Chicago in Arabic is an inclusive platform that covers Chicago’s local news in Arabic. Two Syrian businessmen founded the publication in 2015.
Chicago in Arabic originally joined the LNA to build a job board designed to connect Arab and Arab-American professionals with individuals in need of their services in Chicago.
While a part of the Accelerator, Chicago in Arabic utilized the value proposition canvas, survey results and additional LNA tools to gauge interest and refine the product. Ultimately, they decided to pivot from a job board to a platform intended to connect Arab professionals offering a wide-range of services to individuals seeking trusted community-rooted support. Daleel also serves as a central hub for discovering cultural and social events within Chicago’s Arab-American community celebrating heritage, fostering community and amplifying local engagements.
Pivoted from a simple job board to a platform connecting Arab professionals with community services and events
Instagram reel views within 90 days (4x increase)
Vendors listed on their database
This is an idea that we had in mind for many years, and now it's materialized because of the Accelerator. Otherwise we would have kept dragging our feet on it because we're busy with so many other things. The other thing that's been helpful is all the worksheets that we had to organize our thoughts around the idea like the 'From/To' and the Business Model Canvas.
Malek Abdulsamad, co-founder
Chicago in Arabic created a marketing campaign for Daleel and adjusted its media kit to call on sponsors and advertisers for the product. The minimum viable product of the platform launched on the final day of the Accelerator program, with plans to officially launch Daleel in July once the team has reached a thousand listed community vendors.