Algeria’s startup scene is getting a behind-the-scenes upgrade, aimed not at founders directly but at the incubators and accelerators that support them.
Flat6Labs, the entrepreneurship platform that runs startup programmes across the Middle East and Africa, and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private-sector arm of the World Bank Group, have launched StartAlgeria, a capacity-building programme for the country’s Entrepreneur Support Organisations (ESOs). It runs in partnership with Algeria’s Ministry of Knowledge Economy, Startups and Micro-Enterprises and the Government of the Netherlands.
ESOs are the incubators, accelerators and support bodies that select, train and fund early-stage startups. StartAlgeria targets them rather than individual founders, on the logic that stronger support organisations produce stronger companies.
What the programme involves
A first cohort will focus on incubators in Algiers, the capital. After a call for applications, the selected organisations will participate in workshops and masterclasses covering startup selection, programme design, and investment readiness.
Each will then receive 6 months of mentorship on fundraising strategy, partnership development, and financial sustainability, areas where many African support organisations struggle to move startups from early-stage ideas to investment-ready ventures.
“Algeria’s startup ecosystem is demonstrating remarkable potential and a rapidly growing level of maturity,” said Yehia Houry, chief executive of Flat6Labs. He said the opportunity lay in helping support organisations “identify and nurture high-potential startups” and build stronger links between founders and capital.
Part of a diversification push
The programme reflects a wider effort by Algeria, long dependent on oil and gas revenues, to build a knowledge economy. The government has created a dedicated ministry for the startup sector and rolled out startup-labelling and funding schemes in recent years.
“By strengthening the capabilities of Entrepreneur Support Organisations, we are investing in the long-term growth, resilience and international competitiveness of Algerian startups,” said Noureddine Ouadah, the Minister of Knowledge Economy, Startups and Micro-Enterprises.
Flat6Labs runs programmes across 15 countries, and StartAlgeria adds to a run of ecosystem-building across the continent, from fresh pools of venture capital to accelerator pushes in other markets. For Algeria, the test will be whether better-run incubators translate into more startups that can raise money and scale beyond the domestic market.
Leave a Reply