global integration.

Together with , we conducted an in-depth analysis of Tunisia鈥檚 startup ecosystem, which is making significant strides to establish itself as a regional tech hub.

The , produced by my organization, , with the support of ICC Tunisia and Terna Innovation Zone, presents full data and was unveiled in Tunis on Feb. 12.

By the numbers: Tunisia鈥檚 innovation landscape

As of 2025, Tunisia hosts 17 scaleups and more than 1,450 startups, ranking among Africa鈥檚 top 10 destinations for tech innovation. The country is also home to one of the continent鈥檚 brightest tech success stories: Instadeep, which raised $100 million-plus in funding and was acquired by in one of Africa鈥檚 largest-ever tech M&A deals.

But this is just the tip of the innovation iceberg. Beneath the surface lies a multifaceted ecosystem that includes:

• 54 higher education institutions;
• 26 active local VCs investing from Seed to Series A;
• 34 R&D institutions (16 research centers, 9 technopoles, 9 industry-focused technical centers);
• 62 innovation support organizations (incubators, accelerators, startup studios);
• A distributed network of 80-plus innovation communities, spaces and labs; and
• 15 public institutions and 14 NGOs supporting entrepreneurship.

The role of government in Tunisia鈥檚 innovation growth

Tunisia鈥檚 innovation push began in the early 2000s with a series of government-led initiatives, including:

• National Program for Business Incubators (1999): Integrated business incubation into higher-education institutions.
• Technopole Law (2001): Established innovation hubs merging education, research and tech development.
• Startup Act (2016) & Startup Act 2.0: Introduced tax incentives, funding support and legal frameworks to foster entrepreneurship.
• Digital Tunisia 2025 Plan: An evolution of Digital Tunisia 2020, aimed at accelerating digital transformation and economic modernization.
• Terna Innovation Zone Tunisia (2025): The first innovation hub in Africa and MENA managed by Italian TSO Terna, reinforcing Tunisia鈥檚 role in tech innovation.

Beyond the numbers: Tunisia鈥檚 place in Africa鈥檚 innovation scene

While Africa鈥檚 largest innovation ecosystems 鈥� South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria and Kenya 鈥� each host around 150 scaleups with over $2 billion in capital raised, Tunisia belongs to a second-tier group alongside Morocco, Mauritius, Ghana, Seychelles and Uganda.

Despite its relatively small population (12.5 million), Tunisia with 17 scaleups and nearly 1,500 startups has 0.14 scaleups and 12.5 startups per 100,000 inhabitants. These figures align with regional leaders like Egypt and outperform neighbors Morocco and Algeria.

In terms of capital allocation, Tunisia dedicates 0.4% of its GDP to innovation 鈥� double Morocco (0.2%) and quadruple Algeria (0.1%) 鈥� though it still lags behind Egypt, which invests nearly twice as much.

The road ahead: Tunisia as Africa鈥檚 northwest scaleup hub?

Tunisia has a real opportunity to become Northwest Africa鈥檚 scaleup hub 鈥� and more importantly, a bridge between Africa and Europe.

The key challenge? Helping startups transition into scaleups. Successfully navigating this phase could spark a virtuous cycle, enhancing Tunisia鈥檚 regional and global relevance while attracting more investors and entrepreneurs.

With the right mix of policy, capital and international collaboration, Tunisia could cement its position as a rising force in the African tech landscape.

is chairman of and a professor at . He is a serial entrepreneur who has started three startups in his career, the last of which is , among the five Italian scaleups that have raised the largest amount of capital. He is recognized among the leading international experts in open innovation and has wide experience in setting up and managing open innovation projects 鈥� venture clients, venture builders, intrapreneurship, CVCs 鈥斅爓ith large multinational companies, as well as advising and training on this subject. Onetti has a column on () and several other tech blogs.

Photo by聽听辞苍听