Pakistani entrepreneur Ammar Akhtar launched Finalrentals with Dh15,000 in operating capital, no advertising budget and no loans. The digital platform now serves customers across more than 65 countries while helping independent rental companies reach online customers.
Akhtar arrived in Dubai from a small Pakistani town on January 20, 2007. He had little money and no clear business plan, but believed the city could transform his future.
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“The thing I remember most clearly is the certainty,” he said. “I did not have money or a plan that anyone would call sensible.”
Within about a year, Akhtar was broke and moving between consulting assignments. Still, he said Dubai taught him resilience, commercial discipline and the importance of starting again.
Early Responsibility Led to a Career Break
Akhtar was the eldest of seven siblings and started supporting his family at a young age. He sometimes worked 18-hour days, an experience that shaped his approach to responsibility and business.
His major break came when Budget Rent a Car appointed him chief software architect. Akhtar built its website and online booking system. He later developed booking platforms for more than 100 rental companies, including Thrifty, Dollar and Payless.
“I have a line I use about it: I did not choose the industry, the industry chose me,” he said.
The work revealed a clear market gap. Independent operators often delivered strong customer service, but many lacked the e-commerce skills needed to compete online.
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In December 2016, Akhtar decided to stop building platforms for others. He wanted to create one that placed customers and independent rental companies first.
Finalrentals Grew Without Paid Advertising
Akhtar invested Dh32,000 in Finalrentals. Licensing and setup expenses left exactly Dh15,000 for operations. He collected revenue in real time and kept borrowing outside the business model.
“The biggest single decision was refusing to spend on advertising, because I could not afford to,” he said.
Akhtar instead developed a technology layer called SEO DIP. It targeted searches such as “rent a car in Karama” and attracted customers through organic search traffic.
“That is how a company with almost no marketing budget ended up getting effectively all of its traffic for free. Constraint forced the innovation. It usually does.”
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Finalrentals says its network now covers more than 65 countries, 500 locations and over 90,000 vehicles. Its platform gives local rental businesses access to international customers.
Akhtar advises new founders to build a real product before focusing on investors. “You do not need their permission and at the start you may not need their money,” he said.
He still describes himself as a homegrown Dubai entrepreneur. “Dubai is the place that made me, and I will always say that plainly,” Akhtar said.
“They say it takes a village to raise a child. I would say it takes an ecosystem to create an entrepreneur, and Dubai is that ecosystem for me.”
