President Spotlight: Shahzad Younas, Chief Executive Officer and President of Muzmatch .

Finding and supporting exemplary folks will be the lifeblood of everything we perform at Hambro Perks. We’ve been fortunate enough to lover with numerous outstanding entrepreneurs at horsepower, and now we is pleased a large number of them are ready to show their own founder trips around in our newer ‘founder limelight’ show. Hopefully this allows an insight into life as a founder. Expect to find out light bulb times, beating difficult difficulties and exactly how from a founder perspective, VC’s can be… Really, most irritating. ??

We have been thrilled to mention which our first founder spotlight is with Shahzad Younas – the creator of just one of our own collection organizations, Muzmatch. We first satisfied Shahzad in 2017 and comprise blown away of the warmth and expertise he showed when discussing Muzmatch. For people who don’t know, Muzmatch is actually a Muslim match-making app that knows that Muslims ‘don’t go out, they get married’ – a cultural improvement that traditional matchmaking software for example Hinge, Bumble and Tinder being hopeless in providing for. Since its founding in 2014, Muzmatch is supported by the kind of Y- Combinator, Luxor funds party not to mention, HP.

Quick onward 6 ages and Muzmatch is the no.1 Muslim match-making app in the world, assisting over 3.5 million Muslims on the program pick ‘the one’. We’d a simple chat with Shahzad on their encounters yet and what challenges lay forward for your and his awesome group. It’s really not someone to neglect!

1) exactly why did you choose to give up the afternoon work and become operator?

We spent 9 age as an investment banker and became more and more annoyed and unchallenged by it. We noticed I became acquiring dumber each day. Set that with the pandemonium regarding the economic crisis and increasing rules post-recession, it had been a sector that just made me extremely unpleasant on a personal amount. I’ve usually enjoyed tech along with ambitions to start my own business inside the first days. As soon as we started employed in banking I began keeping doing give up. I told me that i have to create once Im thirty years older – that I did!

2) What was the ‘lightbulb moment’ for your present companies?

Muzmatch was practically just setup as an area task back in 2011 as one thing I was thinking i really could build without continuously effort making use of extra advantages of it helping my personal people. The thing that was available to choose from already was actually shockingly poor and old fashioned. I wish to genuinely believe that Muzmatch was actually quite innovative during the time – the first PAYG dating website – ?1 to suit individuals, 50p to look at their own photographs, no month-to-month subscription. Fast toward 2013 and I could observe that 80% of my personal website traffic was originating from cellular. It appeared apparent that these a site must an app – messaging someone is very individual and people will desire to use your own tool to achieve this (versus logging on to a web page on a laptop). Mobile had been the near future.

2014 turned into the year I stop my task, closed the internet site and worked tirelessly on muzmatch software full time which had been founded from scratch with zero customers. In half a year We taught my self tips layout and construct software, natively constructing the app in iOS and Android os, a LAMP backend and internet site. Muzmatch could be the basic and only application i’ve ever developed. An additional fast forward to the current and now we over 3.5 million users world-wide and over 60,000 wedding events (we find out about)!

3) What happens to be your own biggest discovering whilst design a business?

It’s tough. It’s tiring. No body will ever very value the crisis and energy that goes on behind-the-scenes. Keeping that in mind, make certain its one thing you are considering and excited about. Offering anything you’re excited about isn’t hard because you’re maybe not faking they.

One of the recommended instruction might an expert and con. Carry out just as much as you’ll be able to in early stages – use every hat. Don’t hire prematurily . but also don’t hire far too late. It’s a difficult balances nevertheless have travel dating app to try to see each part of your organization better – I’ve finished every character in my own organization, from cellular dev, customer care, as well as how you can shell out roll in an effort to getting a good commander. Building a good employees is certainly not simple and you’ll make some incorrect hires. Figure it out, understand and proceed quickly. Furthermore – you may be able to things – nothing is too difficult to learn yourself. It just requires work.

4) what’s the best tip you have received up to now and exactly who gave it for you?

The first occasion we used on YC we were declined. Precisely Why? They desired you to display some income. Muzmatch wanted to start producing revenue came a lot prior to I initially wished to.

Oh, a couple of months into showing earnings we reapplied to YC and had gotten in! It’s incredible what a chart of some instantaneous effect can perform!

5) Just What Are your more worried about around in advance?

As ever – maintaining Muzmatch’s growth prices and protecting quality of this product and individual base. it is also essential maintain an eye for brand new entrants towards marketplace. We’ve started fortunate getting such a trailblazer during the overlooked and underserved Muslim matchmaking markets and also confirmed that there surely is a definite difference right here. The major matchmaking giants are using see. We must hold destroying it.

6) we understand that a big section of being a president may be the constant connections with VC’s. It had gotten us thinking.. just what has been probably the most annoying piece of suggestions you’ve got had from a VC?