The Realities of Building in Syria’s Nascent Tech Ecosystem

In this edition of Founder’s Hustle, we spoke to Ayham Ksayer, founder and CEO of AlMkhtar, a classifieds platform built for Syria and its unique needs. He shared his journey building the platform from the ground up, and the tough realities of launching a startup in Syria, from infrastructure gaps and regulatory hurdles to what local founders need to succeed.

Background

After graduating from the Arab International University in Syria, Ayham moved to Qatar and joined his cousin’s company, FutureGate Software. At the time, the company was working on QatarSale’s mobile app, a platform that would go on to dominate Qatar’s vehicle classifieds market. There, Ayham got hands-on experience building a successful vertical marketplace, learning what makes a classified platform work from both a technical and user-experience perspective.

He later began working on PharmaFlow, a software solution tailored for the pharmaceutical industry, also through FutureGate Software. It was during this period—while looking for a place to live in Qatar—that inspiration struck. “I was using QatarLiving to search for a house,” he recalls. “But the filtering system was frustrating. You couldn't narrow things down properly or find what you actually wanted.” That experience planted the seed for what would eventually become AlMkhtar: a platform designed with powerful, intuitive filtering tools to help users find exactly what they’re looking for, faster and with more confidence.

What is AlMkhtar?

Ayham is building AlMkhtar as a classifieds platform—one that moves beyond the one-size-fits-all model. Instead of treating all listings the same, AlMkhtar specializes by category, offering dynamic filtering tools that allow users to search with precision—whether it's for a specific car model, a property with exact criteria, or a freelance service. 

The platform focuses on high-value verticals like real estate and cars, with the vision to expand into electronics, fashion, furniture, pets, jobs, freelancing services and more. It's designed to serve both individuals and businesses, streamlining the buying, selling, and hiring process with minimal platform intervention. More than just a marketplace, Ayham sees AlMkhtar as a community hub, a tool for people to find opportunities, connect, and transact with confidence.

The name AlMkhtar reflects both choice and trust. It nods to “Al-Ikhtiyar” (choice in Arabic), capturing Ayham’s vision of a platform that’s reliable, relevant, and filled with various options.

The Birth of AlMkhtar

The idea for AlMkhtar took root in 2019, when Ayham began a focused six-month research sprint, analyzing classified platforms across the Middle East, Europe, and the U.S.—including well-known names like Dubizzle, Craigslist, and others. He aimed to spot gaps and learn what made certain platforms click—insights that would shape AlMkhtar’s foundation.

Determined to launch in the UAE, Ayham skipped the typical MVP route and built a full product from day one. Teaching himself Figma and user experience principles, he personally designed every feature, flow, and filter to meet the high standards of a competitive marketplace.

But just as the platform was taking shape, personal circumstances pulled him back to Syria. Instead of pausing, Ayham pivoted, launching locally to test the product in a tough but familiar market.

That move came with a heavy price. Getting a Syrian business license triggered an 18-month bureaucratic slog, forcing Ayham to compromise on features to comply with local regulations. “I kept telling my team, ‘It’s okay, we’re in this together.’ But it hurt me a lot,” he recalls.

Still, the decision paid off. A three-month go-to-market campaign brought in 5,500 users, validating both the idea and the platform’s appeal, even in a challenging environment.

Building Trust

Navigating the Syrian market requires more than just a good product—it demands cultural insight and long-term relationship building. Most classified activity in Syria today happens on Facebook and Instagram, platforms that lack advanced filtering and trust mechanisms. That gap is exactly where AlMkhtar positions itself: offering verified listings and a more structured experience.

Trust is a major issue, especially in sectors like real estate, where unreliable brokers—known locally as Dallal —have made the process inefficient and risky. These are neighborhood middlemen who often operate informally and use manipulative tactics to squeeze extra profit, sometimes earning more than the actual property owner. Ayham’s strategy to build credibility in Syria is straightforward: offer everything for free. “I tell people, ‘Everything’s free—I’ll even pay from my own pocket to market your listing.’ Meanwhile, I’ll monetize through other channels.”

AlMkhtar currently runs on a freemium model, focused entirely on building trust and traction. In a market where people are naturally skeptical and trust is hard-won, Ayham knows that the only way forward is to consistently deliver value, attract active users, and ensure fresh, reliable listings. “Once I hit 100,000 active users on the app, then I’ll move to the next phase,” he says. “But until then, I’m not thinking about monetization.”

