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Omani tourism app Pinch shines at Entrepreneurship World Cup

Monday, 24 November 2025 19:52

Muscat – Omani tourism-tech company Pinch has secured a place among the Top 24 startups worldwide at the Entrepreneurship World Cup (EWC) 2025, marking a significant milestone for the sultanate’s growing innovation sector. The platform won third prize in the Ideation category of the competition held recently in Saudi Arabia. The EWC is recognised as […]

Muscat – Omani tourism-tech company Pinch has secured a place among the Top 24 startups worldwide at the Entrepreneurship World Cup (EWC) 2025, marking a significant milestone for the sultanate’s growing innovation sector. The platform won third prize in the Ideation category of the competition held recently in Saudi Arabia.

The EWC is recognised as one of the world’s largest competitions for entrepreneurs. This year’s edition attracted more than 10,300 applications from 169 countries. From these, 100 startups from 46 countries qualified to compete for a prize pool of US$1.5mn across three categories: Ideation, Growth and Early Growth.

The awards ceremony was held during the Biban Forum from November 5 to 8 in Riyadh, in the presence of Majid al Kassabi, Saudi Minister of Commerce and Chairman of the Board of the Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority (Monsha’at), alongside senior officials. The competition was organised in partnership with the Global Entrepreneurship Network and the Misk Foundation.

Fahmi al Maawali, founder of Pinch, said the recognition reflects a growing appetite for digital tourism tools driven by culture and accessibility. “With Pinch.om, we aim to bridge this gap and make every corner of Oman accessible with just a few taps on the smartphone,” he said.

“Pinch’s success follows a series of competitive rounds where it distinguished itself through its innovative technical solutions and creative approach to cultural tourism, embodying the spirit of Oman’s emerging entrepreneurial ecosystem.”

He added that the achievement marked progress towards “realising our vision of delivering world-class tourism experiences, in alignment with Oman Vision 2040, which emphasises digital transformation and the empowerment of national talent”.

Pinch is a map-driven platform that connects travellers to culture, heritage and local stories through interactive pins and curated paths. The app provides Google Maps-style navigation for hundreds of sites in Oman, along with detailed descriptions, route guidance, safety notes and practical tips. Maawali informed that the team is preparing for further development and regional expansion. “Success at EWC 2025 is not the end, but the beginning of a new phase of development and GCC expansion. Omani ambition knows no borders and we will continue to work towards becoming one of the

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