“Being Muslim, so much of our lives are dictated by our faith because it very much is a faith that impacts so much of your life – of course stories will have influence from the religion, but we wanna make sure that people who are not Muslim still feel comfortable attending because at the end of the day, if we’re not able to have those conversations, build those bridges and show these stories to people who may not otherwise be exposed to them, then we’re not combating those misconceptions and we’re not creating those new opportunities of understanding between the Muslim and non-Muslim community,” – Sikandar Atiq
Sikandar Atiq is the president of Next Equities and leads the sourcing and oversight of all new growth and venture capital investments. Sikandar is also actively involved in a number of portfolio companies and is currently being tasked as the president of Kepler Academy, president of the Press Gallery, and a member of the board of Revitalized Health. Sikandar has previously held investment and management positions is a successful entrepreneur, and was recognized for his accomplishments with the next 10 rising star designation by the Alberta Venture Magazine and was selected by the world economic forum as a global shaper. Sikandar also serves as the chair of the Mosquers Film Festival, the world’s largest film festival that aims to change the way people see Muslims. Qashus had the opportunity to talk with Sikandar about his journey to becoming an entrepreneur, his current companies, and more.
At the beginning of the interview, Sikandar dives into whether he always wanted to be an entrepreneur growing up (9:27), how involved he was with his father’s businesses growing up (13:42), and whether the actual experience of being a part of business early on is more important than the education he received in school was (16:04). After a quick break, Sikandar and Qashus continue their conversation on whether a broader audience has been brought into the Mosquers (19:42), what initial struggles he faced when he started with the Mosquers (22:44), why he got into the filmmaking industry (28:26), and what the future for the Mosquers looks like (36:22).
Near the middle of their discussion, Sikandar shares what his criteria are when trying to look for hidden gems (39:44), the beginnings of Kepler Academy and the struggles encountered (44:21), and what challenges he faces now (53:17). Next, Sikandar talks about the differences he’s made with the Press Gallery (57:55), the backstory of Northern Fresh Farms and where the idea originated from (1:01:48), how he’s been able to manage his time while running a firm and being a part of multiple different industries, while also maintaining an innovative eye (1:05:42), and finally, Sikandar shares information about himself that not everyone knows about (1:11:01).