Open Startup
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· 03
Could the next global science breakthrough come from Africa?
Yes. Obviously. And probably not in the way the world expects.
Because innovation here is not built in perfect conditions.
It is built with urgency.
With fewer resources.
With proximity to real problems.
With scientists, founders, and ecosystems learning how to do more with less, and still meet the global standard.
What would make the next breakthrough possible?
More belief in African talent.
More industry feedback.
More local infrastructure.
More investment in research, DeepTech, and science commercialization.
The next breakthrough can come from Africa.
Now the work is to build the conditions around it 🧬
Thank you to Akinyi Wavinya Ooko-Ombaka, Lemjaouri Driss, Ross Rayne Vermeulen, Sima Parekh, Yaya Mbaoua, for opening up to our Open Questions.
· 02
What is one bold bet Africa should make now that most people still underestimate?
Yaya Mbaoua, Richard Gordon, and Grégoire de Padirac did not point to one bet.
They pointed to the foundations.
People.
Youth.
Education.
Local languages.
AI and DeepTech.
Natural assets.
And the small, decisive investments that help ideas reach the next stage.
Because Africa’s next leap will not come from copying what already exists.
It will come from backing what is already here: the talent, the knowledge, the resources, and the ecosystems around them 🌍
Thank you to everyone who opened up to our and shared their vision for what comes next 🧬
10 years is a good moment to pause.
But not for too long 🚀
On June 26 in Tunis, Open Startup brought together founders, partners, mentors, investors, scientists, institutions, and ecosystem builders to mark 10 years of work across African innovation.
The focus was not only on what has been built since 2016, but on what needs to move next.
How do we take more African ventures from research to market?
How do we make early capital easier to access?
How do we connect founders to real customers, partners, and global opportunities?
That is the work ahead.
To every partner who was in the room, and every partner whose trust helped bring Open Startup to this point, thank you.
This journey was never built alone.
The future is open 🌍
✨ New logo. Same mission. Sharper focus.
Since 2016, Open Startup has evolved with every founder, partner, program, and ecosystem that helped carry the mission forward.
Today, as we enter a new decade, our visual identity is evolving too.
Not just to look different.
To reflect where we are going next.
A clearer direction.
A sharper path forward.
A stronger commitment to backing African founders who are building what the continent needs next, and helping take their work to the world.
DeepTech.
Health.
Climate.
Science-based innovation.
Market and investment readiness.
Now, onto the next decade of YES 🚀
The future is open 🌍
23/06/2026
In 2018, Open Startup was still a national competition.
That year, joined OST’s 4th edition as a solo applicant, with a simple video pitch and very little idea of how much the startup world would later shape her life.
She was in her final year of engineering school. Entrepreneurship was not yet the plan.
What started as a competition became a direction.
A few years later, Hadhami co-founded Relead with Rayen Cherni, turning that direction into a company built from .
Today, that company is growing with regional ambition.
A few things worth highlighting 👇
• Built a platform that transforms physical spaces into measurable digital advertising channels
• Raised $200,000 in seed funding
• Grew Relead into a team of 10 people
• Delivered 4M+ ad views across 200+ partner locations
• Deployed across shopping malls, airports, cafés, and other high-traffic venues
• Works with international clients including Philip Morris, TAV Airports, and BYD
• Serves leading companies including SFBT, MG Motor, and ZEN
We love watching our community grow like this.
This is the kind of story that makes a 10-year anniversary feel lived, not just counted.
Kudos to Hadhami and the whole Relead team 🚀
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