If you zoom out on Tunisia’s innovation scene, you’ll see two pictures at once. On one hand, the country has a real base to build on: a pioneering Startup Act, a growing pipeline of founders, and strengths in talent affordability and overall value for money. On the other hand, founders still wrestle with heavy admin, uneven financing, and rules that make it hard to sell abroad or bring in foreign capital.

This post pulls from a recent field study of Tunisian founders and public stakeholders (questionnaires + interviews) and adds fresh 2025 context to suggest practical, do-now fixes.

The snapshot (where Tunisia stands today)

• Labelled startups & makeup. As of June 2024, Tunisia counted 1,046 labelled startups; Business Software & Services is the largest slice (22.1%).
• Global pulse. In GSER 2025, Tunisia ranks #2 in MENA for Bang for Buck (runway per VC dollar) and #3 in Affordable Talent, with Smart Capital/CDC highlighted as ecosystem anchors. Startup Genome
• But momentum is fragile. The ecosystem generated $241M in 2021–2023 ecosystem value (+205% vs 2019–2021), yet Tunisia slipped in global rankings between 2020–2023 and new labels slowed sharply after a 2020 peak.

Where founders struggle (in their words)

• Administration & coordination. 60.9% flag heavy, fragmented procedures; platforms often require in-person trips; poor coordination across ministries.
• Rules that don’t fit innovation. Fintechs still treated as traditional financial institutions under Law 2016-48 (e.g., high minimum capital/partners), an inactive sandbox period, and foreign-exchange controls that push teams to relocate once label benefits expire.
• Market access & weak linkages. Thin local demand, parallel market pressure, slow public-sector payments, and 70% of firms have no business ties with startups.
• Instability & talent flight. Founders cite political/economic uncertainty and ongoing brain drain.

Finance & support: good intentions, mixed experience

• Startup Act = helpful but needs tuning. 87.5% used its benefits, yet every interviewed founder says procedures for funding are too slow; many bootstrap rather than tap banks, funds, or angels. Transparency around selection/jury composition also came up.
• Crowdfunding rules are siloed. Equity, donations, and lending sit under different authorities, making blended campaigns hard.
• Incubators/accelerators help—if you’re in Tunis. Useful for ~39% (mentors/resources), but geography and slow fundraising journeys limit impact for others.

Going global is still harder than it should be

73.9% of surveyed startups don’t export yet, though 73% want to start. Non-exporters cite lack of export resources, restrictive FX rules, and pricey/administrative trade missions; exporters struggle with finance, FX volatility, slow/failed payments, legal & logistics hurdles, and marketing.

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15 fixes to unlock Tunisia’s next wave (policy + ecosystem)

1) One-stop shop for startups. A unified “single window” to handle admin, regulatory info, and financing routes—mirroring France’s industrial startup guichet under France 2030.

2) Make crowdfunding flexible. Allow equity + donation + lending in the same raise; simplify procedures. Mobilize the diaspora through targeted incentives and co-investment/mentoring networks tied to market access.

3) Publish how public money is allocated. Proactive transparency for AIR/AIR² (calls, criteria, scores), with appeals and periodic independent audits.

4) Independent investment committees. Mix academia, industry, and public institutions; publish anonymized scoring and reasoned decisions.

5) Give fintechs a proper legal home. Create a fintech statute or a special entity (Egypt model) and standardize Open-Banking APIs to let banks and startups integrate safely.

6) Double down on digital inclusion. National campaigns for e-payments and online services adoption to expand the addressable market for local startups.

7) Let startups sell to the state—without suffocating.
Advance/pre-financing mechanisms, lighter RFPs, a matchmaking portal for public needs ↔ startup solutions, and awareness on buying innovation.

8) Fast, fair dispute resolution. Create a Startup Ombudsman, a specialized regulator to handle unresolved cases (AFCA-style), and a fast-track commercial court chamber for tech disputes.

9) Finish the foreign-exchange reform—carefully. A new FX code (green-lit by the Council of Ministers in Mar 2024) promises liberalization (clearer residency, easier foreign investment, guarded crypto use, freelancer/startup provisions). As of Aug 9, 2025, business federations note it’s still pending full adoption—so move it forward with safeguards.

