The Sunday Times interview: Somayeh Taheri's journey from Iran to Manchester

In an engaging and inspiring interview with The Times and The Sunday Times' Hannah Prevett, our CEO and co-founder Somayeh Taheri lifts the lid on her journey from her native Iran to England.

This raw and honest feature captures the essence of Somayeh's personal story and how that has intertwined with building UrbanChain. 

Following the publication of the article writer and journalist Hannah Prevett said: "Earlier this year, Somayeh Taheri and Ayesha Naureen, co-founders of UrbanChain, picked up the female founder award at The Sunday Times 100 Tech dinner, celebrating the UK’s fastest growing tech businesses.

"For me, it was one of the highlights of a brilliant evening. And I wasn’t the only one - a member of our fantastic events team had tears in her eyes. She said that seeing two amazing female founders in headscarves collecting awards to recognise their success in a male-dominated industry felt profound. Many shared her sentiments.

"That evening, Somayeh had the good fortune to sit next to Ben Taylor, the editor of The Sunday Times, who was captivated by her story and asked me to visit her in Manchester and cover it for today’s paper.

"In it, we trace Somayeh’s journey from Shiraz to Manchester and why she felt she had to leave Iran to realise her potential. We discuss all the sacrifices she and her third co-founder Dr. Mo Hajhashem (also her husband) have had to make to turn their dream into reality. They range from investing their entire life savings, meaning they still rent their home, to the health implications - Somayeh movingly shared that she’s had two miscarriages which she believes to be a result of the stress of her business."

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