COLABS
Lahore-founded workspace operator for startups, SMEs and enterprise teams, with more than 10 locations and a 4,000 square metre campus in Riyadh opened in April 2026. Founded in 2019 by Omar and Ali Shah.
Industry: Flexible workspace and startup community | Location: Lahore, Pakistan | Founded: 2019 | Total Funding: USD 5M
About COLABS
COLABS is a workspace platform for startups, small and medium-sized enterprises and corporate teams. It was founded in Lahore, Pakistan, in 2019 by twin brothers Omar Shah and Ali Shah. Omar Shah, a former private equity and venture investor, is chief executive. Ali Shah's family real estate and construction firm, SABCON, designs and builds out the company's facilities. COLABS pairs office space with programming, partnerships and network-driven services, including educational boot camps and a software platform for back-office needs such as business incorporation, talent sourcing, payroll processing and legal and tax compliance. It positions its campuses as places where companies can operate, hire and access services in one ecosystem. The company announced a USD 3 million seed round in March 2022, led by Indus Valley Capital, Zayn Capital and Fatima Gobi Ventures. TechCrunch and Wamda reported it was the first time those three Pakistan-focused funds had invested together in a startup. Shorooq Partners, Kinnow Capital, Muir Capital, Sai Ventures and several angel investors also took part. In October 2024 COLABS raised a USD 2 million pre-Series A round led by Shorooq Partners, with Saudi-based Waad Investment participating, to fund its entry into Saudi Arabia. In October 2025 it announced a further investment and a local partnership with Waseel Partners, a Saudi privately owned investment group, as it prepared its Riyadh site. Shorooq's founding partner described that deal as the third time the firm had backed the company. COLABS now says it has raised more than USD 8 million in total from Shorooq, Waseel Partners, Zayn VC, Indus Valley Capital and Fatima Gobi Ventures. According to Pakistani press coverage in 2024, COLABS ran about 10 locations in Pakistan, served more than 5,000 members and employed over 300 people, and reported that it had reached net profitability. An October 2025 release put its community at more than 5,000 members from 300 companies and 250 partners across 10 active sites. In April 2026 COLABS opened a campus of about 4,000 square meters in the Al Narjis district of northern Riyadh, its first location outside Pakistan. The site is designed for more than 500 members, including early-stage startups, scaling companies and enterprise teams, and includes event space for over 200 people, more than 10 meeting rooms, a podcast studio, a rooftop terrace, a daycare facility and a café. The company says it aims to become the largest workspace provider for startups and scaleups across the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan, and to link the entrepreneurial ecosystems of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.