From Banking to Bootstrapping with Khawaja Jaffer Abbas
Discover how Khawaja's passion for product, growth, and analytics led to the creation of Grit Lab and Exxponential, supporting engineers and founders in the startup ecosystem.
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We spoke with Khawaja Jaffer Abbas, Builder and Founder of Grit Lab & Exxponential
What are you currently working on? (this can be job(s), projects, startups, etc)
I am working on two things actively these days:
Grit Lab: A saas/microsaas-focused venture studio for engineers/builders who want a growth/business co-founder.
Under this we have plenty of ideas brewing, and are actively working on the following:
QuickReachAI and TestFish: we are working on these two products with solo founders.
productbase.co: a company which helps founders build product and engineering teams remotely in Eastern Europe and South Asia.
Get Interviews, Faster: workwithfounders.com
Exxponential: Fractional growth & product leads for hire. Paid service for seed-stage to Series A founders/startups to strategize and implement growth/product tactics and frameworks/systems to unlock growth.
What led you to work on this? What's the "origin story" behind your current job?
I am an ex-founder and a product/growth professional with experience in web2 and web3 space.
Inspired by facebook acquiring whatsapp in 2013/14, I quit my banking career in 2017 to launch a grocery delivery app in Qatar. Four years later, joined a YC-backed cloud kitchens venture and post that started advising startups on growth and marketing. Due to the tough macroeconomic, I saw a few big names falter due to lack of funding, and I realized the importance of bootstrapping + indiehacking and how founders can still make it big with bootstrapping as well. Acquire.com and Andrew Gazdecki is a huge inspiration too now.
So due to this I launched a saas-focused venture studio for bootstrapped engineers and a consulting/fractional service to learn and earn.
Why are you interested in connecting with MENA's 'global startup community'?
Mentor first-time founders on ideation and growth, & working with a couple of them for free ~ paquik.com being one.
Connect with engineers who want to build financial independence through SaaS products.
Connect with startup founders and Growth/Product heads for fractional work.
What's your favorite part of the Viaka Network thus far? Do you have any memorable experiences or helpful connections made that you can share with me?
The quality of the network.
Active engagement in the community around startups.
No small-talk, random shares, irrelevant time-wasting media.
How can members of the Viaka Network (and beyond) be most helpful to you and your work right now?
Founders in Viaka who want support on product and growth, and don't want to hire full-time can work with me and Bizzah via exxponential.xyz
Engineers in Viaka who want a business co-founder for their ideas or existing products can work with me via gritlab.xyz
Bonus: favorite dish from the MENA world?
Humus bi laham, Baba Ganooush, and Fattoush.
Below is a list of upcoming events from the Viaka Network & beyond over the next couple of weeks:
Decentralization: A Catalyst for Lebanon's Progress - (Virtual), June 11th. This is a “Viaka Sessions” event in collaboration with Razor Capital
Viaka Network Mixer in Toronto- June 13th (In-person, Toronto)
Broader Community:
Dtec Forum: Empowering Startups – Navigating the Tech Ecosystem - May 28th (In-Person, Dubai) TOMORROW!
Final Showcase: Google For Startups Women in AI - May 28th (In-Person, Riyadh) TOMORROW!
AWS Summit Dubai 2024 - May 29th (In-Person, Dubai)
Funding Futures: Mastering the Startup Investment Landscape for Startups- May 30th (In- Person, Dubai)
If you’d like to share an event in this newsletter, we encourage you to join the Viaka Network and share the event with info@viaka.net!
Recent job openings from the Viaka Network & beyond. If you apply, let us know so we can also make a personal introduction.
Code to Inspire (CTI) is looking for a reliable, self-motivated, and proactive intern to join their team in this great internship opportunity this summer.
Loulou Khazen Baz, founder of Conversations with Loulou’s podcast, (one of the top 10 podcasts for Business & Entrepreneurship in MENA) is looking for a Growth Hacker (Dubai)
HubSpot is looking for a FT: Senior Software Engineer (Cambridge, MA, US)
Brex is hiring a FT: Customer Success Manager (Canada, Remote)
If you’d like to share a job posting in this newsletter, we encourage you to join the Viaka Network and share the event with info@viaka.net!
Check out this special piece by Lara Fakhry in the Realistic Optimist titled “How Anghami beat Spotify in MENA”. In this piece you’ll see how Anghami, a Lebanese music app, dethroned Spotify in MENA, becoming the first Arab tech firm on Nasdaq. Success attributed to better payments, cultural understanding, and regional loyalty.
Check out this interesting read by the Digital Native on "AI's Communication Revolution: We're All Talking to Computers Now''
That’s it for this week. Thank you! 👋
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