Muslim Money Expert: If I Started A Business in 2026, I'd Do This

Description

Omar Waseem is the 21-year-old CEO of Alif, an investment fund for Muslim founders based in Silicon Valley. By 19, he had built multiple seven-figure businesses and served as CMO of Fei Protocol, a startup that peaked at a $2B valuation. Today he invests in early-stage Muslim founders and runs an ecosystem that hosts entrepreneurs and investors from across the world. In this episode, he breaks down how Muslim entrepreneurs can build wealth and start companies in 2026. ------------------- Join Alif Sessions: https://alif.build/sessions Use promo code "muslimfounder" in your application for 20% off and a guaranteed spot in the program. Program starts on 10th May. ------------------- Follow Omar Waseem: https://www.linkedin.com/in/omarwaseem/ https://x.com/omarwasm https://www.youtube.com/@omarwasm ------------------- 0:00 Introduction 2:14 Omar's entrepreneurial journey 4:26 The car accident that changed everything 6:53 The Fund backing Muslim founders 10:14 What Omar looks for in founders 11:26 The mission: 25 Muslim billionaires 12:15 Do Muslims sell out to build big? 14:53 How Alif actually makes money 16:32 The best business to start in 2026 18:56 Why 2026 is the moment 21:22 Building Muslim entrepreneurial power 23:56 Why San Francisco wins 26:44 Is money the real problem? 28:27 How to hire a world-class team 36:42 Omar's role models 38:10 How he made it so young 40:20 Who keeps Omar grounded 44:14 Rapid fire