Novation City's CEO Hichem Turki Advocates for Structured Collaboration between Startups and Enterprises
Hichem Turki, the CEO of Novation City, defends a structured vision of collaboration between startups and enterprises, based on expert support, the creation of sectoral competence centers, and the gradual integration of young technological shoots into the heart of industrial organizations. This approach aims to bridge the gap between innovation and adoption, while paving the way for internationalization.
Panel Discussion: Startups and Enterprises
During the panel discussion "Startups and Enterprises: Strategic Collaborations, Ecosystem Dynamics, and Exit Perspectives," organized by the Tunisian-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry on December 15, 2025, in Tunis, Hichem Turki presented the operational model developed by Novation City to facilitate synergies between technological startups and the Tunisian industrial fabric.
Three Competence Centers to Structure Innovation
Novation City has established competence centers structured around three strategic axes: intelligent industry, artificial intelligence, and mobility. This specialization falls within the field of mechatronics, a discipline that is inherently transversal. Each competence center is organized around three main activities: training, incubation and acceleration, as well as consulting and supporting enterprises.
Open Innovation Approach
The positioning of Novation City is distinguished by an "open innovation" approach, but with a fundamental particularity: it is not the enterprise that directly leads this open innovation approach, but rather Novation City that accompanies the enterprise in this process and attracts startups within the organization. This active intermediary posture aims to overcome the reticence and mutual misunderstandings between two worlds with different temporalities and operating logics.
Field Expertise, Key to Trust
The credibility of this mediation relies on the expertise of Novation City's teams. By being present within the enterprises themselves, the experts can propose technologies developed by the startups they support. This immersion creates a climate of trust between the enterprise and emerging technological solutions, an element that Turki considers decisive for the adoption of innovation. Access to experts and their knowledge of the field constitutes, according to him, a decisive asset for opening doors to startups and enabling them to secure a first contract, often crucial for their subsequent development.
Ecosystem Approach
Novation City inscribes its action within a complex and interconnected ecosystem. The organization works in close collaboration with higher education, research, technopoles, and clusters. This ecosystem approach aims, in particular, to reach SMEs, which do not have the financial and organizational means of large enterprises to conduct open innovation approaches on their own. While large French companies established in Tunisia, such as Actia or Safran, can deploy their own open innovation devices, SMEs require structured and externalized support to access technological innovation.
From Tunis to International Podiums
Once the first collaboration is established, Novation City extends its support by assisting startups in their international expansion. This dimension involves participation in professional fairs and international competitions. Turki cites, in particular, the IA Challenge and the Arabia Challenge, two competitions where Tunisian startups regularly distinguish themselves by reaching the podium. These results testify, according to him, to the quality of the talent pool available in Tunisia, an innovation capacity on which it is necessary to capitalize.
Preparing the Tunisian Ecosystem for International Exits
On the question of preparing the Tunisian ecosystem for international exits, Hichem Turki adopts a nuanced position. He recognizes that the Tunisian market is small and does not, on its own, generate significant exits for startups. International establishment therefore becomes a necessity, not only to access new markets but also to circumvent the constraints related to currency regulation in Tunisia. This physical presence in other territories is indispensable for opening the way to significant exits.
Strategic Partnerships for Internationalization
Novation City has developed strategic partnerships to support startups in this internationalization, ensuring that they do not go alone and can benefit from structured support. Several files are in preparation, and Turki expresses a certain pride regarding the perspectives that are emerging for these young companies.
Exits: Collaboration as a Springboard for Acquisitions
Regarding the ability of Tunisian companies to participate directly in exits through acquisitions, the CEO of Novation City is pragmatic. He observes that there are currently not enough companies of critical size in Tunisia with the necessary financial surface to absorb startups in the context of significant external growth operations. However, he emphasizes that the collaborations established upstream, notably those facilitated by Novation City, constitute a springboard for acquisition opportunities by international groups, including those present in Tunisia such as Safran.
Structuring Programs
To strengthen this dynamic, Novation City pilots or participates in several structuring programs. Beyond its own initiatives, the organization intervenes within the framework of programs carried by the cluster and collaborates with the Agency for the Promotion of Industry and Innovation on the Smart Capital device. This device specifically aims to promote collaboration between startups and enterprises and to support the concrete implementation of partnerships.
Importance of Trust Relationship
Turki insists on the importance of the trust relationship between startups and enterprises for the future of the Tunisian ecosystem. If local financial capacity remains limited to absorb significant exits, well-conducted industrial partnerships with large groups, Tunisian or international, can lead to structuring acquisition operations. He also recalls that startups, beyond the technological dimension, must be supported in all aspects of their development: finance, market access, team management. This global vision of support constitutes, according to him, an indispensable condition for allowing startups to take steps and reach sufficient maturity to consider successful exits.
Smart Factory
Hichem Turki also mentioned the establishment of a Smart Factory within Novation City, a space designed to allow startups to test their solutions in a real industrial environment before their deployment with clients. This device aims to reassure companies by offering them the possibility of concretely validating the technologies proposed by young shoots, in conditions close to those of their own production sites. This approach illustrates the willingness to reduce the risks perceived by industrialists and to facilitate the adoption of innovative solutions by creating an intermediate, controlled, and secure testing environment.
