The world of innovation is not flat.

A dozen large tech hubs dominate the global startup scene, attracting the attention of “innovation hunters” (VC funds and multinational companies). Without achieving critical mass or establishing strong international connections, local ecosystems risk stagnation.
For all other ecosystems, regardless of region, the challenge is to scale rapidly and secure a place on the Scaleup Global Atlas. Well-designed government policies can significantly accelerate the emergence process.

In North Africa’s tech scene, Tunisia is making significant strides to establish itself as a regional tech hub, thanks in part to government initiatives such as the Law on the Establishment of Technopoles, the Startup Act, and Digital Tunisia.

As of 2025, Tunisia hosts 17 scaleups and ranks among the top 10 destinations for tech innovation in Africa. Tunisia is also home to one of Africa’s brightest tech success stories: Instadeep, which secured over $100 million in funding and was acquired by BioNTech in one of the largest tech M&A deals ever recorded on the continent. Beyond scaleups, there is a robust “innovation iceberg” comprising more than 1,450 startups with the potential to further expand the country’s innovation ecosystem.

However, Tunisia continues to face significant challenges in innovation financing, particularly in bridging the funding gap compared to other thriving ecosystems. To date, Tunisian scaleups have collectively raised $0.2 billion – equivalent to approximately 0.4% of the country’s GDP. 
While promising, this figure falls short of unlocking the country’s full innovation potential.

At Mind the Bridge, we are betting on Tunisia’s innovation potential. 
The first step is to host one of our Scaleup Summits in Tunis – an innovation scouting and matching event – in partnership with ICC Tunisia and with the support of the newly launched Terna Innovation Zone Tunisia.