Story & Lesson Highlights with Sofia Haq of Los Angeles County

Sofia Haq shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Sofia, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
What brings me joy lately is doing the things that I love more and trying to live in the moment. Over the last few years, I prioritized work over everything and I didn’t make a lot of time for myself. Now, I’m focusing more on what makes me happy and really honing in more on self-care. Whether it is investing in my health, professional and personal development, reading (not just business books), traveling, going to concerts, spending more time with family and friends, etc. these are all things I put on the back-burner for years as I was building my career. I knew that it came with sacrifices and I was ready to make them, but I am so happy to be in a place where I can invest in these areas.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Sofia Haq, born and raised in West Covina. When I was interviewed by VoyageLA five years ago I was working full-time on an organization called Muslim Women Professionals (MWP). Since then, so much has happened and this feels like such a beautiful time to reflect.

Today, I am an Investor and Senior Program Manager at Slauson & Co., an early stage investment firm based in South Los Angeles. I work on the Friends & Family Accelerator which is a six month accelerator focused on helping founders strengthen their businesses, attract investments, and build networks with other founders living similar experiences. We will be launching the next round of applications for our 2026 cohort very soon so make sure you visit ff.slauson.co to join our waitlist so you don’t miss out on the announcement. Applications open on October 1st.

I am still working on Muslim Women Professionals (MWP), which is now the fastest growing nonprofit for Muslim women globally. The team has grown to over 30+ women all over the United States and we just started recruitment again so if you are a Muslim woman interested in volunteering with us check out our website. We have chapters in Northern California, Southern California, and New York and are expanding to a few others in the next year. We host both in-person and virtual programming for Muslim women globally. We just announced our first-ever Muslim Women Wealth Summit in Southern California in partnership with the American Muslim Community Foundation so make sure to purchase tickets. We are passionate about ensuring Muslim women have the financial literacy they need to thrive.

I also launched a TikTok where I educate folks on venture capital and share my journey as a Founder, Investor, and Ecosystem Builder navigating my career. I call myself “Your Hermana/Baji in VC” where both terms translate to “sister” in Urdu and Spanish. I want women to feel like they can look up to me, see themselves in me, and learn from my experiences.

Finally, I am also the Founder of Haq Global Ventures where I provide advising and consulting services to small businesses and early stage startups, particularly those who are founded by Muslims or folks from marginalized communities. I also am a public speaker in areas including: entrepreneurship, venture capital, and the Muslim community.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
For a really long time I doubted myself. I found myself asking folks for permission when deep down I knew what I wanted and needed to do. I trusted others more than I trusted myself. A lot of those insecurities came from becoming an entrepreneur and all the uncertainty that came with it. I was also a woman in a space where I didn’t see others like me and deep down there was this fear of being disliked. I learned very quickly that there is no guide to entrepreneurship and that you cannot fear being disliked because you will never please everyone. Entrepreneurship is not like becoming a doctor or lawyer where there is a clear path of the steps you need to take in order to get where you need to be. There is no one clear path and even those with an incredible vision and execution can fail… I think that’s what really scared me initially, but thankfully, that part of me is gone. I don’t fear that anymore. Now, it excites me.

I also don’t value what people who don’t know me well think of me and I no longer ask for permission. If I need advice there are very few people whose perspectives I respect and trust. I trust myself now more than I ever have because trusting myself is what got me to where I am in the first place. I used to get upset when people would underestimate me. Now, I believe underestimation isn’t an insult; it’s an opportunity to demonstrate excellence. I am relentless in my work ethic, and if I encounter something I don’t know, I make it my business to learn. Failure is simply feedback, and success is what fuels me. No matter the odds, I will always bet on myself.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering forced me to be in a constant state of vulnerability, resilience, and productivity. Despite going through adversity I still had to show up, give it my all, and be consistent. It also taught me to be more self-aware and proactive about becoming a better version of myself despite what I was going through. I started going to therapy consistently when I was at one of my lowest points and it truly improved my life and set me on a new path. Dealing with loss, grief, mental health, etc. does a lot and I knew that I wanted to invest in myself to build a better future.

There is a quote I live by, “You are not responsible for the past, but you hold the responsibility—and the power—to heal and create your future.” I’ve grown more in the last few years than I ever have and I’m proud of it. This period of time allowed me to grow some thick skin. I once cared so much about what people thought and now I am incredibly selective in whose feedback I value. Today, I look back at that version of myself with so much empathy. That version of myself was dealing with a lot, but if it wasn’t for that period of my life I wouldn’t be where I am today.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
I’m Muslim and in Islam, humility is a core virtue and something that I deeply respect and want to continue to embody. There is so much going on in the world so it is easy to lose sight of reality especially with social media. What I find so beautiful about Islam is that we pray five times a day and in doing so it’s a way to remind ourselves that no matter what we are going through, good or bad, there is something bigger than all of us. It humbles me and reminds me of what is actually important. I cannot control everything and whatever success I have is not because of me, but because of Allah SWT (God). Success isn’t random. It’s when the skills Allah SWT has entrusted to you meet the opportunities that were written in your qadr or “divine destiny” — and you rise to them.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
Up until college, I was doing what I thought was the right path for me. I thought my dream was to work in healthcare. In my last year of college I lost my father so I took time to grieve and did a lot of reflecting. I realized that I was on that path to please my parents and truly never got the opportunity to explore other areas I was passionate about. A few months after my father passed away, I had the opportunity to study abroad in London, took it, and that experience changed the course of my life. It was through that experience that I recognized my passion for business and when I returned home I took the leap into a new industry. Looking back, it was incredibly stressful, but it opened my eyes to so many more opportunities.

Fast forward 10 years later, I am a Founder, Investor, and Community Builder. I didn’t become familiar with venture capital until about five years ago and with entrepreneurship I thought it would be an amazing experience, but I didn’t have the foundation. Now that I am a 2X Founder, it still feels surreal. I never thought this would be my path, but I love every bit of it. Each role that I have brings out so much of what I love– entrepreneurship, community development, economic empowerment, creativity, and so much more.

So, yes, now I am doing the work I was born to do… And there is so much more that I want to do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sofiahaq.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sofia__haq/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofiahaq/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@sofiahaq

  https://www.muslimwomenprofessionals.org/

  https://www.slauson.co/

  https://medium.com/@lafamilia/the-unapologetic-advantage-how-a-mexican-pakistani-muslim-woman-forged-a-new-path-in-venture-cfa6567d715a

Image Credits
I labeled them accordingly:

– Slauson & Co.
– Muslim Women Professionals (MWP)
– Inicio AngelPath Academy (the photo of me in a brown blazer)