Today's Entrepreneur: Omar Bawa

Forbes 30 Under 30, Kairos Global Fellow, HR Tech, UNLEASH America Runner Up, Ben & Jerry's Social Entrepreneurship Runner-Up, LIFT Public Choice Winner

I want to change the world.

Spotify: I admire their development and product management process, notably their use of Squads. Invision & Sketch : They have created invaluable tools to design human-centered interfaces and user experiences. Snowman: The developers behind the beautifully designed mobile app game Alto’s Odyssey. I find their visual storytelling and user experience exemplary. Ecosia: Their mission inspiring. Ecosia is a search engine that donates its ad revenue to plant trees – they’ve planted more than 30 million.

In my experience, both the most frustrating and the most rewarding part of entrepreneurship is the element of the unknown. Entrepreneurship is a rollercoaster of highs and lows. In the end, the unexpected twists and turns mean you’re always learning and always improving.

Giving up too early. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

1. When times get tough, perseverance and grit are your best friends. 
2. Listen, and listen carefully – to your product users, your community, your employees and your stakeholders. 
3. Be open to and seek out as much constructive criticism as possible. The more you know, the more you can improve.

My parents worked in the humanitarian sector for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDs, TB and Malaria. Growing up, making a difference became ingrained in me and my brother and cofounder Taha. We wanted to maximize our own personal impact on the world, so we became social entrepreneurs together with a mission to impact society positively using technology.