# Omar Shah

> Omar Shah is the co-founder and CEO of COLABS, a flexible workspace and community business he started with his twin brother Ali in Lahore in 2019. A SOAS graduate with a background at Berenberg and Abraaj, he combined investment experience with his family’s construction expertise to develop workspaces, business support and cultural programming. COLABS launched its Riyadh campus in April 2026; Shah is now based in Riyadh.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at COLABS
- **Organizations:** COLABS, COLABS Creative Collective, SABCON, Patari Music, The Abraaj Group (former employer), Berenberg (former employer)
- **Education:** Development economics (field of study), SOAS University of London
- **Known for:** Co-founded COLABS with Ali Shah in 2019., Led COLABS through a reported $3 million funding round in 2022 and a $2 million pre-Series A in 2024., By October 2024, COLABS reported ten locations, more than 5,000 seats and net profitability.

## Career timeline

- **—** — Studied development economics at SOAS University of London.
- **Before 2019** — Worked in finance at Berenberg and the Abraaj Group, including private equity investing across emerging markets.
- **2019** — Returned to Lahore and co-founded COLABS with twin brother Ali Shah; the first workspace occupied a former towel factory.
- **2022** — COLABS announced a $3 million funding round led by Indus Valley Capital, Zayn Capital and Fatima Gobi Ventures.
- **2023** — COLABS partnered with Endeavor Pakistan, which established its Lahore office at COLABS.
- **2024** — COLABS announced a $2 million pre-Series A led by Shorooq Partners with Waad Investment participating, to support Saudi expansion.
- **2026** — COLABS launched its Al-Narjis campus in Riyadh on April 23 and was described in its launch announcement as Saudi-headquartered.

## Achievements

- Co-founded COLABS with Ali Shah in 2019.
- Led COLABS through a reported $3 million funding round in 2022 and a $2 million pre-Series A in 2024.
- By October 2024, COLABS reported ten locations, more than 5,000 seats and net profitability.
- Opened a 4,000-square-metre Riyadh campus in April 2026; COLABS reported more than $8 million in cumulative funding at launch.
- Helps connect entrepreneurship and culture through the COLABS Creative Collective.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Appeared on FWDstart on October 6 to discuss Saudi expansion, coworking economics, landlord-funded fit-outs and the fundraising process.
- **2026-04** — COLABS announced the launch of its Riyadh campus on April 23, with capacity designed for more than 500 members.

## Links

- Website: https://www.colabs.sa/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/osshah/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/omar-shah
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-12