mrUsta in the media

mrUsta on CNN

CNN Marketplace Middle East promotes mrUsta's success story and entrepreneur ecosystem of Dubai and the UAE. mrUsta is one of the best startups in Dubai creating business leads for SMEs and finding best services to UAE residents.

Ibrahim Colak interview with Make It Happen - Spencer Lodge

Most, if not all successful businesses, start with an idea to find a solution to a problem. In this interview, Spencer Lodge finds that's exactly the case with Ibrahim Cola, former Engineer turned award-winning entrepreneur, and his award-winning startup, Mr. Usta! Once again Spencer sits down to chat with another Entrepreneurial Bada$$. This time he talks with Ibrahim Cola, nominated as one of the top 100 entrepreneurs in the UAE, nominated as Arabian Business startup of the year (Mr. Usta) AND Entrepreneur of the year, one of Forbes top 100 startups in the Middle East, and winner of the Admin App of the year award....whew, I'm tired from typing all of those accolades!

Cloud-powered marketplace cuts IT operational costs by 65%

Trailblazing start-up mrUsta has streamlined how service providers ( ustas) and customers connect in the UAE. The online marketplace has allowed service providers to promote their businesses online. Customers can also post job requests (plumbing, carpentry, AC repair, etc.) and connect directly with businesses that provide the service. At the heart of mrUsta’s platform is the desire to use the latest cloud technology for market-leading results.

A woman's tale: working as a female entrepreneur in a male-dominated world

Standing on stage at an event in Abu Dhabi to celebrate International Women's Day, Dunia Othman was quizzed by members of the mainly female audience on why, out of all of the opportunities open to her, she chose to male-focused name for her product and even put a prominent moustache in her logo.

"Mr Usta, the name chosen for the business I co-founded, is simply driven by the fact that the online platform we’ve started provides services by handymen. Usta in Arabic means a master or a handyman, and the majority of workers in this field are men," Othman, the co-founder of the online marketplace, told the audience at an INSEAD business school event in March.​

Top 100 Startups In The Arab World 2017

mrUsta is listed as one of the top 100 startups in the Arab World by Forbes Middle East 

50 UAE Startups To Watch

mrUsta is #5 in the 50 startups to watch list by Forbes Middle East 

Revealed: mrUsta is in Top 10 entrepreneurs in the GCC 2017

Over the course of the past four years, Ibrahim Colak and Dunia Othman have changed the face of home services with their company MrUsta. Founded by the duo after a frustrating experience with a faulty air conditioning unit, MrUsta is a platform for finding home service providers. Helping customers find the right people for their various jobs, and giving providers a means of pitching for particular work, the website features around 6,000 tradespeople across 250 categories, with jobs totaling a reported Dhs30m ($8.2m) happening through the portal per year – growing at 20 per cent per month.

2017 MENA Digital Awards Winner

mrUsta won the best use of Social Media (Small Budget) Award

4 Best Maid Services Apps of Dubai Which Are Must Download For Your Smartphone

Yet another best in class app which helps you to find the best maid services in the city of gold: Dubai. You will be able to find the best services through this app as it is the class service provider platform. Be it any kind of services such as the painting of your home or related to cooking new recipe of your choice, planning for your birthday party or any other service you require like the fixing of your car when it breaks down. You can get the best services you need in whole UAE. The main categories of this app includes home services like cleaning of house, plumbing, handyman, carpentry services, auto services, building and construction oriented services and many more like the moving services, entertainment services such as the wedding, photography, business services, etc.

أخبار منوعة - مستر أسطه سوق إلكتروني لإيجاد مزودي خدمات عالية الجودة

خدمات أحسن لحياة أفضل ... هو شعار شركة مستر أسطه MrUsta المتخصصة في تقديم أسرع و أفضل الخدمات المنزلية بأقل التكلفة و أقل الوقت لجعل الحياة أسهل و أسعد.
أخبار الآن التقت بدنيا كولك Dunia colak المديرة التنفيذية لشركة مستر أسطه و قالت ان ما يميز  مستر أسطه عن باقي الشركات أنها تسمح لمستخدميها التواصل بشكل مباشر مع مزوِّدي الخدمات
من دون تدخل من إدارة الشركة.     مستر أسطه هو سوق للتجارة الإلكترونية لسكان دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة لإيجاد مزودي خدمات عالية الجودة استنادا إلى ملاحظات العملاء موثوق ودرجات التقييم. الجميع يريد سهولة الوصول إلى جودة الخدمة في حياتهم اليومية. ولكن عندما يكون لديك تسرب المياه في المنزل كيف تجد سباك؟ دعوة صديق ؟، جوجل؟ ولكن لا أحد يستطيع أن يضمن نوعية. لا تظن لها عظيم أن تكون قادرة على العثور بسهولة على مزود خدمة المتبادلين وتكون مريحة تقديمهم إلى منزلك؟​

mrUsta Saves the Day!

