Aseeyah Shahid: How a Gen Z-er is breaking into the startup ecosystem
By John Kregler, StartOut
Everyone’s journey to entrepreneurship is different. For many founders, the path to becoming their own boss is as unique as it is personal. And unlike many milestones, entrepreneurship doesn’t begin or end at a certain stage.
Aseeyah Shahid knows this to be true. Aseeyah (she/her) is a 24-year-old innovator from Atlanta with a passion for startups. Originally from New York, her family moved to the Peach State in the early 2000s for a change of pace.
“My parents have always worked hard to provide for our family. They’ve spent their lives working in financial services, going door-to-door selling life insurance, and doing whatever was needed to put food on the table. That sense of determination and hard work was instilled in me and my sister at a very young age, and I think it’s part of the reason why I’m so motivated to do my own thing.”
Aseeyah began working on her startup, Moze Music, in the summer of 2019. A music technology service, Moze Music uses a patented algorithm to create playlists based on a user’s specific tastes.
Still in the early stages of development, Aseeyah finds the support she needs by getting involved with organizations close to her heart. In 2019, she helped put together BossBlkTech, an event that promoted Black entrepreneurs in Metro Atlanta and allowed them to pitch their startups to local investors. Once the pandemic hit, she transitioned to the virtual space which allowed Aseeyah to discover organizations like Out in Tech and StartOut.
“I knew I was gay when I was 13 but didn’t come out officially until 2019. As a Black, Muslim, lesbian woman, it’s certainly been a forever journey. Ever since I was younger, I was told that I couldn’t be gay and that the world was ending because gay people were coming out. As I was discovering myself, I realized I had to unlearn my own homophobia if I ever wanted to be happy.”
Aseeyah joined StartOut last year to learn and form connections with a community of like-minded founders. After a stressful few years in the shadow of the pandemic, 2022 is her year to give back. Even as she continues to work on her startup, Aseeyah recently joined the programming board to help create events for our community of over 18,000 founders.
By immersing herself in the startup scene, Aseeyah has been able to form new relationships and take key lessons into her developing business strategy.
Today, Aseeyah is fearlessly paving her own way. Her intersectionality is her greatest strength and shows through everything she does.
“My dream job would be to help mentor startups. I love helping people and getting involved with organizations [like StartOut and Out in Tech] help me do just that. In the next five years, I want to be focusing on my startup while continuing to mentor. I don’t believe in gatekeeping so if I’m able to do certain things for myself and my company, why not share it with other people?”
Connect with Aseeyah on LinkedIn for the latest updates on Moze Music, and follow our blog on Medium for more StartOut member stories.
