A Saudi-based startup capitalizes on gig-economy opportunities

Sabbar has already seen positive results across the Kingdom in filling casual shift work in the retail, entertainment and hospitality sectors. It is now looking to expand further afield to similar sectors in other MENA region countries like Egypt and Morocco. (Getty Images/Shutterstock)
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Updated 03 March 2020
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A Saudi-based startup capitalizes on gig-economy opportunities

  • Sabbar connects hundreds of job seekers with on-demand businesses on a monthly basis
  • Employee turnover in Saudi Arabia is estimated at 70 percent in retail and service industries

DUBAI: A Saudi-based tech startup’s success in raising $1.5 million in funding has drawn attention to the strong profit potential of the business of connecting job seekers with on-demand work opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Founded by Mohamed Ibrahim, Abdul Rahman Al-Mudaiheem, Afnan Sherbeeni and Sara Alshimemri, Sabbar enables businesses in retail, entertainment and hospitality industries to book casual staff in the Kingdom during peak hours or high seasons from a roster of pre-qualified professionals.

Since its launch in mid-2019, the “gig-economy” platform has received over 100,000 job applications from Saudi nationals and is currently connecting hundreds of workers to businesses every month.

Sabbar leverages what it calls a “proprietary engine, which builds user and role profiles, and leverages geospatial analytics” to match workers with job opportunities near them.

To date, the openings have included cashiers, baristas, sales associates and many more.

“Global trends reveal a shift towards employing more hourly workers and the gig economy is estimated to be valued at nearly $2.7 trillion by 2025,” said Ibrahim, Sabbar’s founder and CEO.

“In some developed markets, more than 40 percent of workers in the retail industry are on an hourly basis, and we are already observing similar trends in the MENA region.”

In Saudi Arabia, employee turnover is estimated at 70 percent in the retail and service industries, which adds to the financial risks.

The region also has a significant unused workforce of students. That is where Sabbar aims to bridge the gap, by leveraging technology to allow businesses to fill shifts on-demand with temporary workers.

The platform also relieves businesses from associated administrative costs by streamlining a lengthy process that typically includes interviews, training, placement, shift scheduling, worker payments and everything in between.

“We are on a mission to build and support a community of highly qualified individuals in the region that goes beyond finding flexible work opportunities,” Ibrahim said.

“We are deeply committed to helping qualified and willing workers to access immediate income-generating opportunities and secure benefits that are not typically offered to short-term workers.”

The seed round was led by Dubai-based Venture Souq and backed by 500 Startups, Derayah VC, and Super Angels from Saudi Arabia.

According to the Ibrahim, fundraising requires dedication and commitment, involving a lot of careful planning and timing to align both the organization and the investors.

“It’s one of those tasks that a founder cannot delegate and has to be handled with ultimate care to ensure a strong rapport build with the potential investors, either for this round or the next one,” he said.

“The fundraising process took almost four months — we worked really hard for it, so we are pleased to see the fruits of our labor.”

The company plans to use the money for engineering and operations teams to further develop the platform for “gig” jobs across the Kingdom, including enhancing its matching algorithm, operations automation and scheduling management.

“We are thrilled about raising this money, which is going to help us roll out our product across our target market,” he said.

“Investments and funding are crucial for the survival of startups during early stages, especially that they neither have the substantial revenues nor profitability.”

After running a digital agency for almost 10 years, Ibrahim noticed that every service company’s dream was to create their own product. But inability to scale up the service made him turn to human resources, which he was extremely passionate about.

“We decided to start doing something related to local talent and we found a very big gap in retail,” he said.

“We saw the potential of the Ministry of Labor laws regarding naturalization of these jobs and we saw a big opportunity, so we jumped ship from the service company and focused on Sabbar.

“Some of these jobs are only limited to Saudis, so businesses will struggle as there is no platform to connect them together.”

Ibrahim’s next steps involve expanding job roles and the geographic footprint. “Our model isn’t Saudi specific, it’s about local recruitment,” he told Arab News.

“Today, in the Kingdom, there is no (incentive) for local recruitment for retail jobs, mainly because there are no salary hikes. But the biggest market we are targeting next is in Egypt, followed by Morocco, because the bigger the population and the more tourism-oriented the country, the more retail, tourism and hospitality jobs there are.”