Oh, dear mums, I don’t even know where to start when it comes to house maintenance. With many husbands working long hours or extensively travelling, most of the times things like AC cleaning/sanitizing, wall painting, pipes changing or repairing, home appliances repairing and such become our responsibilities, we have to find the best company, the best price and the best time to schedule the service.

So, what do we do? We turn to word-of-mouth recommendations and internet and we launch in a time consuming search for a company that would be ideal for us in terms of quality and money.  I always say that when you need to know something just ask Mr. Google. But…surprise, surprise! Here, in Dubai, there is mrUsta!

ShortList App Awards 2016 - The Winners

Life Admin App of the Year - Mr Usta

13 Tech Startups From The United Arab Emirates You Need to Know About in 2017

mrUsta fulfills a widespread, critical need of most UAE residents: quality home services. Instead of having to pay unqualified service people for poor quality work, the startup allows users to search through a range of service providers, read reviews, and compare prices to select the best professional for the job.

Founded In The Family: The Couple Behind mrUsta On How They Make It Work

Set up in 2014, mrUsta is an online portal connecting UAE residents with service providers such as plumbers, painters, cleaners etc. Customer growth since launch has been over 500%, they claim. In October 2016, it raised $750,000 in a pre-series A round.

100Tech.co Interview with Ibrahim Colak of mrUsta

An Exclusive Interview with Ibrahim Colak of mrUsta

Startup Emirates: The Most Well-Funded Tech Startups In The UAE In One Infographic

All of the companies in our infographic are based in the Emirate of Dubai. Collectively, these companies have raised approximately $2.3B.

15 Apps That Will Solve Your Everyday Dubai Problems

"These days, there’s an app for pretty much everything, but which ones will actually make a difference to your day-to-day life? We’ve tested and shortlisted the very best apps that every Dubai resident should be using. Here’s 15 of our can’t-live-without recommendations:

1. mrUsta: Post any service request on mrUsta and make them work to win your bid. Get those maintenance problems sorted."

mrUsta Review

"Rather than running after businesses, mrUsta makes them chase after you. All you've got to do is post the job you need doing, wait for quotes from competing companies, and decide on the winning bid. A ratings system helps make choosing that much easier."

mrUsta on Kris Fade Show on Virgin Radio

mrUsta competition on The Kris Fade Show on the Virgin Radio Dubai was full of action and fun. We’re astonished at the number of DIY disaster stories in the UAE. And thanks to Kris Fade we can’t stop singing the jingle ... mrUsta bring it back to me…

mrUsta on Saba7 Il Khair Ya Arab show on MBC

#mrUsta Founder and CMO Dunia Othman on MBC Saba7 Il Khair Ya Arab show explaining mrUsta concept. Her valuable advise to future entrepreneurs is to “Take the Risk”. صباح الخير يا عرب

MrUsta Raises $750K Pre-Series A Round

mrUsta, Dubai’s leading online marketplace for services, has raised $750K in pre-series A funding round.

We met MrUsta for the first time when it first launched back in 2014 at STEP Startup Basecamp, and have witnessed every successful milestone of their journey.

9 MENA startups that are all about connection

"Nowadays, it’s all about being connected and staying connected. That doesn’t just apply to social media and the Internet, although those are two extremely essential things nowadays. Companies in the region are moving into the connection sphere, giving consumers a chance to grow their network, from experts in the industry to the job market to everyday service providers.

mrUsta, Connecting customers to trusted service providers all across the UAE."

You better keep an eye out on these 12 awesome startups in Dubai

"Startups, startups everywhere. In the Middle East, there is one place that is slowly become the region’s startup hub and that is Dubai. From tech to e-commerce, you better keep an eye out on these awesome startups in Dubai"

6 services that will make your life easier in Dubai

"Life in Dubai is pretty convenient for anyone with a busy lifestyle, all thanks to technology. With everything moving to mobile, some things have become accessible simply through an app. There’s no need to search for a certain number to get a service done for you anymore.

