London, United Kingdom, March 11, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Niyyah, an education app for busy Muslims formerly known as Guider, today announces $2 million in funding from leading consumer, edtech, and faith-focused investors alongside the launch of its new brand. The round was co-led by Venrex, the first investors in Just Eat and Revolut; and Cur8 Capital, the fund behind IslamicFinanceGuru. Other participants include Active Partners, Emerge, Collective Continuum, and prominent angel investors. The fresh funds will be used to enhance Niyyah’s product with AI features, expand its content library, and scale its reach to serve the needs of billions of Muslims worldwide.
Tom Profumo, Partner at Active Partners shared his thoughts about Niyyah’s positioning: “With over two billion Muslims globally and many looking for better ways to understand the religion, the opportunity for Niyyah is truly global. Shinaz and the team have seen fantastic traction in their first year alone which is a testament to the genuinely differentiated product they are building and their deep understanding of the audience. Having helped category-defining brands like Rapha build global communities, we're excited to support Niyyah in this next phase of growth.”
Muhammed Yesilhark, Board Member at Collective Continuum, had similar feelings about Niyyah’s innovative approach to teaching the Quran: "Faithtech is a new and emerging trend in which Collective Continuum is thrilled to be at the bleeding edge,” he said. “The Niyyah app is a perfect example of a scalable digital product with embedded social benefits at its core. It demonstrates robust commercial strength by offering a sophisticated and slick user experience, designed to cater to the broad market of faith-driven individuals across the globe. That’s why, as Collective Continuum, we take distinct pride in backing Niyyah."
There are two billion Muslims around the world, equating to approximately 24% of the world’s population, but many, especially those living in non-Muslim countries, feel disconnected from their faith and find themselves too busy to fit it into their daily schedule. While plenty of solutions exist for reciting, memorising, and reading the translation of the Quran, the holy book for Muslims, there is nothing to help believers consistently engage with its messages and practically apply its lessons.
The launch of the new brand, Niyyah, meaning intention in Arabic, reflects the company's mission to help billions take an intentional journey through the Quran. Shinaz Navas founded Niyyah in 2023 out of his own frustrations with the lack of existing education apps for Muslims. In its first year since launch, Niyyah has reached 20,000 users across 70 countries and its unique content has been seen by over one million individuals globally. It also has a rating of 4.7/5 on app stores.
“On any given day, the Quran is recited billions of times by hundreds of millions around the world in Arabic. The problem is that 80% of us don’t understand the words that are being recited. This is what we’re setting out to solve by helping Muslims understand and apply the Quran in under 5 minutes a day. Ultimately, we believe that the Quran has all the wisdom we need to be successful - it’s time that we finally used it” said Shinaz Navas, Niyyah’s Co-founder and CEO.
Users worldwide have expressed their excitement about how convenient and comprehensive the Niyyah app is.
“The Niyyah app is a real game-changer for the Muslim community. It can be tough to consistently engage with the Quran, especially with my busy schedule. But Niyyah makes this easy, fun, and meaningful at the same time. I couldn't recommend this enough for busy Muslims everywhere!” says Farzana, a US user of Niyyah.
Ishaaq Shafi, a London-based user, added: "Niyyah's approach to Quranic learning is easy and accessible, allowing me to understand the Quran gradually over time without feeling overwhelmed. Unlike traditional methods that can feel passive, the interactive quizzes have made my learning experience a lot more engaging and I look forward to continuing to deepen my understanding of the Quran at my own pace."
Niyyah is on a mission to provide users with a guided approach to understanding the Quran in an accessible, impactful, and practical way. Its bite-sized content, personalised recommendations, and gamified features like rewards and leaderboards, seamlessly integrate into its users' routines and equip them with an understanding of the teachings of the Quran and how to implement faith in their daily lives.
Media Contact
Shinaz Navas, Co-founder and CEO of Niyyah
London, United Kingdom
connect@niyyah.app