10) Back internationalization with muscle. CEPEX-led missions, personalized export coaching, and legal tools to set up subsidiaries and circulate FX within groups; stand up a Tunisia-to-world Internationalization Fund inspired by KOSGEB/Innov Invest models.

11) Culture shift. Promote entrepreneurship literacy (opportunity spotting, unit economics, go-to-market) across society.

12) University ↔ startup bridges. Add Fintech law and cross-disciplinary clinics (IP, contracts, crypto/smart-contract basics) to close legal talent gaps; scale internships with startups.

13) E-residency pilot. Test an Estonia-inspired program to attract founders and services exports (with AML/KYC, fraud controls, and cost realism).

14) Digital-nomad visa (DNV). Done right, DNVs bring spending and networks; watch cost-of-living impacts in hotspot districts.

15) Keep the flywheel funded—and fast. Ensure AIR/AIR² and the ANAVA fund-of-funds deploy without bottlenecks; the 2025 program updates and World Bank-backed startup roadshow show momentum—maintain cadence. Startup Tunisia World Bank Blogs

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Quick wins in 90 days (no new laws required)

• Publish standard timelines & decision criteria for grants/investments; auto-feedback for all rejected applications.
• Launch a “Public Buyers of Innovation” track: 10 willing agencies commit to at least one startup pilot each, with milestone-based pre-financing.
• Stand up a Fintech API working group (BCT + banks + startups) to draft a minimal open-banking spec; run a time-boxed sandbox cohort on two live use-cases (KYC portability, account-to-account payments). Fintech BCT

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Why acting now pays off

Founders told us plainly: without fixes, startups will under-export, remain exposed to domestic shocks, and consider moving to friendlier ecosystems—costing Tunisia jobs, fiscal revenue, and innovation spillovers.

The good news? Tunisia already scores well on value for money and talent in 2025. Lock in those edges with cleaner rules, faster money, and a state that buys local innovation—and the next 1,000 startups will scale here, not elsewhere. Startup Genome

References

1) Startup Act (overview) — https://startup.gov.tn/en/startup_act/discover
2) Startup Tunisia (homepage) — https://startup.gov.tn/en/home
3) Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2025 (PDF) — https://startupgenome.com/contents/report/gser-2025_4786.pdf
4) Tunisia ecosystem profile (Startup Genome) — https://startupgenome.com/ecosystems/tunisia
5) Smart Capital – ANAVA fund of funds — https://smartcapital.tn/?lang=en&page_id=989
6) The Fund of Funds (Startup Tunisia/ANAVA) — https://startup.gov.tn/en/startup_invest/the_fund_of_funds
7) AIR / AIR² program — https://startup.gov.tn/en/startup_ecosystem/flywheel/air
8) US State Dept. Investment Climate (FX draft law, Mar 14, 2024) — https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-investment-climate-statements/tunisia
9) BCT Fintech Sandbox — https://fintech.bct.gov.tn/en/sandbox
10) Banking Law No. 2016-48 (PDF) — https://www.fgdb.gov.tn/storage/79/Loi-n%C2%B0-2016-48-du-11-juillet-2016.pdf
11) Crowdfunding Law No. 2020-37 (PDF) — https://www.cmf.tn/sites/default/files/pdfs/reglementation/textes-reference/loi_crowfunding_37_06082020_fr.pdf
12) Crowdfunding Decree No. 2022-765 (PDF) — https://www.cmf.tn/sites/default/files/pdfs/reglementation/textes-reference/dec2022-765_19102022_fr.pdf
13) CEPEX – Tunisia Export Network — https://www.cepex.nat.tn/content/home
14) World Bank blog (2025 Tunisia startup roadshow) — https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/arabvoices/tunisia-s-regional-startup-roadshow-bringing-innovation-closer-to-home
15) World Bank iSME Project docs (Tunisia) — https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/853221560823315952/txt/Tunisia-Innovative-Startups-and-Small-and-Medium-Enterprises-Project.txt
16) PSD2 explainer (European Central Bank) — https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/intro/mip-online/2018/html/1803_revisedpsd.en.html
17) EU PSD2 review / Open Finance consultation (PDF) — https://finance.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2022-05/2022-psd2-review-open-finance-consultation-document_en.pdf
18) Estonia e-Residency (official) — https://www.e-resident.gov.ee/