Omar-Shakeeb Zahir

Omar-Shakeeb Zahir is the Co-Founder and CEO of SecondLane, a digital-asset private-markets company, a role he has held since April 2026. He previously worked in business development at SecondLane and spent more than 16 years as an architect at Henckel & Zahir Architects, alongside earlier architectural and research roles in the Netherlands and Austria. ^[2]

Education

Zahir graduated from Delft University of Technology with an MSc in Architecture in 2011. ^[3]

Career

Zahir began his career as an Assistant Building Contractor at Ballast Nedam from February to September 2006. He then worked as an Assistant Architect at De Zwarte Hond from September 2007 to September 2008, contributing to architectural projects at the firm's Groningen office. From February to September 2009, he was a Researcher and Designer at the International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam, where he researched high-density residential environments and urban development. He then served as a Researcher and Designer at the Vorarlberger Architekturinstitut from September 2009 to February 2010, focusing on urban sprawl and regional development.

From January 2010 to March 2026, Zahir was an Architect at Henckel & Zahir Architects in Groningen, working on architectural projects involving cities, buildings, and interiors. During this period, he also worked as a Researcher and Editor at TU Delft from July 2010 to June 2011 on research and editorial work for the book Old School New School. He subsequently worked as an Architect at KAW Architects from June to September 2011 and at Neutelings Riedijk Architects from September 2011 to January 2012.

Zahir joined SecondLane as Chief Business Development Officer in January 2023, focusing on business development, partnerships, client relationships, deal execution, and revenue generation within digital asset private markets. He became Co-Founder and CEO of SecondLane in April 2026, taking responsibility for the company's strategy, partnerships, and execution. ^[4]

Interviews

Secondary Markets

In the May 2025 CoinRock Show interview, Omar-Shakeeb Zahir discussed crypto market cycles, venture capital valuations, institutional participation, and the development of secondary markets. He examined the decline of highly valued projects, the importance of project fundamentals and due diligence, and the role of transparency, regulation, and compliance in improving market quality and facilitating institutional participation. The discussion also covered the growing role of secondary markets in providing liquidity as public listings slowed, as well as developments in exchange infrastructure, asset tokenization, privacy technology, and the increasing convergence of traditional finance and crypto. Zahir and the hosts also discussed valuation and funding dynamics, the importance of sustainable business models and in-person relationships, and the potential impact of AI and tokenization on the long-term development of digital asset markets ^[5]