As a Syrian entrepreneur in Türkiye, Safa Qassim defied the odds stacked up against her and managed to get her bachelor’s degree and establish the startup Education Unlimited, supporting expats in Türkiye in finding university programs. Through Jusoor's Championing Women in Business Leadership and Disruptors projects, she also expanded her project to Joblink—a thriving platform connecting employers with students looking for part-time work. Mentorship and strategic training helped her evolve from solo founder to CEO, proving how targeted support unlocks entrepreneurial potential.
When Safa Qassim fled Aleppo for Türkiye in 2015 during the war, she was focused on rebuilding her life. After finishing high school in Hatay, she spent a year applying to universities—over 50, in fact—before finally securing a remote degree a year later. To support herself, she took a job at an Istanbul-based company assisting expats, where she noticed a recurring problem: families struggling to enroll their children in universities.
Recognizing the demand, she pitched the idea of a dedicated education services division to her employer. Given the green light, she built it from scratch, turning it into a profitable operation within a year. When the company closed, she went solo, launching Education Unlimited in 2017—first as a one-woman social media service, then as a registered business with a full team by 2022.
While helping students with university admissions, Safa kept hearing the same question: “How can I find work while studying?” She started connecting students with freelance and part-time jobs through her network, testing the idea informally. The feedback was positive, so she dug deeper, researching legal constraints (like work-hour limits on student visas) and formally launched Joblink—a platform linking students with potential employers.
Jusoor’s Role in Refining the Vision
Selected as one of five participants from hundreds of applicants, Safa joined Jusoor’s Championing Women in Business Leadership (CWIBL) project in 2024. The initiative, designed to address barriers faced by Arab women founders, provided leadership coaching, mentorship, and pre-seed funding.
"The program helped me structure my business plan, build a professional website, and expand my network," she says. "But the real value was in the mentorship—it changed how I lead, negotiate partnerships, and even pitch my project."
While CWIBL focused on leadership, Jusoor’s Disruptors accredited incubator which Safa also took part in helped her refine Joblink’s strategy. The tech startup program offered mentorship, peer learning, and investor readiness training.
"Disruptors pushed me to rethink my entire approach," she explains. "The mentors were great, but the other founders in the cohort were just as valuable. The discussions we had forced me to refine my model and think bigger."
Safa contrasts Jusoor with other programs she’s encountered."A lot of incubators just want to tick boxes for donors. Jusoor delivers what it promises—no fluff, no wasted time. They’re transparent, professional, and genuinely care about impact."
Where Joblink Is Now
Today, Joblink isn’t just a job-matching service. Safa has integrated skills training to better prepare students for the workforce. She credits Jusoor’s programs with helping her transition from a scrappy solo founder to a CEO building a scalable business.
"I’ve done a lot of accelerators, but these two programs were different," she says. "They didn’t just give me templates and send me on my way—they challenged me to grow in ways I didn’t expect."
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