Algeria has no shortage of talent, ambition, or ideas. Yet for many entrepreneurs and professionals, finding the right information, people, and opportunities has not always been easy. The pieces of the business ecosystem were already there, but they were often scattered across different places, conversations, and networks.
This raised a simple question: what would happen if they could finally come together in one trusted space? The answer began with two people, a shared vision, and a conversation that would eventually become Algeria Business Bay.
Algeria did not lack ambitious entrepreneurs, experienced professionals, or people willing to build. What was missing, according to Riyad Ketami, was a place where these people could actually come together: to share knowledge, exchange services, and build relationships with others who understand the Algerian market.
The talent was there. The space to bring it together wasn't.
The problem was not simply a lack of information. Information existed, but finding information that could be trusted was much harder. Entrepreneurs often had to rely on generic advice, secondhand knowledge, or people presenting themselves as experts without having lived through the problems they discussed.
For someone trying to make an important business decision, that distinction matters. The ecosystem had knowledge, but it was scattered across people, conversations, platforms, and individual experiences.
This also affected access to people and opportunities. Without reliable information, it becomes harder to know who to approach. Without the right people around you, opportunities are easier to miss.
Riyad experienced this personally when he launched his own agency five years ago and found himself looking for a space where he could connect with other entrepreneurs, learn from them, exchange ideas, and grow alongside them. That space did not exist. For him, that feeling became the beginning of the idea behind ABB.
Riyad describes the Algerian business ecosystem as fragmented rather than empty. The pieces are already there: entrepreneurs, startups, experienced professionals, investors, institutions, and an Algerian diaspora with skills and international experience. What is missing is a place where these pieces can meet consistently and meaningfully.
Algeria doesn't lack the pieces. It lacks the place where they come together.
That observation shaped the decision to build a community rather than another media outlet, directory, or event series. Media can inform, a directory can list, and an event can create a meeting for an evening. A community, however, can create relationships that continue afterwards.
For Riyad and his co-founder Larbi, human connection was the central point. Their goal was not simply to produce more content, but to create an environment where people could share what they know and find others who can help them move forward.
The idea itself developed over time. Riyad explains that ABB, in a sense, existed before it had a name. He and Larbi had each been bringing people together and working toward a similar goal. Their conversations eventually led to a simple realization: building the same thing separately made less sense than building it together. That decision became Algeria Business Bay.
Today, Algeria Business Bay describes itself as “the Algerian business community” — a place where people meet to share knowledge, exchange experience, and build connections so they can grow together.
It is designed for people doing business in and with Algeria, including Algerian entrepreneurs, diaspora professionals, and international businesses exploring the market. At its core, ABB aims to bring together three things that are often difficult to find in one place: reliable knowledge, real experience, and valuable connections.The different parts of ABB reflect that purpose.
Through the Community, members gain access to a space designed for meaningful interaction with experienced professionals and entrepreneurs. Through Events, including webinars, live sessions, and networking sessions, knowledge becomes something members can discuss and apply.
The Experts network brings experienced professionals from different countries and fields closer to entrepreneurs who might otherwise never have access to them.
The same principle extends to Startups, Business News, and Resources. ABB wants to highlight Algerian startups because they are part of the country's future. Its news coverage focuses not only on what happened, but what changes in the market might mean.
And its growing resources are intended to give entrepreneurs practical knowledge throughout their journey. The objective is not to create isolated sections of a website, but connected entry points into a wider business ecosystem.
For Riyad, the long-term ambition goes beyond growing a membership number. The measure of success is what happens between people: a startup finding an investor, a diaspora professional reconnecting with opportunities in Algeria, or a collaboration beginning because two people finally found each other.
The stories created inside the community matter more than the size of the community itself.
This is also why the project is personal. Riyad describes building ABB with Larbi, his co-founder and friend, as both an honor and a way of serving his country. His reasoning is straightforward: the ecosystem needed this kind of space, and they found themselves in a position to build it.
The ecosystem needed it, and we were in a position to build it. So we had to.