Battling Islamophobia In Silicon Valley: Abdul Haseeb Basit (and Mystery Guest?!) Ep. 50

Episode number 50!!!

We’re joined by Abdul Haseeb Basit, cofounder of Madinah Angels to discuss Islamophobia in the startup ecosystem, prompted by controversial comments from a top VC partner, and explore how Muslim entrepreneurs can build their own spaces and funding networks. They also delve into the origins and growth of Madinah Angels and the Muslim CEOs Dinner series, aimed at empowering Muslim founders.


This podcast is hosted by Areeb Siddiqui, the founder and CEO of Kestrl, the app that helps people to grow their wealth without compromise

Find out more about our app here: https://kestrl.io/

And how we help banks here: https://business.kestrl.io/


Show Notes


00:00 - Trailer and intro

02:20 – The book that changed his career

04:49 - Mystery guest arrives

07:21 – Growing up nomadic and pilot dreams

11:36 – Career in banking (working with Areeb’s dad?!)

15:06 - Islamic Finance Impressions and moving to FinTech

18:08 – Ethical vs. Islamic branding: lessons for founders

24:05 – Why Islamic fintech will outpace Islamic banks

29:28 – Islamophobia in Silicon Valley and start-up culture

35:31 – Madinah Angels: Vision, first deal & founder advice

44:11 - Web3, Stable coins and the future of Islamic fintech

48:31 – The Muslim CEOs Dinner: building community & collaboration

54:41 – Legacy, supporting Muslim businesses & global impact

1:01:22 – Closing thoughts & next steps

Introducing the Muslim Money Talk Podcast, a place for all things Muslim and Money related.

Every week we'll be sitting down with Founders, leaders and industry experts from across multiple disciplines to discuss lessons learned, mistakes made and most importantly 'How they did it?'.

Brought to you by Kestrl: The Muslim Money App, software to help Muslims grow their wealth without compromise. Find out more here: https://kestrl.io/

• No. of episodes: 51
• Latest episode: 2025-07-21
• Business Entrepreneurship

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