Assel Beglinova, the co-founder and CEO of Paperstack. Paperstack is an app that provides working capital and financial insights for e-commerce sellers. Through this, Paperstack supports online merchants in purchasing inventory, investment in advertising, and hiring more talent.

When this episode was being recorded (January, 2022), Assel was going through the Techstars Equitech accelerator program in Baltimore, Maryland. The Paperstack team completed the program in March and Assel pitched their company during demo day.

Assel’s Canadian journey started when she came to Toronto as an international student to study Finance and Accounting at Seneca College. During the episode we cover some of the challenges she encountered. For example, during college she struggled to even find part-time jobs due to her lack of any work experience from her high school years. She went from handing out her resumes to businesses on Yonge street to successfully securing her first full-time job.

We also dive into some of the strategies that helped set Assel up for professional success. One of the main points of advice mentioned was: start researching Canada and actively networking prior to making the move here.

As an international student turned financial advisor at Canadian major banks and now tech startup founder, Assel provides a unique perspective on what were some of the key steps that helped her get from one stage to the next.

P.S. When this episode was recorded, Assel was in Baltimore, Maryland. Her team going through the Techstars Equitech accelerator program and actively working on taking Paperstack to the next level. Since then, the Paperstack team completed the Techstars program. 

P.P.S. Interested in networking with fellow immigrant professionals? Check out the VisaWire Community: https://community.visawireapp.com/