These 6 tech services will make your life so much easier if you’re living in Dubai. You better try them:

1. mrUsta"

mrUsta on Dubai TV Money Map Show

Dubai TV Money Map show promoted mrUsta on 24.10.2015. Watch this video to learn more about mrUsta concept, founders and future plans.

mrUsta on Payfort

The Entrepreneur of the Month Dunia Othman from mrUsta. She shares some insight on the evolving world of smart outsourcing and how new startups are changing the way we shop for service providers.

mrUsta on Dubai Eye 103.8 Radio Drive Live Show - Industry Insider with Ibrahim Colak

Our Industry Insider this week is Ibrahim Colak - the Co-Founder and CEO of mrUsta. He joins us and share what mrUsta means and how it started.

mrUsta on Dubai Eye 103.8 Radio

The podcast of mrUsta CEO Ibrahim Colak live on Dubai Eye 103.8 ‪The Ticket‬ show at Gitex Technology Week

mrUsta App Review on Dubai Eye Drive Live Show

mrUsta mobile app reviewed on Dubai Eye Drive Live show. Listen to know more how you can easily find a plumber, painter, mechanic, moving company or any other services in Dubai, abu Dhabi or all over the UAE

Two Nominations for Arabian Business StartUp Awards 2017

Startup of the Year: mrUsta
Entrepreneur of the Year: Ibrahim Colak - Founder and CEO

mrUsta secures AED 2.75 million pre-series A funding

mrUsta, an online services marketplace launched in Dubai by Ibrahim Colak and Dunia Othman, has successfully closed a AED 2.75 million pre-series A funding round.

Investors include Precinct Partners,  Millennial Partners & Co., and angel investors from Saudi Arabia and Egypt. This comes on the heels of its AED 1.2 million seed funding in August 2015. The financing will be used to accelerate growth, to expand the platform to key regional markets, and to hire new team members.

Entrepreneurs of the Week: Dunia Othman and Ibrahim Colak, founders of mrUsta

"mrUsta, rests on a win-win model for all stakeholders involved - small service providers struggling to reach more customers coupled with UAE residents in desperate need of their services.
Following the closure of their seed fundraising round in September 2015, the mrUsta team was able to release a new version of the website with new iOS and Android applications, which were downloaded more than 2,500 times in the first two months.
The platform lists a few thousand home service providers – described by the co-founders as ‘Ustas’ – in various categories, with each profile containing not only the contact information and location, but also the reviews and ratings posted by previous customers."

StartUp Awards 2015 shortlist

Start-up of the Year 2015: mrUsta.com

StartUp Awards 2014 shortlist

Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2014: Ibrahim Colak

Dubai start-up closes $353k in financing

"A Dubai-based online marketplace that connects service providers with clients in need has raised AED 1.3 million ($353,934) in seed financing."

Get in the Ring for investment opportunity

"Together with her husband and two partners, Dunia Othman, co-founder and chief marketing officer at mrUsta, has developed an online business directory of local service providers which also offers a service rating system accessible through mobile devices and PCs."

Need a plumber or a handyman? These online service shops have the answer

"It may not have been top of the business plan, but Ibrahim Colak can now cite rescuing a drone from a tree as a service offered via his online marketplace.

Changing light bulbs wasn’t either, but it is another domestic drama MrUsta has helped to solve.

The company is part of a wave of online platforms linking professional services, such as plumbers, electricians – and men with ladders –to residents seeking reliable home service providers."

SME profile: online site helps you find best usta in the UAE

"In October 2013, Dunia Othman and Ibrahim Colak cut short their honeymoon in Crete to pitch their idea for a technology start-up to Afkar, a digital business incubator. Their idea was to launch a new online marketplace to link tradespeople – from painters to martial arts instructors – with UAE residents."

Startup mrUsta Offers A MENA-based Platform For Your Service Needs

"It’s not too hard to see what makes mrUsta so appealing to its 350-odd client base. Let’s put it this way: if you’ve ever had to frantically search your contact list or ask friends for recommendations of a maintenance company after one of the pipes in your apartment bursts, mrUsta can come to the rescue."

Energizing The Ecosystem: The UAE's Saud Al Nowais Sees Your Startup As The Next Big Thing

“I like MrUsta a lot; Ibrahim [Colak] is a great entrepreneur.”

We Got Funded: Startup mrUsta Raises AED2.75 Million In Funding Round

"More than ever, quality in the service industry is essential, and the UAE-based mrUsta, an online marketplace for consumers to find and book service providers founded in 2013, has strived to accomplish this- and now, investors have taken notice.."

مستر أسطه تحصل على تمويل 2.75 مليون درهم – تعرف على التفاصيل

"أعلنت شركة “مستر أسطه” Mr.Usta عن حصولها على 2.75 مليون درهم إماراتي، من كلِ من “بريسينت بارتنرز” Precinct Partners، و”ميلينيال بارتنرز أند كو”Millennial Partners & Co، إلى جانب مستثمرين أفراد من السعودية ومصر، لم يتم الكشف عن هويتهم."