Sabbar is one of many initiatives in the Kingdom starting to bear fruit.

According to the “2019 MENA Venture Investment” report by MAGNiTT, a database for startup information across the region, 2019 was a record year for Saudi-based startups, as 71 venture investments were recorded with $64 million of capital deployed in startups in the country.

“This trend is likely to continue well beyond 2020 with multiple government initiatives, including the more than $1 billion Jada fund for SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), Saudi Venture Capital’s investment matching program, and the entrepreneurship hub focus of Monshaat,” said Philip Bahoshy, MAGNiTT’s founder and CEO.

He said the figures mean investment institutions funded more startups in the Kingdom last year than in any previous year, adding that half of them had never previously put their money in Saudi startups.

“The Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority continues to encourage foreign startups to relocate and set up offices in the Kingdom, and is making it easier for international investors to operate effectively to gain an operating license to deploy capital in the country,” Bahoshy said.

He describes the Kingdom as a market that has many attractive features for startup founders, including a large population with a high level of digitalization and mobile phone penetration.

“Many of the traditional industries of infrastructure, delivery, financial services and media and entertainment are all ripe for disruption to create efficiencies using technology,” he said.

“When coupled with government support, this is ideal for startup growth in the Kingdom.”


Saudi FM attends Oslo Forum in Norway

Updated 9 min 42 sec ago
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Saudi FM attends Oslo Forum in Norway

  • Forum hosts global leaders and conflict mediators
  • Prince Faisal bin Farhan will meet foreign officials

Riyadh: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan arrived in the Norwegian capital on Tuesday to take part in the Oslo Forum.

The annual event, organized by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue in Switzerland, hosts global leaders and conflict mediators.

Prince Faisal will meet foreign officials to strengthen relations with the Kingdom and discuss various regional and international issues, the Saudi Press Agency reported.


What pilgrims are sharing online after their journey

Updated 13 min 20 sec ago
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What pilgrims are sharing online after their journey

  • Worshippers take to social media to share profound experiences with loved ones
  • Posting online becomes a way to process the weight of Hajj for many

RIYADH: For many pilgrims, the spiritual journey of Hajj does not end when they leave the holy sites. It continues — quietly, intentionally — in the days and weeks that follow.

Across Saudi Arabia, young pilgrims are using social media to process the weight of Hajj and share the experience with loved ones.

Noor Ahmad, 21, did not plan to post during her pilgrimage. But after she returned, the urge to share came naturally.

After returning from Hajj, I decided to share a few captured moments. But how can a photo truly capture the depth and majesty of the experience?

Noor Ahmad

“After returning from Hajj, I decided to share a few captured moments,” she said. “But how can a photo truly capture the depth and majesty of the experience?”

She described how people responded in varied ways. “Those who had gone before felt nostalgic and started sharing their own stories. Others — those who hadn’t been yet — expressed their longing. It became this moment of connection.”

For Noor, the decision to post was not about aesthetics. “It’s a monumental event. Maybe I could inspire someone who’s hesitant to go. Maybe they’ll see what I saw — and want to experience it for themselves.

“It was my way of saying thank you”

Shatha Al-Jadaan, 25, took a different approach to sharing, after taking a digital detox.

I enjoy sharing meaningful moments, and after seeing the tremendous effort put into Hajj on every level, I felt my post was a small, sincere gesture of appreciation.

Shatha Al-Jadaan

“During Hajj, I decided to partially fast from social media. I used only the essentials,” she said. “After I returned, I posted a thread to my close friends explaining where I’d been and shared some of the most meaningful moments.”

The response was full of prayers and warmth. “People were kind, supportive, and curious. But what mattered most to me was that I used the thread to say thank you — to the organizers, to the volunteers, and to Allah.”

She spoke about how she found value in using digital platforms to document something greater than herself.

“I enjoy sharing meaningful moments, and after seeing the tremendous effort put into Hajj on every level, I felt my post was a small, sincere gesture of appreciation.”

Salem Al-Khudair, 28, recorded a voice note to his family group chat while performing the rites.

“I just couldn’t find the words to write. So I recorded myself speaking right after standing in Arafat. I sent it to my family WhatsApp group. My mom was emotional. My dad said, ‘May God accept from you.’ That was enough.”

