Souvenirs of Connection: Abubakar Sheriff on Designing Events That Build Enduring Community
Description
In this episode, I have a powerful conversation with Abubakar Sheriff — founder of Qariyb, a community-driven events platform on a mission to bring people closer through intentional, inclusive, and spiritually aligned gatherings. 🎙️✨
Abubakar shares his journey from growing up in Saudi Arabia and Philadelphia, to launching Qariyb out of a missed event and a deep desire to reconnect people with purpose-driven communities. We dive into:
🌐 Why proximity is possibility — and how physical closeness amplifies human connection.
🤝 Building tech that serves people, not replaces them — a case for values-aligned design.
🕌 Creating space for Muslims to find events, experiences, and each other — all in one place.
🧠 Lessons from instructional technology and community leadership that power his product vision.
🛠️ The reality of being a lean founder and staying grounded in sincerity when the road gets tough.
His mantra? Start with sincerity. Serve your people. Build from proximity.
Be sure to follow Abubakar and his work here:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abusheriff
Qariyb: https://www.qariyb.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qariyb
Podcast produced by Riti Suresh.
United States
