ARABIA500: Med & Com is Algeria’s number 1 company and the first online advertising agency in Algeria

Established in 2006, Med & Com is Algeria’s number 1 company and the first online advertising agency in Algeria. It has the capability to generate complex tailored websites as well as mobile multimedia content. Within two years of its launch, Med & Com produced the first free ICT magazine in Algeria and soon expanded its services to designing top-notch online media campaign products. It has a number of major clients, including Samsung, Renault, and LG. 

Originally a banker, CEO Nassim Lounes is very proud to “live this passion called entrepreneurship.” Today he is one of the leading entrepreneurs in Algeria. His two failed start-up companies -the first one at the age of 21- motivated him to pursue a master’s degree in management and to better plan his next attempt. Following his graduate studies in France, he decided “to make the knowledge he had accumulated available to his own country” and came back to Algeria to start Med & Com in partnership with his cousin. Relying on his prior experience, a solid business plan and a diligent benchmarking study Lounes and his cousin established the company. This time it was an almost instant success and they are now considered an anchor of the web marketing industry in Algeria.

A firm believer in the power of entrepreneurship, Lounes always dreamt of starting up his own business and becoming a well-known manager. He is part of a network for young managers in Algeria that encourages sustainable development and entrepreneurship, and promotes youth involvement in decision- making. In fact, he asserts that among the keys to Med & Com’s success is his ability to leverage the best human resources available in Algeria and to invest in training employees. The company’s diverse set of staff - including journalists, sales team, graphic designers, and developers, are the driving force behind Med & Com's competitive advantage.

Another key to his success was the chance to start up in an untapped niche for web marketing at a time when all other available media techniques were saturated. However, the ICT industry “is currently on hold” in Algeria according to Lounes and it will require the implementation of planned government projects to ensure the emergence of a real industry. “We have not yet seen the end of the tunnel as there are some administrative barriers at the moment; however, as soon as these barriers disappear, we envision that new markets will be developed.” Lounes thinks these projects will offer new opportunities for companies within the web and media industry.

With a three-year growth rate of 467 percent, Med & Com has expanded its portfolio in 2010 to include social media projects. Current plans include a geographic expansion for Med & Com within the Maghreb region rather than a product- oriented expansion.

There are various mechanisms available at the moment to help entrepreneurs set up their companies; however, Lounes believes that the follow-up of youth entrepreneurial initiatives is missing. “Fifty percent of companies fail the first two years within their establishment,” he notes, adding that there is a need to accompany them for at least two years until they can successfully run their own business.