# Abdulhamid Haidar

> Abdulhamid Haidar is the founder and CEO of Darsel, a nonprofit that teaches K-12 math over text messages. Instead of apps and video that assume reliable Wi-Fi, Darsel runs entirely on WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and SMS, using AI-powered adaptive algorithms to tutor students in Jordan, India and Nigeria. Built during the 2020 COVID lockdown by a Syrian-American who grew up in a family of teachers, Darsel has had more than 120,000 students answer over 170 million math questions. Haidar holds degrees from MIT, Harvard Kennedy School and Stanford's Graduate School of Business, and previously spent three years at McKinsey. His goal: meaningfully reach 100 million students by 2030.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at Darsel
- **Organizations:** Darsel, McKinsey & Company (former)
- **Nationality:** Syrian-American
- **Education:** BSc, Economics and Mathematics with Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), MPA, International Development, Harvard Kennedy School, MBA, Stanford Graduate School of Business
- **Known for:** Founded Darsel, reaching more than 120,000 students who have answered over 170 million math questions, Scaled the chatbot across Jordan, India and Nigeria via WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and SMS, Y Combinator Winter 2022 batch company

## Career timeline

- **pre-2020** — Management consultant at McKinsey & Company for three years, focused on economic development and public policy across Middle East governments, including education
- **2020** — Began prototyping Darsel during the COVID-19 lockdown while an MBA student at Stanford
- **2021** — Incorporated Darsel as a US nonprofit; named a Stanford Social Innovation Fellow; pitched at Fast Forward Demo Day
- **2022** — Darsel joined Y Combinator (Winter 2022 batch); raised seed funding
- **2023** — Won the Tools Competition Growth Prize; presented at LSE 100x Summit
- **2024-2025** — Finalist for the WISE Prize for Education program
- **2025** — Ranked 8th in a Gen Matrix Gen AI leaders ranking

## Achievements

- Founded Darsel, reaching more than 120,000 students who have answered over 170 million math questions
- Scaled the chatbot across Jordan, India and Nigeria via WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and SMS
- Y Combinator Winter 2022 batch company
- Tools Competition Growth Prize winner (2023)
- WISE Prize for Education finalist (2024-2025)
- Stanford Social Innovation Fellow (2021)
- Backed by Mulago Foundation, Fast Forward and Y Combinator

## Latest updates

- **2025-06** — Ranked 8th in a Gen Matrix Gen AI leaders ranking
- **2025-01** — Featured on the 'Meet the CEO' podcast
- **2024** — Named a finalist for the WISE Prize for Education program

## Links

- Website: https://darsel.tech
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/abdulhamid-haidar
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/darseltech
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/DarselTech

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/abdulhamid-haidar
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-25