Category: Success Stories

Tunisian retail-tech startup Winshot secures 6-figure funding to improve customer experience

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Tunisian retail-tech startup Winshot has secured a six-figure round of funding to enhance operational efficiency and elevate the overall customer experience for brands, retail chains and franchise leaders.   Winshot aims to tackle the intricate challenges of retail distribution networks by focusing on two pivotal elements – fostering stronger connections, deeper involvement, and heightened engagement among internal teams operating both in the field and at the point of sale; and utilising real-time monitoring to ensures seamless application of processes and adherence to brand standards at every point of sale within a distribution…

Electric cars made in Tunisia soon to hit market

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Produced in Mghira, in the governorate of Ben Arous by a Tunisian company and engineers, the Bako electric car will be on the market in April 2024. Compact and practical, Bako is the name of the electric car made in Tunisia that has just left Boubaker Siala’s workshops in Mghira, in the governorate of Ben Arous. With three seats, a sunroof, a reversing camera, and air conditioning, the one-by-two-meter prototype looks great. Fully rechargeable at home, this electric car does not require a driver’s license, vignette or registration. Market launch…

Diaspora: Tunisian-French fintech My Easy Transfer raises €400,000 from 216 Capital

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216 Capital announced that it has invested 400,000 euros in Tunisian-French startup My Easy Transfer, which facilitates secure diaspora transfers. “This fund-raising marks a major step in the history of the startup, which aims to evolve its platform to meet all the payment needs of the diaspora: money transfer, sending mobile top-ups, local bill payment…in a single mobile application”, points out 216 Capital. It adds: Founded in 2022, My Easy Transfer also plans to evolve its model to become the first payment Super App for the diaspora, strengthening its presence…

Solar car start-up Bako Motors drives sustainable future

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Bako Motors, a pioneering Tunisian-German solar car start-up, is making waves in the sustainable transportation sector with their innovative approach to urban mobility. Founded in 2021, the company has gained international recognition for its eco-friendly solutions, most notably the Bako B1 electric tricycle. Now, on the cusp of a ground-breaking revelation, Bako Motors tells Ventureburn it is gearing up to unveil their second model, set to further revolutionise last-mile delivery and introduce an innovative passenger option. The Bako B1, the company’s first venture into sustainable mobility, has been a game-changer…

Tunisian Hatem Sellami uses artificial intelligence and data science to optimise promotions

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A computer scientist, he has extensive experience in predictive analysis. His company Cognira helps retailers and wholesalers to better manage and optimise their promotions. Hatem Sellami is a Tunisian computer scientist who graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1995 with a doctorate in computer engineering, and from the Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business in 1996 with a master’s degree in finance and technology management. He is a co-founder and the CEO of Cognira. Founded in 2015, Cognira is a US-based company that provides retailers and wholesalers with…

GBarena to acquire Tunisian gaming startup Galactech for USD 15 mn

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GBarena will acquire Tunisian gaming startup Galactech in a USD 15 mn share swap that will boost the Egyptian e-sport platform’s presence in the MENA region, it said in a statement. How much of GBarena Galactech will own is unclear: A company representative declined to disclose the details of the agreement when we reached out yesterday, saying the information is confidential. More acquisitions in the pipeline: GBarena plans to make several more acquisitions in the tech and gaming industry later this year, the company told us. The company is focused…

BioNTech acquires Tunisian-born and UK-based AI startup InstaDeep for £562M

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German-based biotech company BioNTech SE is set to acquire InstaDeep, a Tunis-born and U.K.-based artificial intelligence (AI) startup, for up to £562 million (~$680 million) in its largest deal yet. Per Financial Times, the German vaccine maker intends to use InstaDeep’s machine learning to “improve its drug discovery process, including developing personalised treatments tailored to a patient’s cancer.” BioNTech is said to pay £362 million — a mix of cash and an undisclosed amount of BioNTech shares — upfront. The remaining £200 million is dependent on how InstaDeep performs in…

Yassir pulls in $150M for its super app, led by Bond

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Yassir, an African super app platform that offers on-demand services such as ride-hailing, food and grocery delivery, and payments, has raised $150 million in Series B funding, five times what it raised in its previous priced round last November.  The investment was led by Bond, the growth-stage firm that Mary Meeker spun out of Kleiner Perkins in 2018. Other investors in the growth round include DN Capital, Dorsal Capital, Quiet Capital, Stanford Alumni Ventures and Y Combinator via its Continuity Fund, among other strategic investors.  The African startup, first launched in Algeria,…

Tunisian ‘Cure Bionics,’ chosen to receive funding from pan-African ‘Investing in Innovation’ program.

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Cure Bionics, a Tunisian startup that creates bionic arms (prostheses) using 3D printing technology, has been chosen to receive funding from the pan-African Investing in Innovation (i3) programme, supported by the Gates Foundation, along with 29 other top African startups that have an impact on the healthcare supply chain. The business is also creating therapeutic applications for persons with disabilities utilizing immersive technologies, enabling them to receive care without having to visit a clinic. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded i3 program seeks to invest in the most promising African…

Drinking water-Technology: Tunisian start-up partners with NGO to provide 570 students with drinking water in northwest Tunisia

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Tunisian start-up “Kumulus Water” has provided assistance to a school deprived of drinking water in Makhtar in the region of Siliana (north-west of Tunisia) through a technical solution “Kumulus 1”, designed to generate water from the ambient air. It came to support its expertise in water technology, the efforts of the Tunisian NGO “WallahWeCan”, which campaigns for the improvement of living conditions of students in schools and educational environments in Tunisia, especially in disadvantaged areas. Thanks to atmospheric water generators, each producing 20 to 30 litres of healthy drinking water…