The pattern we kept seeing everywhere
Over the past year, we organized Somali Circle events in Amsterdam, Stockholm, and London. Thousands of (aspiring) Somali entrepreneurs showed up.
Talented people with great ideas. Skills that could build something. Yet most were stuck in the same place they'd been for years.
When we asked why, it was never about money or knowledge. It was fear.
Fear of choosing the wrong path.
Fear of judgment from family or community.
Fear of failing where people can see.
Fear of stepping into something unfamiliar without knowing what comes next.
Starting felt like walking into a dark house. You know you should go in, but you can't see what's inside or how to move once you cross the threshold.
We realized that telling people to "just start" doesn't work. You don't need more motivation. You need clarity, guidance, and a way to see the path ahead. Fear grows when everything feels abstract and unknown. Fear shrinks when someone who's already been inside can stand there holding a lantern.
That insight became Startup Week. Instead of shouting instructions from outside, we bring you into the house with guides who know every room. Somali founders who have built agencies, launched apps, opened restaurants, scaled e-commerce brands, and created sustainable creative careers are already there. They hold the lantern. They show you which room to enter first and which doors can stay closed for now.
