• Syrian digital classifieds platform Doushesh has closed a pre-seed funding round, marking progress for the country’s nascent startup ecosystem.
• Founded in 2025 by Alaaeddin Zarzour and Zafer Odabashi, Doushesh provides a classifieds marketplace, covering real estate, vehicles, electronics, furniture, jobs, and services.
• The funding will support market expansion across Syria and improvements in trust and safety, as Doushesh focuses on retention, verified listings, and transaction reliability.

Press release:

Damascus-based digital classifieds platform Doushesh has closed a pre-seed funding round at the start of 2026, marking a notable milestone for Syria’s emerging startup ecosystem.

Alongside the investment, Doushesh announced a strategic technical partnership with Adnan Khabbaz, who joins the company as Partner and Technical Advisor, bringing regional experience in building and scaling large consumer platforms.

The funding and leadership addition are expected to accelerate Doushesh’s mission to digitise and organise Syria’s fragmented buying and selling landscape, where informal transactions continue to dominate many categories.

Founded as a local-first marketplace, Doushesh is focused on building trust, safety, and transaction reliability rather than chasing surface-level growth metrics. The company positions itself as a community-driven platform designed around local behaviour and on-the-ground realities.

In 2026, Doushesh plans to execute on two parallel priorities. The first is expanding user adoption across Syria’s main provinces, with an emphasis on balanced and sustainable growth. The second is strengthening retention by improving listing quality and credibility, including the introduction of stricter controls to combat fake and misleading ads.

By prioritising trust and verification, Doushesh aims to establish itself as the default and safest local option for buying and selling across Syria.