Fueling the Next Wave of Muslim-Led Innovation

// Panel

Location: FIVE-TWO-A

Time: 10:45 AM – 11:30 AM

Moderator: Safa Shameem

Speakers: Shastri Mahadeo, Mohammed Karar, Amany Killawy

Abstract:

Muslim founders and investors are rewriting the rules of fundraising—from Amany Killawy’s work at LaunchGood, which has mobilized over $800M in global crowdfunding, to Mohamed Karar’s role at Launch Africa, the continent’s most active VC fund, to Shastri Mahadeo’s success raising $23M and building multi-million-dollar AI and FinTech companies. Alongside Safa Shameem, a Fortune 5 product leader and co-founder of Muslim Women in Technology, this session will dissect the full spectrum of funding mechanisms—crowdfunding, venture capital, angel investing, and syndicates—and ask a pressing question: what should be the financial goals of the Ummah in the age of AI and global markets? Panelists will debate not only how capital is raised, but how it can be aligned with ethics, scale, and impact to build a powerful innovation economy led by Muslims.

Speaker Biographies:

Safa Shameem — Safa Shameem is a Senior Product Manager at Optum in New York City, part of UnitedHealth Group, a Fortune 5 company serving over 152 million people worldwide. She leads product initiatives that help members navigate the healthcare system and find the right care, improving access, efficiency, and outcomes at scale. She is also the co-founder of Muslim Women in Technology, a nonprofit with over 1,000 members dedicated to empowering Muslim women to thrive in tech careers through mentorship, networking, and skill-building programs. With a background in healthcare and scaling early-stage startups, Safa is passionate about how artificial intelligence will transform the future of healthcare, policy, and technology.

Shastri Mahadeo — Shastri is a serial entrepreneur, seasoned operator and investor who has built 3 multi-million dollar companies in the AI and FinTech space. He has raised over $23M from top funds and sold SaaS to Fortune 100 companies. He is also the co-founder of Friday Ventures, a $5m fund.

Mohammed Karar — Living out of many bases, Mohamed is Sudanese and a Venture Partner at Launch Africa. He joined the firm at its founding in 2020 and contributed to its becoming Africa’s most active VC fund with investments in 24 countries. Mohamed focuses on deal sourcing, investor relationships, and representing the firm across the world.

Amany Killawy — Social worker turned social entrepreneur, Amany is the Co-Founder & former COO at LaunchGood.com: A fundraising platform to support Muslims launching good all over the world by helping them raise funds for their projects, campaigns, and creative ideas. Since its inception, LaunchGood has raised over 800 million for over 100,000 projects impacting 130 countries.