Q1–Q2 2026 · Investor brief
Innovating VAT Reclaims for the Guests of Allah.
Sahlan is a value-upcycling layer for pilgrims, tourists and premium Muslim shoppers — turning approved tax-free refund value into something more useful, emotional and spendable inside the Muslim travel economy.
Hajj 2026 pilgrims
1.71M
GASTAT 2026
Inbound spend
SAR 176.6B
MoT 2025
Working SAM
~SAR 10B
Sahlan
How it works
The Sahlan model in four steps.
Sahlan is not a VAT refund operator. We're the loyalty and value-upcycling layer that sits on top of approved tax-free rails — making the refund worth more.
- 01
Shop
Visitors shop at participating merchants across Makkah, Madinah and the Kingdom — perfumes, gold, dates, gifts, fashion and more.
- 02
Validate
The VAT refund is validated through the approved tax-free operator. Sahlan stays fully compliant — we never replace ZATCA or Global Blue.
- 03
Upcycle
Instead of a plain cash refund, visitors can convert that value into Sahlan wallet credit, perfume and gold vouchers, hotel stays, Umrah services or airline miles.
- 04
Boost
Merchants, hotels and partners upsize the value — a SAR 100 refund can become SAR 115–130 of partner-funded rewards inside the sacred economy.
Sahlan turns refunds into a commerce flywheel for the Two Holy Cities.
Our mission
Elevating the journey in the Two Holy Cities.
Pilgrims come for worship. The buying experience around them shouldn't get in the way. Sahlan reduces opacity, improves trust, and modernises commerce around Makkah and Madinah — beginning with a wedge pilgrims already feel: value they may lose, delay, or underutilise.
From marketplace to value-conversion
We moved from a marketplace-first thesis to a sharper wedge: helping pilgrims preserve and grow value from purchases through refund guidance, merchant-funded vouchers and partner redemption.
Capital discipline
Monthly burn reduced 60–65% to under SAR 80K — AI-assisted operations and a senior core team preserved product and partnership momentum without over-hiring ahead of proof.
Mission-aligned governance
Two investment offers totalling SAR 8M were declined after term review to protect ethical financing standards and founder-led continuity.
Regulated pathway
Payment regulations in progress — agreements being formed with Revolut, NayaPay, Alipay, TotalPay, Airwallex and Nium to establish a compliant route for settlement, reconciliation and payout functionality as the model scales.
Q1–Q2 2026
Six milestones that changed our risk profile.
The Q1–Q2 period converted Sahlan from a broad marketplace concept into a more focused, capital-efficient, investor-ready company.
Q1 2026
Strategic wedge sharpened
Repositioned from marketplace-first to value-conversion-first — starting from a pain pilgrims already feel.
Q1 2026
Burn reduced 60–65%
Operating reset brought monthly spend below SAR 80K while preserving execution capacity.
Q1 2026
SAR 8M in offers declined
Protected mission alignment over capital — held out for clearer terms tied to the new wedge.
Q2 2026
Payment regulations in progress
Agreements being formed with Revolut, NayaPay, Alipay, TotalPay, Airwallex and Nium — a regulated infrastructure pathway for settlement and future payment-enabled features.
Q2 2026
Nusuk 2026 cohort maintained
Whitelisted partner status retained — credibility in the pilgrim ecosystem preserved.
Q2 2026
Distribution moat at SAR 3M
Active media-equivalent value across hotels, logistics and transport — expandable toward SAR 5M by Q1 2027.
The detailed investor report is online.
For partners and investors with the direct link.
Market
A large market with an immediate monetary trigger.
The opportunity is not a generic shopping-app curve — it is a high-intent value-recovery use case in one of the world's most concentrated religious-tourism corridors.
Hajj 2026 pilgrims
0.00M
Inbound spend
SAR 0.0B
Working SAM
SAR 0B
Burn reduction
0%
Distribution moat
Trusted touchpoints across the pilgrim journey.
Hotels, logistics and transport partners introduce Sahlan at moments when pilgrims are most receptive — reducing dependence on paid digital acquisition.
Nesma Group
4 hotels
Hafil Group
2,000+ buses
NTC
300+ buses
NEMCO
700+ private vehicles
Payment partners
Revolut, NayaPay, Alipay, TotalPay, Airwallex, Nium — agreements in progress
Nusuk 2026
Whitelisted partner cohort
Team
Execution depth in a specialised market.
Cofounder · CEO
Dr. Omar Mirza
- 15+ years in brand building
- Major rebrands and Guinness World Records
- Deep investor and ecosystem relationships
Cofounder · CTO
Eng. Abdullah Mazi
- 25+ years in IT
- Led mega digitalisation projects (Adahi, Othaim)
- Strong government and regulator relationships