The US Embassy in Tunis Office has partnered with the Tunisian Ministry of Technology of Communication and Digital Transformation and Smart Capital, the Startup Tunisia operator, to raise awareness about the goals of the Start-up Act across Tunisia.
The much-awaited Startup Act has been launched officially since 2019 and is offering a new and unique legal framework with a series of advantages and incentives intended for entrepreneurs, startups and Investors. In order to make the Startup Act accessible and inclusive to all entrepreneurs in Tunisia, the communication efforts have to be strengthened to provide an equal opportunity to access information across the country. To empower this initiative, the US Embassy funded Promoting Innovation in the Start-up Ecosystem project (PROMISE) completed a roadshow across the country to raise awareness about the Start-up Act benefits, and to equip entrepreneurs and start-ups with the tools and knowledge needed to successfully apply to the Start-up Act label.
To date, 21 awareness events across 10 governorates were facilitated for more than 1000 attendees. Thirty start-up advisors representing regional incubators, universities, nd technoparks were trained and provided with materials to further the awareness of the process for gaining the start-up label.
As a result of PROMISE assistance, the number of submissions to the Start-up Act label increased significantly during the month of April. Four supported start-ups recently obtained the Start-up label and more start-ups will follow over the next few months.
Even during COVID-19, PROMISE continued its awareness-raising events virtually …On April 18th, PROMISE organized a webinar on the Start-up Act, in partnership with the student organization IESEC (Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques et Commerciales), aimed at developing the leadership and entrepreneurial skills of its young members during the Covid-19 crisis. The webinar has reached 680 young students, entrepreneurs, and professionals from 18 governorates of Tunisia.
The success of this roadshow was showcased by our partner’s expressed appreciation and gratitude:
“Thank you for demystifying the content of the Startup ACT for our students and professors. We Hope to get the chance to host another activity within our 4C center”
Amira Hamdi, Director of the ENIGA Gafsa University 4 C “Centre de Carrière et de Certification des Compétences”
