She left the French pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Pasteur to fully devote herself to her passion: fashion. Her startup is now an industry leader in the Middle East and Africa, with a presence in Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, and Egypt.
Ameni Mansouri (photo) is a young Tunisian entrepreneur better known as the co-founder and CEO of Dabchy, a fashion marketplace inspired by the European platform Vinted.
With a degree in biomedical engineering and biotherapy, she left her job at Sanofi-Pasteur to devote herself to promoting fashion and creating a community of fashion enthusiasts.
In 2016, she officialized Dabchy and, currently, the company boasts over a million users in the MENA region, offering the opportunity to sell and buy new and second-hand clothes at affordable prices, while being a sort of social network encouraging interaction between users. The platform generates revenue through commissions on transactions and offers secure delivery and payment services.
Ameni Mansouri wants to make her platform the leading reference for circular fashion in the Middle East and Africa, contributing to ecological transition in the textile industry. With that purpose in mind, in August 2023, Dabchy expanded operations into Egypt, consolidating its position as a major regional fashion player.
“This expansion fills us with pride, as it symbolizes Tunisia’s influence through its young and promising startup scene. We are determined to uphold the Tunisian values that have propelled us this far: innovation, creativity, and above all, trust in our community,” said Ameni Mansouri.
Over the course of her entrepreneurial career, the latter has won several awards. In 2018, she was selected among TechWomen and her start-up was recognized as one of Africa's top 100 at the Africa Forum.
In 2019, Dabchy became the first Arab and African company to be selected by Look Forward, a French incubator specializing in technological fashion. The same year, Ameni Mansouri was named one of Forbes' "30 under 30" in the Middle East.
Melchior Koba
