Mohammad Husseini: “Education gave me oxygen – and a responsibility”

This is part of Sweden Startup Nation's interview series with startup founders, investors, and other players in the ecosystem, which aims to highlight systemic flaws and improve conditions for Swedish startups.

When Mohammad Husseini arrived in Sweden from Afghanistan at the age of 13, he could neither read, write, nor count. Just two years later, he was named one of the country's most promising young minds and received the prestigious Gates Scholarship at the University of Cambridge.

Today, he is a serial entrepreneur and runs Taleema, an AI platform that helps people achieve their dreams—the platform he himself would have needed as an unaccompanied refugee. As a refugee, he knows what a difference education and opportunities can make. That is why he also founded Rise of Tomorrow, an organization that empowers women and girls in Afghanistan through education.

Mohammad combines entrepreneurship with a passion for human rights and shows what is possible when you refuse to give up. He builds his companies with a clear goal: to unleash human potential. His conclusion after his journey from illiteracy to entrepreneurship is simple, but also demanding: Sweden needs more courage, more bridges into networks, and a system that dares to give people a second chance.

The driving force: learning and persistence

When Mohammad looks back on his journey, three things stand out: curiosity, learning, and unwavering determination.

“Talent may account for 5%. Forty-five percent is the desire to learn, and fifty percent is not giving up.”

It is a motto he lives by. For him, success is not about innate abilities, but about daring to continue when everything feels impossible.
"I come from a world where education was forbidden. Where curiosity could be punished. In Sweden, it became my superpower. Learning something new every day became a way for me to believe in myself."

A sentence that changed everything

The escape route from Afghanistan was fraught with mortal danger. Amidst the chaos, he met a university teacher who laid the foundation for Mohammad's inner compass:

“You will become a leader. I don't expect anything – just help others when you can.”

The words stuck. But it would be some time before Mohammad fully understood what they meant.
Shortly afterwards, he lost several of his childhood friends in an explosion. Friends he was actually supposed to meet that day.

“We were supposed to meet up and play soccer, but I was sick. I tried to sneak out, but my dad stopped me. That changed everything. I started to see life as a mission—not just for myself, but for everyone who didn't get the chance.”

It was there that the desire to learn was born, and with it, a new kind of hope.

“Education became my oxygen. It not only taught me about the world, it made me start believing in myself,” says Mohammad.
“In Afghanistan, asking questions could be punished, and my questions led to my imprisonment at the age of 8. In Sweden, learning gave me freedom. Digitalization felt like another planet, but school turned the shock into a direction.”

From soccer field to corporate building

The competitive instinct was already there. High-level soccer became a school in drive—but without the right network, there was no way forward. “Entrepreneurship looked like a plan where product and relationships could outweigh background. I quickly learned that it’s not just about the product—it’s about capital, mentors, and community.”

At the age of 15, he began attending events, often without an invitation. "I stood outside, listened, asked questions. I learned language, history, social codes—everything to be someone people wanted to talk to. Networking was the biggest barrier."

"Old truths" that hold us back

The biggest obstacle? Expectations—both spoken and unspoken.
“I was told that the best jobs for me were in cleaning, cooking, or driving a taxi. These kinds of old truths creep into guidance, recruitment, and the ambitions that society allows.”

“I just wanted a chance to show what I could do, but I was often met with mistrust.”

He talks about one of his first jobs at a consulting firm. At a corporate event, where he was tasked with welcoming guests, he was interrupted in the middle of a conversation with a representative from Goldman Sachs.

“My boss came up to me, gave me a black garbage bag, and told me to go pick up trash. ‘You’re not getting paid to talk to guests,’ she said. That hurt, because I had put everything I had into that job.”

For Mohammad, those experiences were a turning point.
“I realized that no one else was going to create opportunities for me. I needed to build them myself. Entrepreneurship became my path to freedom; a way to influence, not ask for permission.”

But he believes that the problem is bigger than individual incidents. It is also about a culture.

“In Sweden, we are individualists. We believe that we have to do everything ourselves. But in entrepreneurship, you rarely succeed alone,” says Mohammad. “We have built a system where it is preferable not to ask for help – but in reality, it is a strength. Those who dare to ask questions grow faster.”

The lack of second chances hits particularly hard.
“In Sweden, failure is still punished – banks and society turn a deaf ear. In the US, bankruptcy can be a learning experience. Here, it often becomes a stigma.”

He describes a system where security sometimes stands in the way of opportunities.
“We are so afraid of doing wrong that we forget to do right. We must dare to think in new ways, not just manage what already exists.”

The role model he himself lacked

Mohammad knows that his journey is not just personal—it also carries a responsibility.

“I know there are many Mohammeds out there, with the same drive and curiosity, but who can't see the way forward. They may not have networks or language skills – but they have ideas. I want them to be able to look at my journey and think: it can be done.”

He sees it as his most important mission: to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs who don't fit the mold.

“If I could start from scratch, without the language, without school, then others can too. We must show that innovation does not belong to a select few, but to everyone who wants to create something better.”

For Mohammad, innovation is not something exclusive to the lab.

“Technology is a lever for social change when it addresses real problems. Start small, prove value, scale. Don't try to solve everything at once.”

That is also why the companies he runs—from Taleema to Rise of Tomorrow—focus on making knowledge accessible and creating real social value.

“Every time I build something new, I remind myself of the promise I made to the teacher I met in Afghanistan: if I succeed, I will help others. My success only has value if it helps someone else.”

A cultural shift in how we build companies

“We are entering a new phase. Sweden has already created some of the world’s most successful companies – but now we need to build the next generation, and that requires the courage to think differently,” says Mohammad.

He believes that the next step is less about managing and more about daring to build in new ways.

“We need a culture where people are allowed to try, fail, and start over. Where collaboration is more important than titles, and where young people are given the chance to contribute their ideas early on.”

He returns to his recurring theme: courage, cooperation, and action.

“We talk a lot about innovation in Sweden, but we also have to live it. Not just talk about it in conference rooms—but actually create space for people to try things out.”

Advice for those who doubt

“You won't know until you try. Don't inherit other people's limitations. Ask for help. Be prepared to be wrong – and learn quickly.”

Regarding future entrepreneurs, he states, "Resilience and adaptability will define the winners. If you are first in a new category, 'good enough' is sufficient. In a mature market, you must be dramatically better."

If he could change one thing

“Scale up the culture of helping. Make it normal—and unpretentious—to ask for help, and task the system with responding quickly. That would open doors for thousands who are currently excluded.”

“Turning survival into something useful – that’s innovation to me. I use what I’ve learned to open doors for others.”

Mohammad pauses and smiles as the conversation draws to a close.

“I am grateful to Sweden. This country gave me a chance when I had nothing. Now I want to give something back – through education, through entrepreneurship, by showing that it is possible.”