Phaze Ventures signs MoU with Microsoft to strengthen Oman’s technology base

Saif Al-Hosni, Country Manager at Microsoft Bahrain and Oman shakes hands with Phaze Ventures Co-Founder Mohammed Al-Wahaibi after MoU signing at COMEX

Phaze Ventures today deepened its commitment to supporting Oman’s economic vision, by using the second day of COMEX 2019 to sign a memorandum of understanding with Microsoft to strengthen the sultanate’s technology skill base and entrepreneurial spirit.

“Microsoft has long been committed to helping enterprises fulfil Oman’s economic vision,” said Sheikh Saif Hilal Al Hosni, Country Manager, Microsoft Bahrain and Oman. “Digital transformation’s power to engage, empower, optimise and reinvent is an important tool for entrepreneurs and their leadership teams. We must ensure that people with the right skills stand ready to take their places in the country’s digital future.”

Phaze Ventures and Microsoft will work together on multiple schemes to promote and accelerate the growth of the country’s small-business and start-up ecosystems. Microsoft will support SparkLabs Energy, a startup accelerator programme created by Phaze Ventures that focuses on ambitious digital disruptors in the energy industry that are focused on areas such as renewables, water management, Industrial Internet of Things, enhanced oil recovery, data analytics and logistics.

Additionally, Microsoft will assist with Phaze Education, an initiative that organises coding bootcamps, hackathons, and a variety of training courses, lectures and competitions for the purposes of offering upskilling in key technologies to entrepreneurs and start-up leadership teams.

“Like Phaze Ventures, Microsoft understands that the startup sector is the backbone of many a nation’s competitiveness,” said Abdullah Al Shaksy, CEO of Phaze Ventures. “We need digital disruptors to catalyse the energy sector and Microsoft is going to help us do that by injecting much-needed skills and mentorship into an already enthusiastic innovation culture.”