Salalah, Sultanate of Oman, August 3rd, 2026: Omantel Innovation Labs, in partnership with the SME Development Authority (Riyada), concluded the Salalah AI Hackathon 2026 at the Sultan Qaboos Youth Complex for Culture and Entertainment in Salalah, advancing a new cohort of innovators through the practical development of responsible, market-relevant artificial intelligence startups.
Held from Aug. 23-26, the four-day hackathon brought together 60 participants representing 22 teams, including innovators, aspiring entrepreneurs, startup founders, students, developers, designers and industry professionals. Participants worked with mentors and subject-matter experts to turn real-world challenges into AI-enabled products and services with commercial or social potential.
AI was required to form a core part of every proposed solution. Teams progressed through the complete startup-development journey: identifying a meaningful problem, defining the target customer, designing an AI product, building a prototype, developing a viable business model and presenting the startup through a final pitch.
Participants developed ideas across seven themes: telecom and digital connectivity; business and SMEs; people and everyday life; education, skills and jobs; tourism and experiences; smart and sustainable communities; and open innovation. The themes encouraged teams to respond to locally relevant needs while considering how their solutions could scale within Oman and into wider markets.
The ideas were assessed on the clarity and relevance of the problem addressed; understanding of the target customer or user; the central role of AI in the solution; differentiation of the value proposition; prototype-development potential; commercial sustainability; scalability; and the responsible and safe use of AI.
At the closing ceremony, three winning teams were recognized and received cash awards with a total value of OMR 5,000. The winners will also join a two-month incubation program at Omantel Innovation Labs, where they will receive expert mentorship, business-model development support, market-validation guidance and opportunities to present their ventures to potential investors and ecosystem partners.
The winning teams and solutions were:
Wafeer secured first place for its smart platform designed to support the fisheries sector by connecting fishermen directly with customers and markets and facilitating the listing, ordering and purchasing of fish. The platform also provides data and analytics on fishermen’s performance that can be used to connect them with financial institutions and banks, helping facilitate access to relevant financing solutions and opportunities.
Flow took second place for its smart solution for the restaurant and food and beverage sector, designed to help businesses manage large and unexpected orders more efficiently by improving supply-chain management and ensuring that required materials and supplies are available and delivered on time without disrupting operations.
SEER placed third with a smart solution designed to protect data privacy within organizations by masking and safeguarding sensitive information before it is shared with external AI tools, reducing the risk of information leakage and helping organizations maintain the security of their data.
HH Sayyida Ghada bint Jaifer Al Said, General Manager of Omantel Innovation Labs, said: “The AI Startup Hackathon reflects Omantel’s commitment to creating practical pathways through which talent, technology and entrepreneurship can come together. Over four focused days, participants moved beyond ideas to develop prototypes, test business models and present solutions addressing genuine needs. We congratulate the winning teams and look forward to helping selected ventures strengthen their market readiness, scale responsibly and contribute to Oman’s growing digital economy.”
Sayyid Mazin bin Saif Al Busaidi, the Vice President at SME Development Authority (Riyada), said: “The solutions developed during the hackathon demonstrate the potential of Omani innovators to apply advanced technology to clear commercial and social challenges. Our collaboration with Omantel Innovation Labs gives participants structured support to translate innovation into viable ventures. By strengthening entrepreneurial capabilities and helping promising startups progress toward the market, initiatives such as this contribute to a more competitive SME ecosystem and innovation-led economic diversification.”
The hackathon concluded with 22 prototypes and startup concepts presented to a three-member judging panel, reflecting the program’s emphasis on tangible outcomes rather than ideas alone.
Through the initiative, Omantel Innovation Labs and the SME Development Authority (Riyada) reinforced their shared commitment to AI-powered entrepreneurship, national capability development and technology-led business growth. The collaboration supports the ambitions of Oman Vision 2040 by helping innovators develop responsible solutions, build sustainable ventures and contribute to the Sultanate’s digital and economic transformation.
Source: Omantel Press Release