10 Of The Best Start Ups In Dubai Right Now

mrUsta was born out of a desire to provide everyone with an easy way to find quality trades people on the basis of customer feedback. Seems like a simple one, this is the one you need because you never know when it will come in handy! Founder - Ibrahim Colak"

Meet the disrupters

"A smart UAE will depend on how today’s new businesses integrate technology into their operations. GN Focus profiles a few national and expatriate innovators and examines how they’ve gotten off the ground"

UAE tops Gender Progress Index in GCC

"Dunia Othman, 36, Iraqi, co-founder and chief marketing officer, mrUstat

An entrepreneur with a mix of marketing, business management and engineering experience, Othman is the mother of a five-month-old baby and has had a tough time working as a young software engineer abroad due to her gender. Today, although she is a co-founder of her company, she said she still has to constantly prove herself."

Things to know about why maintenance matters

"Last year, Colak decided to turn his idea into a business and launched mrUsta.com, an online directory that gathers details of different household service providers, from cleaners, painters and plumbers, to more off-beat services such as dance classes .The website also provides reviews of listed providers, who are experts in their fields. As the next best thing to word of mouth, it gives consumers a head start in searching for the right service provider."

Growth in the service provider Mr Usta as they get more funding

mrUsta secured a pre-Series A round of 2.75 million Emirati dirhams (US$750,000) this week.

Investors include regional investors Precinct Partners, Millennial Partners & Co, along with angel investors from Saudi Arabia and Egypt. They are looking to close a Series A round in 2017.

From plumbers to cake decorators, can mrUsta provide the quick fix for Dubai's expats?

"While sitting at the Business Development table during Mix N’ Mentor Dubai, two entrepreneurs caught my attention: Ibrahim Colak and his wife Dunia Othman, the cofounders of mrUsta, an online marketplace in UAE that links residents with different service providers."

How UAE’s mrUsta raised an unexpected $351K

"When Ibrahim Colak, founder of UAE service providers platform mrUsta, attended a networking event at Dubai’s In5 innovation center, he didn’t expect it to lead to a seed investment of $351,000."

In5: Enabling Innovation

"Ibrahim Colak, founder of MrUsta, joined In5 in January. He said the incubator took care of many difficult details for him, leaving the firm to focus on growth and innovation. “It’s not easy to be an entrepreneur in Dubai. There are renting costs and other costs, and you need networks to reach the right people,” Colak said."

Company Overview of mrUsta

"mrUsta provides an Internet directory of service providers in the United Arab Emirates. The company’s platform incorporates a search engine which enables potential customers to search for service providers based on name, location, or category, as well as allows past customers to rate or comment on service providers they have used. The company is headquartered in Dubai"

12 stylish things for men

"You’ve no doubt heard horror stories from mates in the UAE about dodgy removal firms and crooked maintenance staff (our favourite is the Style staffer who went home early one day to find his maid wearing his Lacoste polo shirt). MrUsta takes this game of chance out of the equation: service providers in your area are recommended on the app by fellow users."

Website alleviates headache of finding services in the UAE

"Finding quality service providers can be like trying to resolve an issue with your electricity bill. Everyone wants you to pay up and no one wants to hear about your problem .When many of us need a service, we usually head straight to sites like Dubizzle and end up spending hours scrolling through page after page of identical ads.mrUsta is a UAE based online marketplace that simplifies the process. It uses customer ranked data to help people find services ranging from painters to cake decorators, for free (and in case you’re wondering, “usta” means master, guru, or expert in Turkish. It is also used in Iraq and the Gulf in old Arabic!)"

mrUsta Secures $350K Seed Investment, Next Stop KSA

"mrUsta, the UAE’s marketplace for home services, received a first investment of $350,000 in August through a seed funding round led by Amjad Ahmad, a veteran investor and avid supporter of local entrepreneurs."

mrUsta Knows All UAE Businesses

" mrUsta is an online marketplace for UAE residents to find home services, where visitors are able to find all kinds of services with user ranked data, and are able to communicate with the service providers directly through the website."

Afkar.me invests in the future by selecting three regional start-ups for second intake

"Following a six week selection process from entries across the globe, Afkar.me the region’s only full spectrum digital oriented start-up incubator, run by Intigral, has selected three promising GCC start-ups for incubation. The three teams, MedsConnect, mrUsta and Kanari were chosen from a group of nine shortlisted entrants following an intensive two day boot camp in Dubai last weekend."