Business Daily The man who built Africa's largest AI firm
6 snips
Jan 30, 2026 
Karim Beguir, mathematician-turned-entrepreneur who co-founded InstaDeep and launched Project Tatooine to train African tech talent. He recounts starting with two laptops and $2,000. He talks about meeting major tech figures, applying reinforcement learning to industry, using LLMs to track COVID variants, and the company’s growth and acquisition by BioNTech.
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Humble Two‑Laptop Origin
- Karim Beguir started InstaDeep with two laptops, $2,000 and no clear business plan, relying on grit and a co-founder bond.
- The company rose from Tunisia to global attention and meetings with Mark Zuckerberg within a few years.
MWC Press Lifted InstaDeep To Silicon Valley
- A PCMag mention at Mobile World Congress led to an invite from Facebook and a Silicon Valley meeting with Mark Zuckerberg.
- That exposure helped convince Karim that a North Africa–to–Silicon Valley path was achievable.
Research Publication Built Credibility
- Karim adapted DeepMind-style reinforcement learning to industrial tasks like container loading and logistics.
- Publishing that research openly amplified InstaDeep's visibility and credibility in AI communities.