ZabonEx Secures $100k Pre-Seed to Revolutionise Oman’s Food Supply Chain

It’s always a bit of a buzz to see a homegrown MENA startup make waves, especially when they do it by tackling something as vital—and tricky—as food supply management. This time, ZabonEx, based out of Oman, has grabbed the spotlight after securing a tidy $100,000 in a pre-seed round. The funding was backed by Oman Future Fund and ITHCA Group, two players consistently looking to energise the local innovation scene. As someone who’s seen a fair few startups at Arageek try to get past the pre-seed stage, let me tell you—that’s no small feat.

ZabonEx positions itself in the predictive analytics space, which, to be frank, is a tough nut to crack, particularly when market conditions keep shifting under your feet. The new injection of cash is set to boost their prediction engine, allowing them to expand their tech team and forge closer partnerships with key people all along Oman’s food supply chain. If you’ve ever watched stakeholders in the MENA food industry operate, you’ll know it’s rarely a walk in the park; every operator has their own quirks, and ZabonEx reckons a bespoke onboarding toolkit will help them win friends fast.

Launched just last year by founders Hatim Moosa and Mohannad Al Balushi, ZabonEx delivers its data-driven platform as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) to businesses calling the shots in food and beverage—producers, distributors, even retailers who’d much rather not get caught out by stockouts or waste. Basically, the idea is to predict real-time demand at a very granular, customer-by-customer level, so companies can keep shelves stocked without overdoing it. That’s spot on for a region where excess is often met with raised eyebrows, and efficiency is king.

Now, full disclosure: I reckon there’s still a ways to go before predictive tech takes a stronghold in every corner-store or supplier warehouse, especially in Oman. Adopting new tools can be a bit of a faff, and old habits die hard. Still, seeing ZabonEx putting such a clear focus on working with existing supply chains—and, crucially, promising to tailor their solutions for the local market—gives me a flicker of hope. On the flip side, my experience tells me that nailing those tech partnerships early on can make or break momentum in these first years.

All in all, ZabonEx seems set to use its new capital wisely, balancing technical upgrades with the practical reality of local business relationships. And believe it or not, watching these sorts of startups grow is exactly what keeps us at Arageek chuffed to bits about championing the next generation of MENA entrepreneurship—even if, well… sometimes the road is definately bumpy.

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