Bushrah Z.’s Post

Scaleup life 🚀 Working at a scaleup is incredibly rewarding - I’ve learned a ton and genuinely love the journey. But it's often glamorised with stories of rapid growth, innovation, and the thrill of being part of something ground-breaking. There's another side to it that doesn’t get as much attention. Even at a fast-growing company, there are plenty of days where you just have to get the work done. ➡ Sometimes, you have to "dig where you stand" despite the growth. ➡ Processes are built on the fly, so there’s a lot of trial and error. ➡ As the team grows, maintaining a cohesive and collaborative culture becomes more challenging. ➡ Scaling rapidly brings its own set of challenges - what worked for a small team may not be effective for a larger one. That said, working at a scaleup is an experience I’ve come to love, but it's important to understand the less glamorous aspects. It’s not just about the destination but also about being in it for the journey. What are your experiences of working at a scaleup? Agree or disagree? And, happy Thursday ya'll - I'm in true vacation mode 🌴 #scaleuplife

In the rush of professional life, we often assume that speed is the main ingredient for success. But what if the real key is working together? When people from different backgrounds and experiences team up, they create something bigger than anyone could. This is where the real magic happens. An engineer who thinks creatively might find a solution that others missed. A marketer who understands people can see what customers want. An entrepreneur who loves stories can tell a brand’s story in a way that connects with everyone. Bringing different ideas together doesn’t just make new things - it challenges us, sparks creativity, and drives growth in ways we can’t do alone. Every conversation, meeting, and brainstorming session is a chance to combine ideas and make something great. In the #startup world, our biggest strength isn’t just in moving fast and coming together to build, learn, and grow. It’s not just about moving quickly and trying everything; it’s about working smart and building the right things, together. So, next time you’re looking for a big idea, look around your team. The answer might be in the way different people work together, united by the same goal. Let’s keep learning from each other, growing together, and creating something amazing! A big thank you to Sanadh for all the GrowthStart meetups! And special thanks to Shruti for the great session on personal branding, a lot of key takeaways & learnings for me! All the best to all the attendees: Nidhi | Ayush | Simrin | Aradhana | Ansh | Kapil

I had the pleasure of attending the Pathways to Tech event hosted by Headstarter yesterday, an enlightening experience filled with valuable lessons from industry leaders. Here are some standout takeaways: Building Relationships and Networking: Start conversations with genuine compliments and use LinkedIn to enhance professional connections. Career Development and Growth: Embrace unexpected opportunities, seek mentorship, and develop soft skills alongside technical expertise. Startup Journey: Be adaptable and persistent, seek customer feedback, and build a strong professional network. Technical Skills and Learning: Develop a broad skill set, engage in hands-on projects, and prioritize user needs. Community and Support: Foster growth through positive community interactions and participate in hackathons for creativity and passion. **Personal Takeaways**: - **Favorite Speaker**: Julian Alvarez's journey with Wisdolia was inspiring. His emphasis on risk-taking, learning from mistakes, and work-life balance deeply resonated with me. - **Fellowship Plans**: I plan to focus on honing TypeScript, MongoDB, and NextJS skills **Key Moments and Speakers**: - Dennis Crowley: Emotional connection and passion drive success. - Tariq Afaq: Enjoy the process and see chaos as an opportunity. - Julian Alvarez: Not getting too attached to ideas, maintaining health, and building from scratch are key. - Hamza Ali: Insights on the startup journey and plans to hire Headstarter Fellows. - Erik: Continuous learning and community engagement are significant. Grateful to all speakers and organizers for this enriching experience. These insights will shape my growth and journey in the tech industry. #HeadstarterSWEFellowship #TechJourney #StartupMindset #ContinuousLearning #AdaptabilityInTech

I attended Headstarter's Pathways to Tech event yesterday which featured the CEO AND CTO of Ruby, Director at Lattice, and CEO of Lunchbox. Here are some of my takeaways from the event: ⭐️ Persistence is key when pursuing a challenging path. You will taste failure over and over again so the best thing you can do is learn from it, embrace it, and grow. ⭐️ A diverse skill set, enhanced by project-based learning and continuous adaptability, prepares individuals for various industry roles. Building a robust project portfolio and understanding user needs ensure technical proficiency and the creation of valuable solutions. ⭐️ Networking with professionals is vital for career growth. Engaging with peers and industry professionals fosters valuable connections, insights, and collaborations, enhancing career prospects. My favorite speaker was Shariar Kabir the CEO of Ruby. His story of starting from just college projects to founding Ruby was inspiring as I’m currently a college student and hope to find my path just like him I plan to maximize my time in this fellowship by engaging with the Headstarter community through the discord and Reddit to build my network and build a strong portfolio through the participating in the hackathon and completing the weekly projects to the best of my ability. #SWEheadstarter #HeadstarterAI #TechEntrepreneurship #Networking #Headstarter #PathwaysToTech

