In this episode of In the ARENA, I am joined by Michael Askew, Co-Founder and CEO of the Belong App. Michael and his co-founder recognized the large number of people who suffered from loneliness, including himself. 

With a mission to help others, the Belong App was born and has seen significant success in the last 2 years. 

Key podcast topics:

The importance of community

How to raise capital

Challenges of being an entrepreneur

Michael’s biography:

Michael moved from London to Riyadh in his early twenties to work as a Project Manager. He traveled there alone and quickly realized that meeting new like-minded people was very challenging, to say the least.

After living in Riyadh away from his family and friends, Michael began to notice a negative impact on his emotional and mental wellbeing. He then moved to Dubai and believed that it would be easier to meet new people. In reality, it wasn’t and it became apparent that others were facing similar challenges. As a result of this, Matt and Michael came together to bring this concept to life that is needed in today’s world. 

Podcast highlights:

00:00 Introduction

03:20 Life in Saudi

07:02 The importance of community in combating loneliness

09:30 Entrepreneurship from a young age

12:05 The beginning of Belong24:55 Raising capital

31:31 The Gladiator Mindset

32:51 The challenges of being an entrepreneur

38:24 How to find a founder

40:49 The feature that pivoted Belong’s success

52:03 The value Belong provides

59:00 Expanding to the United States

1:05:31 Activating cities and events

1:13:59 Plans for the future

1:15:01 Investing in startups and business advice

1:35:30 Boxing and traveling

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