Solaima Gourani shares journey from unemployment office in Jutland to success in Silicon Valley

She has come a long way since, as a teenager, she learned from a woman at an unemployment office in Jutland that she could only be useful for painting fences because she had no skills.

“I was expelled from school in seventh grade, hadn’t taken math since fourth grade, and had lived in foster care and a children’s home. When I found out that the only thing I could do was paint fences, I moved abroad, and it turned out to be the start of an international career,” says Solaima Gourani, who is now attending a business event at the Chamber of Commerce.

Getting a push into the world was the right choice for her and is also for those like her, as there are people abroad who don’t emphasize education but rather focus on the individual and their capabilities.

“The tech industry is very suitable for those who are a bit different, even today, because you don’t necessarily need a formal education. I washed toilets before I got a job in tech, and in this field, you can definitely succeed if you just work hard and take the time to learn,” Solaima explains.

Today, she lives and works in Silicon Valley, the global hub of tech, which typically lacks space for many women. However, Solaima has her own company, Happioh, which creates software for large corporations to facilitate their meeting logistics.