GHP #50 - From Immigrant, to Soldier, to Entrepreneur, to Canada's Top 40 Under 40 with Abdullah Snobar!

Episode 50 is with Abdullah Snobar!

Abdullah is the Executive Director of the DMZ and the Chief Executive Officer of DMZ Ventures.

Ranked as one of the top university-based tech incubators in the world, the DMZ provides a launchpad for founders to build and scale fast. To date, the DMZ has helped more than 400 startups raise over $1B in capital and created 4,000+ jobs.

We talk to Abdullah about his non-traditional journey into tech. He details his journey from a Palestinian immigrant, to serving in the Canadian Armed Forces, to founding a non-profit in Kenya, to today becoming recognized as one of Canada’s Top 40 under 40.

This was an incredibly inspirational conversation that intertwines so many facets of culture and society. We hope you find it as enlightening and informative as we did!

Timestamps
 2:50 - Immigrating & Adapting to Canada
 7:12 - Attraction to the Hospitality Industry
10:53 - Canadian Military Experience at 16 years old
13:12 - Overcoming Fear
14:45 - The Supa Maasai Foundation in Kenya
25:12 - The DMZ at Ryerson University
31:37 - DMZ’s $1 Billion Milestone
36:25 - Why you should choose The DMZ
38:55 - Growing the Canadian Tech Ecosystem
43:45 - Common Qualities of Successful Founders
47:40 - Lightning Round