Shinaz is the founder of Niyyah, an Islamic education app that is transforming how Muslims connect with the Quran.
He studied at the London School of Economics before launching his career in consulting and subsequently transitioning into the venture capital world.
In 2023, he founded Niyyah, which now has over 70,000 users across 170 countries and has raised over $2m from investors.
Download the Niyyah App:
https://www.niyyah.app/
Connect with Shinaz:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/shinaznavas/
00:00 - Introduction
01:21 - Growing up in India and moving to the UK
05:26 - From consulting to venture capital
07:54 - Leaving VC to build Niyyah
08:43 - What Niyyah does
12:03 - Handling criticism about tech and Islam
14:37 - Balancing purpose and profit
16:55 - Why most investors are non-Muslims
20:26 - Why Muslim consumer apps struggle
24:17 - Finding product-market fit
28:11 - Opportunities in Muslim tech
32:26 - Skills needed as a founder
37:23 - Future plans with AI
42:33 - Advice for connecting with the Quran
44:37 - Do you need to learn Arabic?
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Muslim Founder Podcast - conversations with leaders who have built successful companies and organisations.
Our mission is to inspire Muslims to build things that empower the ummah.
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