In this episode of Muslim Money Talk, host Areeb Siddiqui engages in a candid conversation with the founding team of Kestrl, discussing the journey of building a startup during COVID, the challenges they faced, and the lessons learned along the way. They reflect on the importance of perseverance, the role of family support, and the excitement of growing both the company and the team.

This podcast is powered by Kestrl. 

Kestrl is an app that helps Muslim to grow their wealth without compromising their beliefs 

Kestrl - The Muslim Money App 

https://kestrl.io/

Timestamp Breakdown:

00:00 - Intro

01:30 - Reflecting on the idea of starting a podcast and the initial resistance.

03:50 - Founding Kestrel during the peak of COVID.

08:15 - The realities of being a startup founder.

11:40 - Early conversations and the idea for Kestrel.

19:00 - Challenges of Islamic finance and the digital banking space.

28:30 - Forming the founding team and the importance of technical expertise.

33:00 - The journey of raising funds and facing rejections.

41:15 - The transition from a consumer app to B2B services.

47:00 - Early struggles and learning from past failures.

54:30 - The pivotal moment of securing investment to avoid bankruptcy.

01:03:45 - The importance of team dynamics and hiring unconventional candidates.

01:12:00 - Reflections on family support and cultural differences.

01:20:00 - Looking ahead: ambitions for Kestrel and beyond.

01:26:50 - Final thoughts and closing remarks.