Doushesh
Damascus-based online classifieds platform for real estate, vehicles, electronics, jobs and services across Syria. Founded in 2025, it closed an undisclosed pre-seed round in early 2026.
Industry: Online classifieds | Location: Damascus, Syria
About Doushesh
Doushesh is a Syrian online classifieds marketplace, launched from Damascus in 2025. Users post and browse ads for real estate, vehicles, electronics, home and furniture, jobs, services, fashion, beauty and children's items, hobbies and animals, and equipment. It is available on iOS, Android and the web, including a lightweight progressive web app, and users sign in through WhatsApp without a password.
Alaaeddin Zarzour and Zafer Odabashi founded the company, according to Wamda. Doushesh's website describes Zarzour as a co-founder and funder and Odabashi as co-founder for management and technology, and Wamda named Zarzour as chief executive in September 2026. Adnan Khabbaz joined as partner and technical advisor; the website describes him as an investor and the chief technology officer of the Saudi real estate platform Aqar.
The website says posting ads is free, though free ads are limited in number and available only in certain sections. It states that the platform covers all 14 Syrian governorates, has more than 100 categories and has more than 200,000 downloads; these figures are undated and were read in October 2026. Its footer names Doushesh LLC, a Wyoming limited liability company, as the operating entity. LinkedIn lists 11 to 50 employees.
Doushesh closed a pre-seed round at the start of 2026, which Wamda reported on 7 January 2026 from a press release relayed by Riyada Plus. Neither the amount nor the investors were disclosed. The funds are meant for expansion across Syria's main provinces, better ad quality and tighter controls against fake or misleading listings. MENA Startup Digest added plans for artificial intelligence, infrastructure that can handle growth and expansion into real estate and automotive verticals.
On 3 September 2026 Wamda reported that AQAR, a Saudi real estate platform, had signed a memorandum of understanding to invest up to 480,000 dollars in Doushesh through a simple agreement for future equity, released in tranches tied to growth milestones. The memorandum was signed by AQAR chief executive Ibrahim Al-Shehail and Doushesh chief executive Alaa Al-Din Zarzour. The agreement is a memorandum of understanding rather than a completed investment.
Leadership
- Alaaeddin Zarzour, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer
- Zafer Odabashi, Co-founder, Management and Technology
- Adnan Khabbaz, Partner and Technical Advisor