Het Financieele Dagblad on Taaly: ‘Language is everything for refugees, my app will help them’

Dutch business daily Het Financieele Dagblad profiled Taaly founder Shadi Alhakimi in its column De vonk (The spark): the moment an entrepreneur gets the idea. For Shadi, that was the language barrier he ran into himself as a newcomer in the Netherlands.

A different choice than the well-paid job

Shadi Alhakimi was born in Yemen and could have built a well-paid career as an IT security specialist. He chose something else: an app that helps newcomers learn Dutch by talking with Dutch speakers.

The FD describes how his own flight and his frustrations with language led to the idea. Without the language, you stay on the outside of society. That is exactly what Taaly set out to solve.

Why the story still holds

The core of Taaly has not changed since this interview: real conversations with real people. What was added is an AI language coach to practise in between, activities in the newcomer's own municipality and the step towards work.

“Language is everything for refugees, my app will help them”
Shadi Alhakimi in Het Financieele Dagblad (translated from Dutch)

Taaly today

Taaly has since grown into the digital integration assistant for newcomers: language, participation and work in one app, with more than 30,000 learners, 4,200 taalcoaches and partnerships with 18 municipalities.

Read the full article

‘Language is everything for refugees, my app will help them’. Het Financieele Dagblad (17 November 2022).

Curious how Taaly works for newcomers? See Taaly for newcomers