Wafaa Arbash is a Syrian immigrant who’s determined to restore dignity to refugees globally through her Boston-based startup WorkAround, a 2018 BostInno 50 on Fire winner in Social Impact.
The co-founder and CEO is working around the barriers to employment for refugees by providing them with an online microwork platform that helps AI and machine learning companies with human intelligence tasks.
Arbash started WorkAround while working on her master’s thesis in sustainable international development and conflict resolution at Brandeis University.
Prior to WorkAround, Wafaa served as a program manager for Startup Institute and refugee education in Jordan. She worked in Syria for more than five years in social development programs where she spearheaded several projects to empower local citizens and increase their leadership skills.
Pre-podcast quick Q&A below:
What word best sums up your childhood? Fun
What city do you consider ‘home’? Boston
What is the first career you remember wanting to pursue? Head of the United Nation
What do you miss most about the Middle East? 3Fs: family, friends, and food
What word best encapsulates why you found your passion in social development? Dignity
Where were you when you were struck with the idea for WorkAround? Graduate school
What’s the biggest obstacle impeding WorkAround’s growth? Customers
What makes Boston a great city for you to build Workaround? The innovation ecosystem
What word best sums up why you live in Boston? The people
What would you change about Boston? The weather
Fill in the blank. The future of Boston is… Epic
Outside of your current focus helping put displaced people to work, what would you change about the world? I.E., What other problem facing the world would you most like to see solved? Corruption
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