After pioneering in the video game industry with a software company and moving into a leadership role in a new connective services business, Mohamed Islam Betta says the outlook for startups in Algeria is pretty good right now.

“Algeria is a good starting point for a business because many services are missing here, and technological startups can help in many fields,” Betta told Maghreb News Wire. “The startup business in Algeria is difficult compared to other European or Asian countries, because entrepreneurship is still a new concept, and investors are not interested in investing in a startup here, but things are evolving positively, and many startups are seeing the light every year.”

Betta said the emergence of incubators is one sign that there is a growing trend toward technology development in Algeria and neighboring countries.

“I think the general perception of startups have evolved very positively, there are many incubators that help startups now and many competitions help young entrepreneurs to get a business plan and a first investment to start their projects,” Betta said.

Betta himself has more than one development project under his belt -- previously, he had hand in a now-defunct startup called Funecs that created video games with advertising built-in.

“The added value is that Funecs offered an easy way to help businesses promote their products using games to get better visibility among young people,” Betta said.

Now, he's involved building a 3arsscom platform that helps people to organize weddings.

“One of the reasons that can make a successful startup is delivering a new product that is not present in a local market, and that solves a specific problem,” Betta said. “Also, as technology-based startups are getting more attention in Algeria in the last few years, providing a solution to any problem with the use of new technologies can help startups to succeed.”

More information about 3arsscom and its services can be found at the company's Facebook page.