Wow, what a week! 🌟 I can’t believe how much I’ve learned and grown already in just two weeks! 🚀 As I wrap up my second week at Headstarter, I’m feeling more inspired than ever after attending the Pathways to Tech event, where I heard from some of the most inspiring minds in the industry. Here’s what stood out to me: Dennis Crowley, Founder of Foursquare, stressed the importance of understanding and engaging with your user base. Understanding your audience and building a strong community around your product is just as crucial as the technology behind it. Tariq Ahmed, First Engineer at AppLovin, spoke about navigating challenges. 💪 His story highlighted the value of resilience and adaptability in the startup world. Embracing challenges and navigating the ups and downs is key to achieving success. Julian Alvarez 🚀, Former SWE at Meta and CEO of Wisdolia, emphasized the importance of embracing a mindset of experimentation and iteration in development. His insights underscored the need to stay adaptable and open to change, continually refining approaches based on feedback and results. Prioritizing well-being and managing stress effectively are crucial for balancing technical challenges with personal growth and enjoyment. Hamza Ali, CEO of Olostep, emphasized that practical experience and tangible results often outweigh formal degrees and cultivating a proactive, self-starting attitude is crucial in fast-paced environments. He noted that being able to independently identify and solve problems is highly valued, and staying adaptable and committed to continuous learning is essential. But that’s not all! I had an incredibly cool experience doing my second mock interview with Aidan Ouckama's AI. It was phenomenal—it not only helped me solve problems but also prepared me for real-world interviews where communication is just as crucial as problem-solving. 🗣️ I was blown away by how advanced the technology is and how detailed the feedback was. This experience has drastically improved my technical interview skills. 🔥 A massive shoutout to the Headstarter team, especially Yasin Ehsan 🚀 and Faizan Ahmed, for putting together such an amazing event and connecting us with such inspiring speakers! 🙌 Your hard work is truly appreciated.

Excited to share some major takeaways from the recent Pathways2Tech event by Headstarter! 🚀 🔹 Dennis Crowley, Founder of Foursquare: "Focus on long-term goals and use engineering creativity to fill gaps. Think about how your product will make users feel!" 💡 "you have to have passion for your product and know about the emotion of the product from your audience" 🔹 Tariq Ahmed, First Engineer AppLovin: "Chaos is a ladder! Adaptability and perseverance are key in uncertain situations. Remember, software engineering is more than just coding." 👨💻 🔹 Julian Alvarez 🚀, Ex-Meta & CEO Wisdolia: "Trust your team. The only real failure is failing to learn. Always aim high!" 🎯 . "90% of start up ideas fail. Never Give Up! Always think of ways to improve the product" 🔹 Hamza Ali, CEO Olostep: "Seize opportunities and value hands-on experience. It's all about navigating the industry successfully." 🌐 Interesting fact shared by Yasin Ehsan 🚀 : software engineers make more money than athletes according to studies. Shocking but exciting! 💻 > ⚽️ And also guys I'm going to post my project 2 - pantry tracker in tomorrow's post and you won't be disappointed. I used Llama for the first time and Open AI's api. Hats off to the Headstarter team, Yasin Ehsan 🚀, Faizan Ahmed for making this insightful event happen and bringing these projects with very cool difficulty level! Looking forward to many more! #Pathways2Tech #Headstarter #TechInsights #Startup #TechFellows

It's hard to believe now that it has been 5 years since I embarked on this incredible adventure at Mindtickle! Back then, we were an unheard startup fueled by a Series B round. Today, we're a thriving unicorn with over 600 talented minds on board. Talk about a growth curve! My journey at Mindtickle has been a masterclass in versatility and learning. I started as an Implementation Manager, ensuring every customer maximized the Mindtickle platform's potential. I then had the opportunity to build a revenue-generating tech services team from the ground up. This role demanded wearing many hats and navigating intricate systems – all to empower our amazing sales team (because, let's be honest, selling is hard!). However, my passion for product innovation led me to transition into Product Management. This shift has opened doors to a wealth of knowledge across the B2B SaaS and enablement landscape. Throughout this incredible ride, I've been fortunate to learn from and collaborate with a team of exceptional individuals. These colleagues have become not just mentors, but also lifelong friends. The skills I've honed at Mindtickle are invaluable assets I'll carry forward. This is just the beginning! The future of Mindtickle is bright, with AI and other disruptive technologies waiting to be explored. I'm excited to see what the next chapter holds for me and the industry! #Mindtickle #GrowthMindset #B2BSaaS #ProductManagement #BuildingTheFuture #Thankful

