Closer Look
Hanin Najjar
Age: 22
Education: Journalism and political science major, University of Oregon
Company: Parachute Media
What the company does: Digital publication and community organization created by and for Gen Z women and non-binary people of color.
Founded: 2020
Accelerators, incubators or competitions: Portland Incubator Experiment
Outside funding: Small grants, bootstrapped
How did your company come about? (Co-founder) Ochuko (Akpovbovbo) had the idea and contacted me asking if I would be interested. I became a journalist because I wanted to tell stories of marginalized communities, so I absolutely fell in love with it. We started out with a team of 10 and over the past year and a half, grew it to about 50 people all over the country. We launched our social media, our email newsletter, and our website and digital publication.
Why did you decide to build this startup at this time? The Covid-19 pandemic had just started and my summer plans to intern in New York had fallen apart. With BLM sparking a conversation about race, equity and representation all over the world, and Gen Z being the leaders of that conversation, it seemed like the perfect time to create this organization and this space.
What is your ultimate vision for your company? One is to create a publication that is representative of the voices we don't often hear, but through doing that I also want to empower young women of color to tell their own stories, be proud of their identities and be inspired to change the world around them. By building a community instead of an audience, I want Parachute to have a ripple effect that energizes an entire generation to create their own Parachute in whatever industry or vision they see.
Have you always wanted to be an entrepreneur? No, actually. I have always wanted to be a journalist and a storyteller. Business wasn't my thing at all. It wasn't until I met Ochuko and I started working on Parachute that I became really interested in start-ups, business and how everything works.
Have felt any specific challenges around your work because you are still so young and early in your career? I've learned more from Parachute than I did in school or at any internship. I've had to teach myself everything from copyright laws and contracts to SEO, workflows and leadership. It's a constant learning process and I like the challenge of it.
Are there any founders or business people you look up to or want to emulate? I would say Robin Roberts of Good Morning America and Oprah are probably my biggest role models. Both are strong badass women of color who are incredible story tellers, genuine human beings and amazing business women. Both have taught me the importance of working hard, the value of connecting with and respecting people, and the gifts that come from being vulnerable and sharing your story and your experiences.
Where do you go for advice or support? I have been very fortunate to have a lot of mentors and teachers that are always available to give me advice, but whenever I need advice or support, I go to God and my mom. Every other person will come and go, but those two are permanent.
