Roya Shafaie and Omar Mansoor Ansari launched the Founder Institute in Kabul in 2014, attracting 160 applications for the first semester. Four Afghan startup founders share how CEO mentors helped them validate ideas, structure companies, and launch products like SmartMaktab and Experts Valley.
Hi, my name is Roya Shafaie. I'm originally from Afghanistan, and today I'm here to speak to you about Founder Institute in Afghanistan. Among other roles, I serve as co-director of Founder Institute's Kabul chapter. In 2013, I approached Founder Institute to see if we could launch a chapter in Afghanistan in order to help build the entrepreneur ecosystem and support the private sector. In the country. That's when I met my co-director, Omar Mansoor Ansari. With Omar's help, we were able to run a successful exploratory phase as well as receive over 160 applications.
Hi, my name is Omar Mansoor Ansari. I'm a technology entrepreneur based in Kabul, Afghanistan. I run a technology company called Tech Nation, and I'm co-director of the Founder Institute Kabul chapter. At the Founder Institute Kabul, we had our first semester in 2014. The semester included 16 sessions provided by 18 CEO mentors from across the world.
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim. Assalamu alaikum. I'm Nikbin Naikbhai, founder and CEO of SmartMaktab.
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim. This is Ghaer Bawri, founder of Experts Valley, an IT outsourcing company.
Hi, My name is Mortar Zargar. I'm the founder of Afiya Unblocking. I've studied computer science in Kabul University.
I'm Akmal Arjang, the founder of 2Next, the company which started its work at 2013 as a software development company and was mainly focusing on accounting problems. Incorporated with ISA at 2014. Our first product was Nixbook, a small business management system and an accounting software.
2014, October, I've joined Founder Institute. It's a great program, it was a great experience with the Founder Institute. I learned a lot of things.
There was a lot of benefits in the program, especially the mentors and other passionate founders.
The most helpful part for me was the mentorship I get from successful CEOs and founders around the globe, where I get advice about building a business launching a product, finding investors and partners, and overall business.
I have learned how to identify the problem and how to, like, give your solutions to those problems and how to do your research in the market.
EFI website has tons of videos and articles which is very useful, and also you get help from fellow founders who are enthusiastic and passionate about their businesses.
The program taught me how to start a company, how to enter the market, and what are necessary to do before starting to write codes. And that's why I recommended Founder Institute to my friends, and I'm going to recommend it to many other people as well.
Through this program, I like started my business in a proper way. I recommend this program to others as well.
In Afghanistan, we need Founder Institute because There's lots of benefits into the program, and we don't have such programs in Afghanistan yet, and Founder Institute has been the first one.
I think it's a great opportunity for all Afghan entrepreneurs, and my advice for everyone, especially to young Afghan entrepreneurs, is if you're really serious about starting a business or company, then join Founder Institute.
I think that Technology is not only a business, it's a culture and maybe politics. The more company we build, the more job we create, the more problem we solve, and the more money we make. So Foundering Institute can help Afghanistan in the mentioned fields and can help entrepreneurs to build a successful company.
Afghans have great talent. But they are lacking mentorship opportunities. If they are provided with the right guidance and support, they can make Afghanistan a better place to live in.
