Travel-Tech Innovation in Algeria Secures Historic Local Currency Funding

VOLZ, a fintech-enabled travel platform based in Algeria, has closed a landmark investment round of 600 million dinars—equivalent to approximately $5 million—marking a watershed moment for entrepreneur-led ventures across the region. The capital injection underscores growing confidence in homegrown solutions addressing the continent’s travel accessibility challenges, particularly in markets with stringent currency controls.

Addressing a Critical Market Gap

Founded in 2023, VOLZ operates within Algeria’s distinctive economic landscape where currency restrictions require innovative payment solutions. The platform enables travellers to search, compare, and book flights directly in Algerian dinars while partnering with multiple carriers. Beyond digital transactions, the startup accommodates traditional payment preferences through cash-on-delivery options—a pragmatic design that acknowledges real user behavior in markets still transitioning to digital-first commerce. This dual-payment model proved instrumental in driving user adoption, with the company recording staggering year-over-year expansion exceeding 1000%.

Who’s Behind the Capital Infusion

The financing was orchestrated by Tell Group, a diversified financial services firm anchoring the investor syndicate, with meaningful participation from GIBA (Groupe Industriel Babahoum Algérie), a major industrial conglomerate renowned for its Guedila mineral water portfolio. This blend of financial expertise and industrial capital signals confidence in VOLZ’s execution capacity and market positioning. The announcement coincided with VOLZ’s role as a featured sponsor of the African Startup Conference held in Algiers during December 6-8, 2025—a platform that amplified the significance of this fundraising milestone.

A Win for Domestic Capital Formation

What distinguishes this round is not merely its size but its composition: this represents the single largest capital raise achieved by an Algerian startup exclusively through local investors operating in the domestic currency. While peers like Yassir—a super app competitor—attracted $150 million in Series B funding from international venture capitalists in 2022, those deals were conducted in foreign currency with non-resident backers. VOLZ’s achievement validates the thesis that indigenous capital pools possess both appetite and conviction to back scaling ventures. The round also constitutes the inaugural successful exit for the Algerian Startup Fund (ASF), a government-backed venture mechanism launched in 2020. ASF generated returns exceeding 3.35x its initial investment, demonstrating that public-sector venture initiatives can deliver measurable financial outcomes when structured effectively.

Scaling the Vision Forward

CEO Mohamed Abdelhadi Mezi articulated the strategic rationale: “This capital enables us to deepen our core mission—transforming how Algerian travellers navigate flight options, pricing, and booking mechanics.” Beyond individual travelers, VOLZ intends to deploy enterprise-grade features enabling corporations to centralize travel spending, optimize vendor relationships, and enforce compliance policies. The long-term vision extends beyond flights into a comprehensive travel ecosystem spanning ground logistics, accommodation coordination, and pre-departure documentation—positioning the platform as the definitive regional player for end-to-end journey management.

This funding narrative illustrates how constraint-driven markets can spawn globally-competitive founders and how patient local capital proves equally capable of recognizing transformative opportunities.