Zameeli Founder Tariq Al Habsi and Oman's Freelance Economy

An Omani small business that needs a product video, a new logo or a month of Instagram posts usually has two options. It can pay an agency, or it can try a global freelance platform that may have no one available locally. Tariq Al Habsi built Zameeli as a third option: a marketplace of Omani freelancers. In June 2026 the Muscat-based platform secured a Shariah-compliant working capital facility from Sharakah. Before that, it had already been backed by the Oman Technology Fund and was the subject of the Sultanate's first equity crowdfunding campaign.

📌 Key Takeaways

• The founder: Tariq Al Habsi was named co-founder and CEO of Zameeli in 2024 coverage. Sharakah's June 2026 announcement calls him the company's owner.
• The product: A digital marketplace that connects SMEs with Omani freelancers for design, marketing, videography, content creation and social media management.
• A first for Oman: In March 2024, Zameeli was the startup behind Oman's first equity crowdfunding campaign, run by the Muscat fintech Mamun.
• The latest step: In June 2026, Sharakah provided an undisclosed Shariah-compliant working capital facility to fund technology upgrades, marketing and expansion across Oman.
• Gaps in the record: Sources disagree on when Zameeli was founded. The latest public user numbers date from 2024, and no deal sizes have been disclosed.

👤 Who Is Tariq Al Habsi?

Tariq Al Habsi is the public face of Zameeli. When Mamun completed its landmark crowdfunding round in 2024, Oman Observer identified him as the company's co-founder and CEO. In June 2026, Sharakah's announcement, published by Oman Vistas, described him as Zameeli's owner.

He has at least one co-founder. Both Wamda and Arab News report that Zameeli was founded by Tariq Al Habsi and Mahmoud Tantora. We found no further public information about Tantora's role or background.

A note on limits: The press coverage we reviewed does not describe Al Habsi's education, early career or other ventures. We have left those sections out rather than rely on unverified directory listings. He has a LinkedIn profile that lists his role at Zameeli in Muscat, and readers can find it by searching his name. The company's website is zameeli.com.

🧩 What Zameeli Actually Does

Zameeli is a two-sided marketplace. On one side are small and medium-sized enterprises that need creative and digital work. On the other is a network of Omani freelancers. According to Wamda, the platform covers:

• Graphic design
• Marketing
• Videography
• Content creation
• Social media management

Sharakah's release, carried by Oman Vistas, says the network includes designers, marketers, videographers and content creators, with a focus on social media content and creative services. Zameeli runs separate apps for clients and for freelancers on Google Play, so each side has its own way into the platform.

The pitch is simple: local work done by local people. Location-based jobs such as filming in a Muscat café or photographing a shop in Sohar need someone who can be there in person, and global platforms are not built for that.

📅 When Was Zameeli Founded? The Sources Disagree

The founding date is not settled in the public record. Coverage from 2024 by entARABI and Lucidity Insights says Zameeli was founded in April 2021. The 2026 reports from Wamda and Arab News give 2023.

The 2021 date fits better with the rest of the timeline. By March 2024, Zameeli had already received Oman Technology Fund backing and built a client base of more than a thousand businesses. That is hard to do in a few months. The 2023 date may refer to a later incorporation or relaunch, but no source explains the gap.

💰 The Funding Journey: VC, Crowd, Then State SME Finance

Zameeli's funding comes from three different kinds of source, which is uncommon among Omani startups.

1. Oman Technology Fund

According to Oman Observer, the Oman Technology Fund (OTF) was Zameeli's first backer. The amount has not been made public.

2. Oman's first equity crowdfunding round (March 2024)

In March 2024, Mamun completed what it called the Sultanate's first equity crowdfunding campaign, and Zameeli was the startup raising the money. entARABI reported that Mamun had launched equity and debt crowdfunding in October 2023, after it was licensed by Oman's Capital Market Authority. The round widened Zameeli's investor base, but neither the amount raised nor the number of investors was disclosed.

At the time, Rasmal reported that Zameeli had 1,369 registered clients, including OMRAN and the Ministry of Information, and a network of 3,368 Omani freelancers. These figures are now more than two years old. We found no newer public numbers.

For the other side of this deal, our profile of Mamun founder Saleh Al Tamami explains how the crowdfunding platform grew after this first campaign.

3. Sharakah working capital facility (June 2026)

On 9 June 2026, Sharakah announced a Shariah-compliant working capital facility for Zameeli, as Oman Vistas reported. Sharakah was established by Royal Decree No. 76/98 and is one of Oman's oldest SME development institutions. Wamda said the facility will fund:

• Upgrades to Zameeli's technology
• Better operational efficiency and user experience
• More SME customers and a larger freelancer network
• Marketing and geographic expansion across Oman

The amount was not disclosed. Arab News included the deal in its regional startup funding roundup for the week.

💬 The Philosophy: A Platform Its Freelancers Own a Stake In

Al Habsi's public statements return to one idea: the freelancers are the community, and the community should share in the platform's success. During the 2024 campaign he told WAYA, "Our vision is to evolve Zameeli into a community-driven platform." He said part of the raise was set aside to keep freelancers actively involved in the platform's future and able to benefit from it.

It is unusual for a marketplace founder to give the supply side, the people doing the work, a direct role in fundraising. Whether that structure lasts as Zameeli grows is still an open question.

When the Sharakah facility was announced, he presented it as a step towards growth:

Sharakah's CEO, Ali Ahmed Muqaibal, explained why the lender backed the company: "At Sharakah, we recognize the importance of businesses that create new pathways for SMEs and entrepreneurs." He described Zameeli as a new way to connect talent with opportunity, according to the same release.

🌍 How Zameeli Contributes to Oman's Startup Ecosystem

• It tested a new way to raise money. As the first startup through Mamun's CMA-licensed equity crowdfunding model, Zameeli was the trial case. Omani founders can now raise from a wider group of investors, not only from funds and family offices.
• It combines different types of capital. Venture funding from OTF, crowd equity and later state-linked SME finance from Sharakah together offer a model for founders who do not fit a single funding route.
• It creates paid work for Omani freelancers. Each job booked through the platform is income for a local designer, videographer or content creator, which supports the push for private-sector and self-employment opportunities.
• It helps SMEs go digital. Many small businesses cannot afford an agency. A marketplace with a range of price points makes social media marketing and creative work affordable for them.

⚠️ What we could not verify

• We found no public reports of awards, competition wins or speaking engagements for Al Habsi.
• No funding amount has been disclosed for any of Zameeli's rounds.
• The latest client and freelancer numbers we found date from March 2024.
• Information about co-founder Mahmoud Tantora is limited to his name in 2026 funding coverage.

Every early-stage marketplace faces two risks: keeping quality consistent across freelancers, and stopping clients and freelancers from moving their deals off the platform. Public coverage does not say how Zameeli handles either. Prospective users should ask about vetting, payment protection and fees before they commit.

🇴🇲 Why This Matters for Oman

Oman Vision 2040 calls for a more diverse, private-sector-led economy, and SMEs and self-employed young Omanis are central to that goal. Zameeli puts both groups on one platform. Its funding history also shows the Omani ecosystem developing: one startup has now been funded by a technology fund, a licensed crowdfunding platform and a decades-old state SME institution.

The next question is whether that funding turns into measurable growth. Updated user numbers, revenue signals or expansion beyond Muscat would show whether a local-first freelance marketplace can scale in a market of Oman's size. Founders who want to meet the investors and SME backers behind deals like these can find upcoming events in our guide to tech and business events in Oman this October.