Karim Beguir
InstaDeep

Together with his friend Zohra Slim, Karim Beguir founded InstaDeep in 2015, one of the pioneering companies in artificial intelligence. The Tunisian startup gained international recognition during the COVID-19 pandemic through its AI-powered system for detecting new variants of the virus. In January 2023, InstaDeep was acquired by the German biotechnology company BioNTech for nearly $700 million—the largest AI acquisition ever completed outside the United States. Perhaps because of his own extraordinary journey—he launched InstaDeep with two computers, $2,000 and a great deal of enthusiasm—Beguir remains deeply optimistic about Africa’s future. He believes that three recent technological revolutions—renewable energy, artificial intelligence and cryptocurrencies—point towards what he calls “a bright future” for the continent. In his view, renewable energy makes it possible to develop clean power at a scale and competitiveness that can surpass fossil fuels. Speaking at the Mediterranean AI Forum in Tunis last November, he described artificial intelligence as “a historic opportunity” for the region, arguing that North Africa’s abundant solar energy could power highly competitive data centres. In his latest book, The Decisive Leap: Building Africa’s Future in the Age of AI (Éditions de l’ADN, April 2025), Beguir urges policymakers and entrepreneurs to seize this pivotal moment so that Africa can shape its own destiny.