Building What's Missing - Ep 17 - Wai Yan Htun , CEO and Founder of XO Halal

Описание: Assalamu Alaykum!
In this episode of the Deen & Deals Podcast, we sit down with Wai Yan Htun, founder of XO Halal.

Wai Yan shares his unconventional journey — growing up in Myanmar, dropping out of university twice, building startups across Asia, and eventually moving to the U.S. for marriage and starting over from scratch.

We talk about how a simple problem — finding trustworthy halal snacks — turned into a fast-growing business, why listening to customers forced him to pivot away from subscription boxes, and how he’s building a halal snack marketplace with both online and on-ground access through vending machines.

This episode is a masterclass in:

-early-stage entrepreneurship

-market validation without hype

-customer-led product decisions

-and building with intention and alignment

Topics Covered:

-Building startups across Asia with no corporate background

-Why he shut down multiple companies to start fresh in the U.S.

-How XO Halal began as a $3,000 experiment

-Subscription vs marketplace models

-Halal access in America vs abroad

-Finding customers without ad spend

-Why every founder needs an “idea shelf”

-Where to Find Wai Yan & XO Halal

XO Halal: https://xohalal.com

Instagram / TikTok: @xohalal

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Hosts

Mohammed Kiswani
LinkedIn:   / mohammedkiswani  

Futhallah Hamed
LinkedIn:   / futhallah-hamed  

If you enjoyed this episode, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone building something of their own.

#DeenAndDeals #Entrepreneurship #HalalBusiness #Startups #MuslimFounders #D2C #Marketplace #FaithAndWork #Podcast