With more than 20 years of managerial experience in the information technology sector, he has worked for national and international firms. Since 2021, he is overseeing the destinies of Algeria’s startup accelerator.

Sid Ali Zerrouki (photo) is an Algerian information security engineer. He is also the managing director of Algeria Venture, the first state-owned startup accelerator in Algeria. In that capacity, his missions include identifying and supporting local high-potential innovators whose success would make Algeria a tech hub and transform its economy. 

During an interview with French TV channel Euronews, he explained that Algeria Venture’s goal is to give tech innovators the required resources to hit markets with quality solutions as well as attract local and international investors that would help them develop their businesses. In line with that goal, in April 2022, in Algier, the state accelerator launched the first cohort of Boost Competencies Entrepreneurship Program (BCEP), an accelerator program implemented in partnership with  Google for Startups Accelerator Middle East and North Africa. The program boosted the capacities of the 14 startups, from seven Algerian wilayas (regions), that participated in that first cohort. 

Sid Ali holds an information security engineering degree from the University of Constantine 1. He also has a master's degree in business administration from Paris Dauphine University and an executive MBA in international business and commerce from the Sorbonne Business School.

Before his appointment as the managing director of Algeria Venture (in 2021),  he was a senator of the World Business Angels Investment Forum, from September 2020 to April 2021.  His professional career started in 1998 when he became the IT project manager of Sonatrach, the state-owned oil company in Algeria. In 2001, he joined oil drilling equipment provider Schlumberger as an SDP Driller (assistant driller).  

From 2002 to 2009, Sid Ali Zerrouki was OTA Algeria’s network rollout manager. He was later assigned to head the rollout and deployment department at VEON, in Burundi. In 2012, he became a consultant for Kenayn TIM consulting and then joined Huawei Algeria, in 2013, as the senior director of services.

After a stint at Millicom in Tanzania from 2014 to 2016, he joined Cybercom Group as a senior audit program manager. In December 2016, Sid Ali Zerrouki was recruited as Director of Operations for the Algerian company Confidential. The following year, Revotech appointed him as managing director before his appointment to lead Rail Telecom Spa from 2018 to 2021.

Melchior Koba