Twenty-six weeks, 194 hours, and a business model you can put in front of an investor.
Al Wathbah Academy takes fifteen Omani entrepreneurs at a time through assessment, weekly training, one-to-one coaching, a live business simulation and a final pitch to an investment panel. Delivered in Arabic, in a hybrid format, over six months.
Delivered in Arabic in a hybrid format, combining in-person sessions, recorded learning content and weekly practical assignments applied directly inside each participant's business.
What you get
Assessment and a site visit
Sharakah visits your premises and assesses the business across nine areas, then produces an assessment report and a long-term action plan built around the gaps it finds.
Weekly training across four topics
Seventeen subtopics over seventeen weeks covering enterprise development planning, marketing principles, communication skills and digital transformation. Each week combines a training day, a recorded video and two assignments.
Coaching, twice over
One-to-one business coaching based on your assessment findings, plus a separate individual life-coaching session covering mindset and leadership.
Simulation, canvas and a pitch
A two-day simulation workshop on pricing, sales, resource management and marketing, then your Business Model Canvas, then a final pitch to a panel from Bank Muscat and Sharakah.
What gets assessed
Every participating business is assessed against the same nine areas during the site visit phase, so gaps can be identified and tracked rather than assumed.
How the 26 weeks run
Selection
Week 1. Screening, filtration and interviews narrow a shortlist of 30 down to 15.
Orientation
Weeks 2 to 3. Kickoff with Sharakah and Bank Muscat.
Business assessment
Weeks 2 to 3. Site visits and initial observations across the nine areas.
Action planning
Week 4. Assessment report and a long-term action plan for each participant.
Capacity building
Weeks 5 to 21. One subtopic per week, hybrid delivery, video and assignments throughout.
Simulation
Week 22. Two-day interactive workshop on pricing, sales, resource management and marketing.
Life coaching
Week 23. One individual session on personal mindset and leadership.
Business model
Week 24. Business Model Canvas submitted and the pitch prepared.
Pitching
Week 25. Presentation to the investment panel from Bank Muscat and Sharakah.
Graduation
Week 26. Certificates awarded and the top three performing businesses recognised.
Who this is for
You can apply if
- You are an Omani entrepreneur running a startup, small or medium enterprise
- Batch 1: the business has traded continuously for at least 18 months
- Batch 1: you hold a valid Riyada card
- Batch 2: you have a validated idea or a minimum viable product
- Your business aligns with national priority sectors
- You can demonstrate contribution to at least three Sustainable Development Goals
- You can commit to at least 70 per cent attendance across the full 26 weeks
You cannot apply if
- You submit duplicate applications
- Batch 1: the business has traded for less than 18 months
- Batch 1: you do not hold a Riyada card
- You cannot commit to the training schedule or the assignments
- You are unwilling to sign the confidentiality agreement with Bank Muscat and the delivery team
- You are applying primarily to obtain financing
Selection runs in three stages. Screening removes duplicates and verifies status. Filtration scores each application on viability, innovation, sector alignment, Oman Vision 2040 contribution and digital readiness. Interviews then reduce a shortlist of 30 to the final 15. Batch 1 requires 50 per cent Vision 2040 alignment; batch 2 requires 40 per cent.
What the application asks for
The form is short. Have these ready and it takes minutes. All information is treated in strict confidence.
- Full name, phone number and email
- Location, city and governorate
- Instagram account, if you have one
- Business or startup name
- Commercial registration number
- Business stageIdea, early stage, growth, home-based, or other
- SectorFood and beverage, hospitality and tourism, services, industry, agriculture and fisheries, trade and retail, or other
- Your main reason for joining the Academy
This is a development programme, not a funding route
Al Wathbah Academy does not guarantee financing, partnerships or direct commercial opportunities. It is a training and development programme, and what participants take from it is capability rather than capital. Participants commit to at least 70 per cent attendance and to submitting all training requirements. Withdrawal is permitted by written notice, and a withdrawing participant may only be replaced before the intensive training phase begins.
About the Partners
About Sharakah
Sharakah, the Fund for Development of Youth Projects, was established by Royal Decree in 1998 to support small and medium enterprises in the Sultanate of Oman. It provides financial support, advisory services, capacity building and long-term follow-up, and delivers Al Wathbah Academy end to end, from assessment and training through to graduation.
About Bank Muscat
Bank Muscat partners with Sharakah on Al Wathbah Academy as part of its commitment to Omani entrepreneurship. Bank Muscat participates in participant selection, joins the orientation and graduation, and sits on the investment panel that hears the final pitches.
Questions
What language is the Academy delivered in?
Arabic, throughout. All sessions, recorded content and assignments are in Arabic.
How much time does it take each week?
One training day, either in person or online, one recorded video to watch, and two short assignments: a comment on the video and a written reflection.
Do I need to attend everything?
At least 70 per cent. Repeated absence or failure to submit training requirements is grounds for removal from the programme.
Will my photograph be used?
Participants agree to the use of photographs, video and testimonials recorded during the programme for media and promotional purposes, and sign a confidentiality agreement with Bank Muscat and the delivery team.
Can I withdraw?
Yes, by written notice. After the programme begins, the programme carries no further obligations, and replacement is only possible before the intensive training phase starts.
Interested in the next cycle?
Families are nominated by the Ministry of Social Development. Contact us for more about the programme.
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