Muscat – The Omani French Friendship Association, in collaboration with Omantel, organised a forum at the Omantel headquarters to address the opportunities and challenges faced by start-ups in the country and beyond.

The event brought together over 100 attendees, including students, and those representing startups, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), to discuss ways of overcoming adversities and navigating the entrepreneurial landscape.

Raouti Chehih, co-founder and CEO of Tansley, and an angel investor, shed light on the transformative nature of SMEs.

“There is a saying that nothing is lost and nothing is created; everything is transformed. This holds true for present-day Omani SMEs and for the pioneers of the past who transformed their products and services.”

The forum encouraged new entrepreneurs to explore crowd funding, angel investors, and building trust, rather than solely relying on direct funding from organisations.

One of the challenges faced by SMEs is the lack of a proper digital platform for exposure.

Ahmed al Ghadani, CEO of Byanat, a technology solutions provider, highlighted the importance of online exposure for SMEs in today’s age, stating, “some customers lack the basic online exposure, which is essential for any SMEs these days”.

Services provided in Oman, particularly through apps, are known for their speed and cost-effectiveness.

Sharing his experience during the event, Azzan al Kindi, CEO of Rihal, a data processing company, said, “When we solved a problem in Oman, we received orders from Angola. Soon after, we received a tender from the US, competing against giants like Infosys and Wipro. However, due to our cost-effectiveness and faster delivery time, we secured the project.”

His company got the project but it faced challenges with the legal processes, which took around three months to navigate.