Shehzeen Jamil Rehman on empathy as a superpower and on navigating challenging environments

Shehzeen Jamil Rehman is an entrepreneur in the specialty coffee and tech space. She is co-founder of Sippy Beans and the head of coffee market at COFE App.

How did the story of Sippy begin?

My interest in coffee was caused by cold weather. I grew up here, in the Middle East but moved to London for master's studies. Cold weather was a totally new experience for me and coffee helped me to keep warm.

I started Sippy to give specialty coffee a voice over commercial coffee. We saw a lot of these nice coffee shops popping up and we knew that they couldn't compete with behemoths with massive marketing budgets like Starbucks or Costa. Also, my co-founders and I just wanted good beans at home. We didn't know where to go to get those.

We built up and launch a simple website a month before Covid hit. We had no idea what sort of demand we would face very soon, a lot earlier than we expected.

When COVID happened, it was an actual startup: everything moved to my apartment. We were working 24/7. It was tough, not fancy at all.

We first set out to build a B2C platform but ended up becoming a culture that was inviting, ambitious and innovative.

How did you make a decision to sell Sippy Beans?

A few years later I saw an opportunity to join forces with COFE App - a company in the coffee space that was a lot bigger. We decided to join forces and move towards a shared goal of giving specialty coffee a voice. I would be able to then focus on the core of the business and my team would be able to also expand their horizons even more.

I started working on creating their business unit that focused on the digital marketplace, which is what Sippy was, for the Gulf countries.

What do you think holds women back?

We have the superpower that is sometimes not treated as such. It's empathy. We need to use it for our benefit. Moreover, it is not mutually exclusive to be empathetic and strong and powerful. We need to grasp it.

What helped you on your founder journey?

Even as a female founder, there was a lot of instances where I reach out to very strong men in the industry and I did get a response. I received support and advice, and that was amazing. I believe the reason behind was authenticity.

There's no need to fake tough exterior, pretend to be strong no matter what, powerful no matter what, unbreakable. Instead, you need to be authentic. In my experience, when people see authenticity and kindness, they reciprocate. They will be willing to support your growth.

The support that I've gotten has been incredible, even unexpected.

What is your advice on navigating difficult environments?

We need to speak up. We need to be confident. There will be battles that you need to fight, but choose those battles wisely. Filter it out. If you are not feeling valued somewhere, maybe this is a wrong environment for you. There are many places where you will be valued, where you will receive help and growth opportunities.

I urge women to be strong, to be passionate, and to go after what they really desire. Put your true authentic self out there and the support will pour in.

Women have paved the way so far. If we continue pushing, there'll be a ripple effect that will reach heights that we cannot even imagine.