CJD Talks 2024: Oussama Messaoud, President of Tunisian Startups, Discusses the Role of Startups and SMEs
Promoting Innovation and Sharing
Tunisian Startups, founded in 2016, is an association dedicated to promoting innovation and sharing among startups. Its main mission is to create a favorable environment where startups and companies can innovate and thrive. The association works to evolve the legal framework to facilitate the emergence of international champions that can inspire future generations of entrepreneurs.
Facilitating Experience Sharing
One of the key objectives of Tunisian Startups is to facilitate experience sharing and learning among different actors to avoid common mistakes and overcome obstacles. The association also serves as a reference point for startups, allowing them to meet the ecosystem and decision-makers.
Understanding the Nature of Startups
Messaoud highlighted that a startup is primarily a phase in the life cycle of a company, but with a different orientation than a classical company. A startup is distinguished by its main mission of seeking an innovative business model, testing ideas and prototypes on the market, and evolving them into a confirmed economic model. This innovation, testing, and validation process is crucial for a startup to achieve sustained growth, also known as scalability.
Creating a Specific Framework
To avoid the constraints of the existing legal framework, Tunisian Startups initiated a task force gathering key actors to develop a favorable ecosystem for startup creation. This initiative includes tax and financial benefits to facilitate the integration of startups into the Tunisian economic fabric.
Assessment of the Startup Act
According to Messaoud, the Startup Act, despite a lack of information on its evolution, is considered a unique success. Over 1000 startups have received the label, and although some did not succeed, the emergence of a recognized innovation dynamic in the international ecosystem is a very positive reality.
Challenges of Foreign Investment
A major problem remains the difficult access to foreign investments for Tunisian startups. This barrier hinders the growth and international expansion potential of local startups.
Common Challenges between Startups and SMEs
Startups and SMEs share similar challenges, including the lack of resources and capitalization. They often operate in an inadequate regulatory framework and require closer collaboration between different structures to drive innovation and entrepreneurship forward. Consolidated recommendations, such as reforming the exchange code, can help overcome these obstacles.
Solutions and Opportunities for the Future
The podcast with Oussama Messaoud highlights several solutions and opportunities to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Tunisia:
- Create a solid support ecosystem: Establish task forces and collaborative initiatives to develop an environment conducive to innovation and startup creation.
- Facilitate access to foreign investments: Adapt policies to allow easier and freer access to foreign investments, essential for startup growth.
- Promote experience sharing: Encourage entrepreneurs to share their successes and failures to enrich the local ecosystem and help new generations learn from others' experiences.
- Adapt the legal framework: Continue to reform the legal framework to better respond to the specific needs of startups and encourage innovation.
- Encourage collaboration between startups and SMEs: Foster closer collaboration between structures working on innovation and entrepreneurship to find common solutions to shared challenges.
These solutions and opportunities show that, despite current challenges, it is possible to create a favorable environment for innovation and startup growth in Tunisia. By adopting these approaches, young entrepreneurs can contribute to a positive economic, social, and cultural transformation and position Tunisia as a regional leader in the startup and innovation sector.