Meet GES Delegate: Nejeed Kassam
Name: Nejeed Kassam
Country: Canada
Twitter: Nejeed & @keeladotco
Start-Up: Keela
Website: www.keela.co
Tell us a little bit about Keela: Changing the world is hard; trust me, I’m working on it. At Keela, this is what we do. Our team is an eclectic mix of dreamers and realists, but we have one thing in common: a desire to change the world. We believe that small nonprofits should be empowered and enabled through technology to expand their impact. This is why we’ve built Keela: to democratize nonprofit management technology; to build for those organizations too often ignored; and to provide high quality, affordable tools to all those working to make a positive impact. Keela’s cloud-based software is a powerful suite of integrated (nonprofit) management tools that includes the ability to manage donations, projects, relationships, and campaigns.
What inspired you to found Keela? My passion for Keela began with my parents. Mum and Papa fled Tanzania at a very young age, first to the UK, and later to Canada. While things were tough at first, they always had strong community support. As a result, they raised me to always, always do good. They never failed to focus on the importance of giving back and of community.
I’ve worked as a lawyer and as the founder of an international nonprofit. I’ve seen, first hand, the persistent inefficiencies that plague the nonprofit sector. I’ve witnessed missed opportunities and I’ve been genuinely troubled by what I’ve seen. From this frustration and hope for change, Keela was born.
What is the next big thing for Keela? It’s been a whirlwind year. In June 2015, Keela launched in beta; in October 2015, we deleted our entire code base; in May 2016, we soft-launched Keela 2.0 to the public. But all of that was just our warm up.
The next 12 months (hopefully) are going to be crazy… and I couldn’t be more excited. It all starts in July with Keela’s public launch, our chance to share our work with the world. Our focus is to let the global nonprofit community know about Keela and how we can help organizations work better and, thus, positively impact our world.
What has been your biggest obstacle as an entrepreneur? “Obstacles aren’t problems, they are opportunities to learn.” My father said this to me too many times as a kid, but I never truly understood what these words meant until I started working at Keela.
I think the biggest obstacle that I face is trusting the decisions that I make (and that every CEO has to make). Often, I find myself plagued (and almost paralyzed) with uncertainty, always asking “Did I make the right decision?”
I’ve learned that you have to surround yourself with a solid team; it’s their job to empower me with knowledge and ideas. And then it’s my job to make those calls — especially the tough ones.
What advice would you give other emerging entrepreneurs? Entrepreneurship is full of high highs and low lows. There’s nothing more important than surrounding yourself with the right people. My advice is simple: work harder than you can imagine; find the smartest people (and accept that they’re usually right); and find even smarter mentors.
Do you have anything else to add? I just wanted to say that it is such an honour to be at GES2016 representing Canada; I am very grateful for the opportunity. President Obama and the State Department are doing a marvellous thing by bringing together such energy and passion. I wanted to thank everyone involved in putting the summit together.
To learn more about Keela, please watch our video here.
About Nejeed Kassam: Nejeed Kassam is the CEO and founder of Keela. He was educated at McGill University (B.A.) and Osgoode Hall Law School (JD). Called to the Ontario Bar in 2015, Nejeed is the founder and former director of End Poverty Now and Conversations for Change. Nejeed is a global innovator with experience working for the United Nations and the Senate of Canada. He is the author of the book ‘High on Life’ (foreword written by former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien) and the co-producer of the documentary, ‘Conversations for Change’. Nejeed has spoken at conferences around the world, including in Bonn, New York, Montreal, London and Geneva. Nejeed is currently a member of the Toronto Global Shapers (World Economic Forum) and a fellow at the Royal Society of the Arts in the UK.
