Author: Mohammed Abubakr

There is a tendency to associate great technology companies with great technology ecosystems. Silicon Valley gave birth to Apple and Google. Shenzhen became synonymous with hardware innovation. Geography, we often assume, shapes entrepreneurship. Haroon Azizi’s story challenges that assumption. From Afghanistan—a country more frequently associated with conflict than innovation—Haroon has quietly built a portfolio of technology products serving learners, creators, freelancers, and businesses. His companies may not yet be household names globally, but they represent something much larger than individual startups. They demonstrate that innovation is not determined by geography, infrastructure, or even access to capital. It begins with a…

Luxury brands have always sold more than products. A Hermès bag is not merely leather. A Rolex is not simply a watch. Ferrari does not compete on horsepower alone. The world’s most successful luxury brands sell identity, aspiration, history, and belonging long before they sell craftsmanship. Yet despite a global Muslim population exceeding two billion people and an Islamic economy worth trillions of dollars, there are remarkably few internationally recognized luxury brands that genuinely reflect Muslim identity. For Mohamed Mohamed, Founder and CEO of CASA d’ORIENTE, that gap represents one of the greatest untapped opportunities within the global Islamic economy.…

For centuries, seeking Islamic guidance was never supposed to be complicated. A Muslim facing a difficult marriage, struggling with anxiety, or seeking clarity on a religious matter could simply sit with a trusted scholar, ask questions privately, and leave with both knowledge and reassurance. Somewhere along the way, that relationship quietly disappeared. Today, millions of Muslims—particularly those living outside traditional Muslim societies—find themselves navigating life’s biggest decisions through search engines, anonymous online forums, social media influencers, or increasingly, artificial intelligence. The information available has never been greater, yet trusted guidance has arguably never been harder to access. It was this…

Every successful entrepreneur has a story about failure. Some speak about products that never found customers. Others recall investors who walked away, partnerships that collapsed, or markets that simply weren’t ready. Yet very few founders willingly admit they built four companies before finally discovering what they were truly meant to create. For Ehab Mustapha, failure wasn’t a detour—it was preparation. Long before founding SixTwentyTwo (622), Canada’s first Muslim-focused technology accelerator, Ehab launched four different startups. None of them survived. One secured funding but never evolved into a sustainable business. Another was derailed by the global disruption caused by COVID-19. A…

Curiosity, Conviction, and the Birth of a Bigger Vision In the race to build the next generation of artificial intelligence, most startups are focused on helping developers write code faster. Every few weeks, a new AI coding assistant promises to generate applications, automate programming tasks, or accelerate software development. But while much of the industry competes to create more code, Ishraq Khan is solving a problem that receives far less attention—maintaining the billions of lines of software that already power the modern world. As the Founder and CEO of Kodezi, Ishraq believes the future of software engineering will not be…

Why Omar Al Zabir Walked Away from Big Tech to Protect Muslim Families Online Every technological revolution creates extraordinary opportunities, but it also exposes society to new challenges. The internet has connected billions of people, democratized knowledge, and transformed the way humanity communicates. Yet beneath those remarkable achievements lies a darker reality—one where children are exposed to harmful content at increasingly younger ages, families struggle to navigate digital dangers, and algorithms often prioritize engagement over human wellbeing. For Omar Al Zabir, these were not abstract problems discussed in research papers or news headlines. They were realities he confronted every single…

Turning a Personal Story into a Purpose-Driven Startup For Adeel Syed, Founder and CEO of BiteBuddy.ai, entrepreneurship has always been about solving real-world problems. Having built his first website at the age of 14, Adeel has spent nearly three decades in web development, digital architecture, and artificial intelligence. His entrepreneurial journey includes two previous startups backed by renowned accelerators Y Combinator and Techstars, experiences that sharpened both his technical expertise and leadership. Yet the inspiration behind BiteBuddy.ai came from something much closer to home. Growing up, Adeel watched his father struggle to keep his restaurant afloat amid staff shortages and…

After helping educate thousands of software developers through MohirDev, Mukhammad Khalil realized that talent alone wasn’t enough. Today, through Startup Garage, he is building the entrepreneurial infrastructure that could transform Uzbekistan into one of the world’s next great startup ecosystems. For decades, countries have been known for the natural resources they export. Saudi Arabia exports oil. Australia exports minerals. Brazil exports agricultural products. But what if a country could become known for exporting something far more valuable—entrepreneurs? That is the vision driving Mukhammad Khalil, Founder of Startup Garage, a venture studio that is quietly reshaping the entrepreneurial landscape of Central…

After pioneering Nigeria’s largest online livestock marketplace, the founder of FarmEASY is tackling one of Africa’s biggest challenges—improving the productivity of millions of smallholder farmers through technology, training, and digital transformation. Africa possesses one of the world’s greatest agricultural advantages. The continent is home to more than 65% of the world’s uncultivated arable land, yet it continues to import over US$100 billion worth of food every year. For many observers, this contradiction reflects the complexity of agriculture across Africa. For Ibrahim Maigari, Founder and CEO of FarmEASY Technologies, it represents one of the continent’s greatest opportunities. “Africa should be feeding…

Saudi Arabia’s education technology sector continues to consolidate as leading players expand their platforms through strategic acquisitions. In the latest move, Noon Academy, one of the Middle East’s largest edtech companies, has acquired Almakhfi, a digital learning platform specializing in Qudurat and Tahsili exam preparation. The acquisition strengthens Noon’s AI-powered education ecosystem while expanding its reach among middle and high school students preparing for Saudi Arabia’s most important standardized examinations. The acquisition comes just months after Noon Academy closed a $40.8 million (SAR 153 million) Series B funding round, led by Wa’ed Ventures and Raed Ventures, reinforcing investor confidence in…