Getting and backing excellent anyone could be the lifeblood of what we should would at Hambro benefits. We have been fortunate enough to mate with a number of exceptional advertisers at HP, therefore include pleased a large number of are usually willing to promote their unique creator trips with us in our new ‘founder limelight’ series. Hopefully this allows
We have been pleased to declare our initial creator limelight is with Shahzad Younas – the president of a single in our collection providers, Muzmatch. We initial found Shahzad in 2017 and happened to be impressed by the enthusiasm and expertise he showed when speaking about Muzmatch. For those that don’t discover, Muzmatch is actually a Muslim match-making software that understands that Muslims ‘don’t day, they marry’ – a cultural differences that standard matchmaking programs such as for instance Hinge, Bumble and Tinder are hopeless in catering for. Since its founding in 2014, Muzmatch has been supported by famous brands Y- Combinator, Luxor investment Group and undoubtedly, HP.
Fast forward 6 many years and Muzmatch is now the no.1 Muslim match-making app in the world, helping over 3.5 million Muslims on the program come across ‘the one’. We’d a quick chat with Shahzad on his knowledge at this point and exactly what problems sit in advance for him along with his team. it is really not a person to miss!
1) Why do you decide to quit the afternoon task and become an entrepreneur?
We spent 9 years as an investment banker and grew increasingly annoyed and unchallenged by it. I believed I was getting dumber by the day. Pair by using the pandemonium of financial crisis and increased regulation post-recession, it had been a sector that just forced me to extremely unpleasant on an individual levels. I’ve always enjoyed technical and had ambitions to start out personal business even in early era. From the moment we began working in financial we going conserving around quit. We advised me that i need to keep by the time Im 3 decades outdated – which I did!
2) the thing that was the ‘lightbulb minute’ for your latest businesses?
Muzmatch ended up being virtually merely setup as a side project back in 2011 as things I imagined i possibly could create without an excessive amount of energy aided by the included perks from it helping my area. That was available currently had been shockingly bad and old fashioned. I would like to believe Muzmatch is rather revolutionary at the time – the initial PAYG dating website – ?1 to suit people, 50p to view their photos, no month-to-month registration. Quickly forward to 2013 and I also could observe that 80percent of my visitors had been from cellular. They seemed obvious that this type of a service should always be an app – chatting somebody is really private and folks will want to use a personal unit for this (versus logging to an internet site . on a laptop). Mobile was actually the long term.
2014 turned the season I quit my personal job, turn off the internet site and worked tirelessly on muzmatch software regular which had been established from scratch with zero people. In 6 months I trained my self how-to design and create apps, natively developing the software in apple’s ios and Android os, a LAMP backend and websites. Muzmatch could be the earliest and only app I have actually ever developed. A further quickly toward the present and from now on we’ve got over 3.5 million users worldwide as well as 60,000 wedding parties (that people find out about)!
3) just what has been your own biggest training whilst developing a small business?
It’s difficult. it is tiring. No-one will ever very value the crisis and energy that goes on behind-the-scenes. Understanding that, guarantee really one thing you are looking at and excited about. Promoting one thing you are passionate about will be easy because you’re not faking they.
Among the best training has become an expert and con. Carry out just as much as you are able to early – use every hat. Don’t employ prematurily . but additionally don’t employ too late. It’s a difficult stability however want to attempt to see each element of your online business well – I’ve complete every part in my organisation, from cellular dev, customer care, as well as how 
4) What is the best tip you have gotten up to now and just who gave they to you personally?
Oh, a few months into revealing income we reapplied to YC and have in! It’s remarkable just what a chart of some immediate effects can do!
5) what exactly are you a lot of focused on around in advance?
As always – maintaining Muzmatch’s development costs and protecting quality of the product and consumer base. it is also important to keep a close look for new entrants towards the market. We’ve already been happy are these types of a trailblazer inside the dismissed and underserved Muslim matchmaking marketplace and just have proven that there’s a very clear difference right here. The major dating giants are getting find. We have to keep destroying it.
6) We know that a large section of getting a founder may be the continuous interactions with VC’s. They got you thought.. What is more frustrating little bit of opinions you’ve got got from a VC?