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No English, No Education, No Tech Know-How – Yet This Former Somali Refugee Now Runs Three Tech Companies In Two Continents

Much of Somalia’s history has been ravaged by intermittent war and conflict, and the damage. As would be the case for any war-torn region, it is the civilians that bear most of the brunt and in the case of Hashi Kaar, he was barely seven-years-old when the bombardment from the warring factions forced his family into a life on the road. It was no road trip, they were all running for dear life. Little by little, they covered the miles until they arrived neighbouring Kenya, where they joined up with other Somalis who had fled the country and were now living as refugees.

Hashi Kaar lived in Kenya as a refugee for the better parts of a decade – throughout that time, the infighting back home never really ceased. And so, when the opportunity to travel to Australia presented itself around when he turned 17, his family grabbed it with both hands. “He arrived Australia as a teenager with little education, very poor command of English, and next to no knowledge of how civilisation/technology worked or looked like. But those were just the rough edges that had to be hewn off to reveal the gem hidden within. Within five years of arriving Australia, his meteoric rise had well and truly begun. He hadn’t only become a college student (which was some feat in its own right), he had also managed to nail down a position as a  junior app developer at Medici Capital; a pharmaceutical valuation company.

It’s been 15 years since Hashi and his family moved to Melbourne and during that time, his fortunes have done a full one-eighty. Where the initial plan was to try and rebuild their lives, Hashi has managed to build to actual castles in the sky. At least, that’s how I’d like to refer to the wonders he’s worked with the opportunity. As of now, the boy who fled violence in Somalia and lived in Kenya for ten years as a refugee, is the founder of three tech companies that employs dozens in both Africa and Australia. But perhaps, on the other hand, the success Hashi has so far achieved is also a depressing reminder of what Somalia’s 10 million inhabitants could achieve if the enabling environment were available – can’t help but wonder what would’ve been if things were a lot different back home.

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