In an age of curated content, Hajj posts tend to stand out for their sincerity. Pilgrims often strip away the filters, metaphors and trend-driven formats, and just speak from the heart.

Noura Al-Dosari, 23, uploaded a private Instagram story highlight with no captions. “Just visuals. No filters. No hashtags,” she said. “It wasn’t for followers. It was for me. For reflection. A digital bookmark of who I became.”

Some write long captions, others simply post a photo of their ihram folded neatly back into a drawer.

But all of them carry a silent message: I went. I came back different.

Many pilgrims use their posts to recall moments of physical hardship that brought emotional breakthroughs — the heat, the long walks, the brief but powerful connections with strangers.

Others use it to highlight the seamless organization of the pilgrimage as a reminder of how far the experience has evolved.

Amani Al-Saad, 26, used X to share a short story about a volunteer who helped her carry her bag in Muzdalifah. “She didn’t speak much, but she smiled at me and said, ‘This is what we’re here for.’ That stuck with me. I wrote about it as a reminder to myself — that sometimes the smallest moments hold the most meaning.”

While digital connections are increasingly common, most pilgrims emphasize that the real processing happens offline — in quiet conversations with family, in their prayer rooms, or on long drives home.

“I didn’t post to perform,” said Al-Jadaan. “I posted to remember.”

 


Saudi film body joins global audiovisual group

Updated 7 min 15 sec ago
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Saudi film body joins global audiovisual group

  • Through this affiliation, the commission plans to develop archiving projects and engage in knowledge exchange with international institutions

RIYADH: The Film Commission announced its membership in the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives, a step aimed at supporting its work in audiovisual archiving.

The association includes members from 70 countries and represents institutions that preserve materials such as visual content, musical works, historical and literary recordings, and oral histories.

According to the Saudi Press Agency, this membership supports the commission’s efforts to preserve Saudi Arabia’s audiovisual heritage.

Through this affiliation, the commission plans to develop archiving projects and engage in knowledge exchange with international institutions.

The move also reflects the commission’s aim to adopt recognized practices and modern technologies in film archiving, the SPA reported.

Cooperation with association members will provide access to innovations in audiovisual preservation and contribute to efforts to safeguard the Kingdom’s cultural heritage.

Founded in 1969 in Amsterdam, the association promotes collaboration among institutions focused on audiovisual preservation.

It hosts an annual conference for sharing expertise in preservation, restoration, digitization, intellectual property, and public access to archival materials.

 


Saudi leadership greets security personnel, Hajj mission entities in Madinah

Prince Salman visits the Prophet’s Mosque to review readiness for the arrival of the first groups of pilgrims from Makkah. (SPA)
Updated 3 sec ago
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Saudi leadership greets security personnel, Hajj mission entities in Madinah

  • Hajj authorities in Madinah have begun implementing their operational plans for the second season

MADINAH: Madinah Gov. Prince Salman bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, who also chairs the region’s Permanent Committee for Hajj and Umrah, conveyed the greetings and appreciation of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to security personnel and entities taking part in Hajj missions in Madinah.

Prince Salman visited the Prophet’s Mosque to review readiness for the arrival of the first groups of pilgrims from Makkah after completing this year’s Hajj rituals, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.

 


Saudi project clears 1,139 mines in Yemen

Updated 8 min 1 sec ago
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Saudi project clears 1,139 mines in Yemen

  • The project trains local demining engineers and provides them with modern equipment. It also offers support to Yemenis injured by the devices

RIYADH: Members of Saudi Arabia’s Project Masam removed 1,139 explosive devices from various regions of Yemen last week.

The total included 1,080 unexploded ordnances, 56 anti-tank mines, two improvised explosive devices and one anti-personnel mine, according to a recent report.

Ousama Al-Gosaibi, the initiative’s managing director, said that 498,683 mines have been cleared since the project began in 2018.

The explosives were planted indiscriminately and posed a threat to civilians, including children, women and the elderly.

The demining operations took place in Marib, Aden, Jouf, Shabwa, Taiz, Hodeidah, Lahij, Sanaa, Al-Bayda, Al-Dhale and Saada.

The project trains local demining engineers and provides them with modern equipment. It also offers support to Yemenis injured by the devices.

Teams are tasked with clearing villages, roads and schools to facilitate the safe movement of civilians and delivery of humanitarian aid.