The International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, is set to boost Tunisia’s Startup Ecosystem through its $1 million investment in the Anava Seed Fund (ASF). The ASF is Flat6Labs accelerator and early-stage fund which aims to boost tech entrepreneurship and women entrepreneurs in Tunisia.
Founded in 2011, Flat6Labs is a regional startup accelerator program that nurtures and invests in entrepreneurs with cutting-edge ideas. Headquartered in Cairo, Egypt, Flat6labs has a presence across Tunisia, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia.
Alongside the IFC, the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi) will be providing $500k to support the Anava Seed Fund (ASF). We-Fi boosts women entrepreneurs in emerging countries through capacity building, bolstering their access to financial products and services, and linking them to domestic and global markets.
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Ramez El-Serafy, CEO at Flat6Labs, said, the partnership with IFC will allow them to provide entrepreneurs with a better support program that will encourage potential candidates, especially women, to apply.
In a bid to align with the We-Fi program, the IFC will collaborate with Flat6Labs Tunisia to support women entrepreneurs. The support will help the women beat their challenges, which mostly focuses on gender exclusion. The program will not only foster gender inclusion but also create more opportunities for women to thrive in the tech ecosystem in Tunisia.
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