At the recent Pathways2Tech event hosted by Headstarter, I had the opportunity to listen to Mr. Dennis Crowley, the founder of Foursquare. His quarter-century in the tech industry offered insights that resonate with those of us navigating this dynamic sector. 1. Collaboration Matters: Mr. Crowley highlighted teamwork's significance. In an innovation-driven world, collaboration is the key to sparking creativity and hastening progress. 2. Emotionally Connective Products: Product creation transcends coding; it's about forging an emotional connection with users. Whether developing an app or a platform, the human experience should be at the forefront. 3. Software Engineers in the AI Age: With AI becoming fundamental, software engineers need to adapt. Keeping abreast of emerging tools and technologies is essential for staying pertinent. 4. Startups and Human Elements: Mr. Crowley's experiences, from Dodgeball to Foursquare, revealed that startups flourish on human interaction. Product development is as much about understanding people as it is about programming. 5. Impostor Syndrome and Growth: Impostor syndrome is a common challenge, even for the accomplished. Recognizing it, pursuing growth, and continual learning are vital. Our journey in technology is a marathon, not a sprint. Let's embrace these insights and keep breaking new ground! My deepest thanks go to Yasin Ehsan , Faizan Ahmed, and the entire Headstarter team. #TechIndustry #CareerInsights #LinkedInLearning #Headstarter I invite you to share your perspectives or additional insights!

Things I learned from being a mentor at #techstars: Now, I can say that my Techstars Detroit journey wasn't just about guiding. Sure, I knew it would accelerate things, both personally and professionally. Growth experiments? Check ✅. Overcoming personal fears? Double check ✅. But the depth of these lessons, the sheer energy, and the profound sense of community shattered all expectations. So, I want to share 5 lessons that redefined my mentorship experience💡 1️⃣ Dream big, surround yourself with bigger dreams. Founders with their unimaginable ideas forced me to leave my past comfort zone. Their brave ambitions reshaped our approach to growth and innovation. 2️⃣ Help freely, ask fearlessly. Stiff upper lips? Not here! Founders embraced vulnerability as their superpower, confidently asking for and offering help. This two-way street fueled: - Growth - Connections - Results 3️⃣ Mentorship is a two-way street. Forget sage advice and pats on the back. True mentorship thrives on: - Trust - Openness - Mutual learning Sharing my anxieties and triumphs empowered me just as much as hearing theirs. I believe we created a safe space for genuine growth and connection. 4️⃣ Cohesion > Competition. Witnessing these tight-knit teams proved Patrick Lencioni right: "Teamwork remains the ultimate competitive advantage." Trust, communication, and shared values powered them, reminding me to prioritize the same within our company. 5️⃣ Experimentation on fast-forward. Together we embraced rapid experimentation. I believe it was about creating a culture of learning and adapting quickly in the face of uncertainty. So, what’s the finish line? I guess, it’s an endless climb, fueled by ambition and teamwork. What do you think? Please, share your own mentorship stories in the comments. #mentorship #techstars #TechstarsDetroit

I wanted to take a moment to share our journey at Visely this year. It's been one heck of a ride for startups everywhere, and we've had our fair share of challenges and triumphs. 🚀 The Big Leap: Launching Our AI SaaS Model One of our biggest steps this year was launching our new AI SaaS model. We added this to our traditional tutoring services, aiming to give personalized tutoring help to students and schools on a bigger scale. Since kicking off in September, we've learned a ton about what our users really need, especially when it comes to exam prep. 💪 Real Talk: The Hard Stuff It wasn't all smooth sailing. We had to make tough calls with hiring and letting people go, and faced our share of delays. But, these tough times taught us a lot about being resourceful, especially in a year where the market and investment landscape were anything but easy. 📈 Growth and Impact Despite the hurdles, we’ve come a long way. Over 10,000 active users are now using our platform, and we’ve seen a 20% increase in our annual revenue. And we’re just getting started – there’s so much more we can do to make our service even better. 🤝 Team Expansion and Looking Forward We’ve brought some amazing people on board recently – from creative content creators to a visionary Interim CTO, and a growth product manager who are data geeks. 🌍 Global Dreams and Partnerships We’re also working on some big partnerships that are going to help us reach people all around the world. Can’t wait to share more about this soon! 👀 2024: Big Plans Ahead Next year, We’re aiming to close our seed round and we're taking our learnings from 2023 to change the game in Education. We've built the machines, and here is where the fun starts! We're all in to make Visely a name people recommend to their friends. ✨ A Personal Note to Other Founders in my network To my fellow founders out there, I just want to say – keep going, be relentless. Showing up and pushing through makes all the difference. 🙏 A Big Thank You To everyone who’s supported us – our team, users, and investors – your support means the world. Here's to an even more exciting 2024! Let's go #StartupLife #EdTech #Learning #Journey #Visely