Founder Portraits: Naba Siddiqui
November 7th, 2019
Naba Siddiqui is the Co-Founder and CTO of POKET; a tech solution that seeks to improve the visibility of unmapped merchants in developing countries to increase their sales. Through crowdsourcing, the app creates a registry of merchants, many of whom are women, that allows them to extend their sales beyond just their communities. POKET provides a supplementary form of earning and financial inclusion for the merchants and unemployed youths in these regions. Naba joined the POKET co-founding team a year ago and the venture has been part of the SVZ for a year and a half.
You’re one of the three co-founders of POKET. What drew you to join the founding team of POKET when the venture was first developing?
Naba: I have always been passionate about using my technical skills to deliver solutions that can creat a big impact. Given the scale of impact POKET stands to have, it was a no-brainer for me to join the founding team and drive its mission forward. I'm an engineer by training, so I joined POKET as the CTO as well, where I lead development efforts on the team.
Why did you and your team apply to the Social Ventures Zone?
Naba: Toronto is a finally being recognized as a leader in technology, especially for its startup ecosystem. However, social enterprises are still a niche vertical in this ecosystem. It is difficult to find support that is tailored to the mission and vision of social enterprises–particularly for those operating outside the Canadian market. We applied to the Social Ventures Zone to connect with like-minded entrepreneurs, and get the support that social enterprises most often struggle with.
What is your favourite part about being a social entrepreneur?
Naba: I get to create impact that transcends borders.
What has been some of the highlights so far for you as a co-founding member of POKET?
Naba: The biggest highlight for us was the small pilot we successfully conducted in Lagos earlier this year. It allowed us to stress test and validate our technology and some of our business assumptions, as well as create a local system of operations staff and a network that will facilitate our larger launch next year. Other highlights include being selected, from over 1500 participants, to be 1/36 MIT Solvers this year.
Having navigated the tech entrepreneurship world as a woman, what are some learning pieces you can share with other women who would like to tap into that industry?
Naba: To the other women in tech, I say don't be intimidated by the lack of gender diversity in this industry. There are challenges, but there are also people who encourage and support us. Be confident. You deserve to be where you are - no matter what anyone else says.
"To the other women in tech, I say don't be intimidated by the lack of gender diversity in this industry. There are challenges, but there are also people who encourage and support us. Be confident. You deserve to be where you are - no matter what anyone else says."
What’s next for you and POKET?
Naba: Technology is an ever-evolving landscape– things change in the blink of an eye. So I will continue to be busy with creating our solution, with privacy and security at the core, that we can launch next year. As far as POKET goes, we are really excited to be gearing up for a bigger launch in Nigeria early next year, and hopefully in South Asia afterwards. Both my Co-Founders will be on the ground in Nigeria to help launch and scale our offering.