Fascinated by computer programming and technology from a young age, he initiated and organized hackathons and technology-centric events during his high school years. He now heads a startup that helps companies recruit the right tech profiles. 

Ayhem Ghanmi (photo) is a young Tunisian entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of HackUp, a startup that is revolutionizing the tech talent recruitment landscape through an innovative and intelligent matching system.  

Ayhem Ghanmi started programming at the age of 15. Inspired by Elon Musk, he has always been interested in Silicon Valley and the world of entrepreneurship. In 2017, the young entrepreneur began organizing technology events and mini-hackathons at Lycée Pilot de l'Ariana (LPA), where he studied from 2017 to 2021.

In 2020, he met Mohamed Aziz Najjar, who gave up his old job to join him in his project. That's how the Tunisian startup that organizes hackathons, HackUp, was born in 2020. HackUp redefines the way recruiters find developers. It developed a digital platform that uses a smart validation process, testing, assessing, and challenging candidates to reveal their tech level. Based on the scores achieved by developers, recruiters can then hire the developers they need. 

Thanks to HackUp, Ayhem Ghanmi became, at the age of 18, the first high school student to be awarded the Startup Act label– A legislative measure designed to encourage the creation and development of startups in Tunisia through various incentives, including tax, social and administrative benefits–  by the Tunisian government.

HackUp has organized more than five hackathons and has become the first startup in the Middle East and North Africa region to specialize in this field. Ambassador of AngelHack, a Silicon Valley startup, Ayhem Ghanmi was, between May and September 2019, the logistics and events manager for the Tunisia Education Exposition.

At the end of the fifth edition of the intensive Samsung FastTrack program, which took place in 2021, HackUp won first prize at Demo Day, the event that closed the program. In 2022, it was recognized by Najla Bouden, then head of the Tunisian government, as one of the eight startups that shone in their respective sectors.

Melchior Koba