The focus for now is on Damascus, home to 70–80% of Syria’s population. It’s where the most meaningful traction is happening, particularly in car sales, which currently drive the majority of the platform’s activity. “It’s really hard to get traction outside Damascus right now,” he says. “So we’re starting where it matters most—and growing from there.”

Challenges of Building Tech in Syria

Running a tech startup in Syria comes with a unique set of challenges. Regulatory uncertainty, international sanctions, limited infrastructure, and a fragile legal environment combine to create an operating landscape that demands creativity, resilience, and deep local knowledge.

One of the most immediate hurdles is platform distribution. Due to international sanctions, app stores like Apple’s routinely reject or block apps suspected of originating from Syria. “If they even suspect the app is coming from Syria, I get blocked,” Ayham explains. “It happened more than once—I even got warnings like, ‘Careful, it looks like you’re working from Syria.’” To get around these roadblocks, he’s had to rely on VPNs and creative workarounds.

But these aren't just one-off struggles; they’re systemic. Power outages and unreliable internet remain daily realities, making basic platform maintenance a logistical headache. “Infrastructure development, especially electricity and connectivity, is the foundation,” Ayham says. “Without it, nothing sustainable can be built.” 

Capital is another major missing piece. While more Syrian entrepreneurs are building ambitious products, almost all are doing so with limited or no funding. “What people are really waiting for is just investors,” Ayham says. “We don’t need more workshops. Everyone already knows what their project needs—we just can’t raise funding to build it.”

Even if funding does arrive, structural gaps make deployment tricky. There are no standardized methods for startup valuation in Syria, and few firms with the expertise to provide accurate financial assessments. “Most of the time, it’s just rough estimates,” Ayham notes. Market data and benchmarks are also scarce. Metrics like user acquisition cost, retention, or even TAM estimates are difficult to pin down. As a result, founders and investors must rely more on trust, relationships, and long-term vision than clean spreadsheets.

These gaps are why Ayham advises international players to avoid building from scratch. “Don’t come to Damascus and try to start something on your own. You won’t understand the market fast enough. If you’re serious, partner with someone who’s already inside.”

Local Momentum, Global Opportunity  

Despite these challenges, the Syrian tech ecosystem is showing early signs of momentum. Regulatory barriers have eased somewhat, and new legal frameworks are under discussion, though not yet implemented. Ayham believes that the ecosystem’s evolution will accelerate as infrastructure and policy mature, but real progress hinges on connecting local market insight with international capital and patience.

That’s what AlMkhtar aims to represent: a platform built with deep local understanding, created under duress, and positioned to scale as the market opens up. “You have to build differently here,” Ayham says. “And if you do, you’ll be ready for anything.”

The Startup Syria Launchpad: Turning Vision Into Action

During our conversation with Ayham, one name came up repeatedly: Ahmad Sufian Bayram. “He’s one of the few actually executing,” Ayham told us. “Not just talking about support, but actively creating the systems needed for startups to grow in Syria.”

Ahmad, whom we previously interviewed in our Industry Voices feature, has been one of the most consistent forces driving meaningful change in Syria’s startup ecosystem. Through his work as founder of Startup Syria and General Partner at Blackbox, he’s helped lay the groundwork for what’s becoming a new chapter for Syrian entrepreneurship.

A key part of that shift is the Startup Syria Launchpad, an initiative Ahmad launched to provide founders inside Syria with hands-on support, structured mentorship, and real pathways to investment. As Ayham put it, this launchpad “isn’t just another training program. It’s one of the only credible vehicles we have for Syrian startups to actually access funding.” This is a sharp contrast from past initiatives, which often offered shallow workshops with little follow-up.

But the story doesn’t stop there. Ahmad and the Blackbox team are now taking things further: they’re launching a new fund specifically focused on backing Syrian founders operating on the ground.

For Ayham, that’s more than symbolic. As he navigates AlMkhtar’s early fundraising journey, the need for strategic, long-term aligned capital is top of mind. “For me, it's all about consistency. I don't want to raise investment just to shut down later,” he says. Several promising conversations are emerging through his involvement with the Launchpad.

Ahmad’s recent appointment as advisor to Syria’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology further strengthens his position to influence both policy and capital flows. This role offers him direct access to shape founder-friendly regulation, protect investor rights, and push for legal frameworks that support tech-driven innovation rather than stifle it.

What Ayham made clear is that Syria’s startup ecosystem is still emerging, but it’s no longer theoretical. Thanks to initiatives like the Launchpad, and leaders like Ahmad who are committed to building bridges between founders, investors, and policymakers, it’s finally starting to materialize.

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