Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding allows entrepreneurs to raise (usually) small amounts of capital from a large group of individuals via the Internet to finance their business venture. The following crowdfunding opportunities exist for entrepreneurs in Tunisia:

• Zoomaal is a reward/donation based crowdfunding platform for creative projects in the Arab world. It is most suitable for event organizers, creatives, scientists, engineers, web & mobile developers, product designers, video producers, and community activists.
• Maouel: it is a nonprofit organization supporting youth entrepreneurship in Tunisia and the MENA. They are building a micro-Lending / crowdfunding platform. You can subscribe for their updates.
• Kickstarter is a US-based global crowdfunding platform for creative projects. The platform is reward/donation based and offering financial incentives like equity or repayment is prohibited.
• Indiegogo is a US-based global crowdfunding platform that help individuals, businesses, and non-profits raise money online. The platform is reward/donation based and offering financial incentives like equity or repayment is currently prohibited.

Loans

• Banque de Tunisie offers lending to micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
• The ATLAS Foundation (L’Association Tunisienne pour le Leadership l'Auto-développement et la Solidarité) works in the rural regions of Béja, Bizerte and Jendouba, and one of their programs involves microcredit.

Government:

• ANETI: the Tunisian Employment Office offers different services to Tunisian SMEs such as project validation (MORENE) and financial support especially through microcredit (CEFE).

Angel Investments and Venture Capital

Angel investments are typically the earliest equity investors in startup companies. Angel investors are usually wealthy individuals that band together in investor networks. Venture capital refers to money invested in a project in which there is a substantial element at risk, typically a new or expanding business.

• The MENA Private Equity Association represents most prominent alternative asset managers from the MENA region. They published a Venture Capital Ecosystem Directory which outlines the companies providing alternative financing. The overall directory is available here.

• Directory of Angel/Seed funding in MENA
• Directory of VC funding in MENA