Digital Fraud on the Rise: Thinkneo's Solution to Secure Identity Verification
Digital fraud is growing at an alarming rate, with deepfakes and falsified documents posing a significant threat. In Africa, a quarter of official documents are affected, presenting a major challenge for businesses and their clients. As Leith Mokaddem, co-founder of Thinkneo, explains, "Remote identification has become a major obstacle. For businesses, it's a regulatory and security challenge. For users, it's often a lengthy and frustrating process, sometimes requiring physical presence."
Introducing Avatar-ID: A Secure Digital Identity Solution
To address this issue, Thinkneo, founded by Leith Mokaddem and Sarah Ksibi in summer 2024, has developed Avatar-ID, a secure digital identity solution. This innovative platform combines biometrics and artificial intelligence to verify the user's identity and detect any document falsification. Additionally, user data is protected and processed in a sovereign manner, without relying on external services. "We're not just reacting to fraud, we're anticipating it," emphasizes Sarah Ksibi.
Thinkneo's Milestones and Recognition
In 2025, Thinkneo was labeled as part of the Tunisian Startup Act and incubated at The DOT. The startup also received recognition as an innovative product in France. Leith Mokaddem, with nearly 18 years of experience in telecommunications, has led several pioneering projects, including the first mobile payment solutions in Tunisia: MobiFlouss with the Post Office and MobiCash with Monétique Tunisie and banks.
Recent Developments and Innovations
Recently, Avatar-ID has integrated Single Sign-On (SSO) and digital legalized signature, allowing users to create their digital identity once and use it for various services. The digital signature reproduces the official municipal process, leveraging blockchain technology to ensure a secure and unalterable public register.
Prioritizing Data Protection
For Thinkneo, data protection is a top priority. The startup applies Privacy by Design, respects Tunisian regulations and the GDPR, and only collects necessary data. Furthermore, its artificial intelligence models are proprietary and hosted in a sovereign environment, without relying on external APIs like Google or Facebook. In Tunisia, Thinkneo supports businesses in their digital transformation, collaborating with a telecom operator to digitalize eSIM activation, service sales, and remote onboarding.
Impact and International Expansion
Thinkneo's impact extends beyond technology, helping businesses rethink customer experience, reducing paperwork, travel, and delays. For citizens, this means easier access to essential services. For businesses, it translates to increased efficiency, better compliance, and significant fraud reduction. With ambitions beyond the Tunisian market, Thinkneo is developing its presence in France and Europe, participating in events like Ambition Africa and VivaTech, and working on projects in sub-Saharan Africa, Senegal, and the Maghreb region.
Thinkneo's Strategy for International Success
To succeed internationally, Thinkneo focuses on three key areas: establishing strong local partnerships, adapting its solution to each market's regulations, and investing in R&D to stay ahead of digital fraud. The startup collaborates with foreign laboratories to perfect its artificial intelligence models. The ultimate goal is to make Avatar-ID a regional and international reference in secure digital identity. For Thinkneo, digital identity is not just a service, but the invisible infrastructure of the digital economy, which the startup strives to make reliable and accessible to all.
