At 23, Hamza Abu-Alkhair isn’t just an engineering student; he’s the founder of Lothgha, a speech therapy app changing lives across the Arabic-speaking world. Born out of personal pain, fueled by grit, and built with almost no support, Lothgha is living proof that the best solutions come from lived experience. And Hamza? He’s just getting started.

“I had an inherited speech disorder, and I used to get bullied for it. People laughed, mocked, and stared. I was scared to speak, scared to socialise, scared to be seen.” For years, Hamza avoided the spotlight. Presentations in class felt like punishment. Friendships were hard to keep. Until he decided to flip the script by treating himself. “I designed my own pronunciation exercises. Tested them on myself. Trained every day. And I got better.”

Entrepreneurial fire, lit early

Hamza’s entrepreneurial itch didn’t start with Lothgha. It began way back in fourth grade. “I’ve always loved work. I spent every school vacation doing jobs – selling phones, toys, perfumes, watches, you name it. But I kept losing money,” he laughs. “People called me the guy who always fails.” So when he launched Lothgha, few took him seriously. But Hamza wasn’t chasing cash this time. He was chasing change. “This was different. This was for people like me.”

What started as DIY therapy turned into a sleek, AI-powered app. Users practice with over 12,000 personalised words, join support groups, and even connect with speech therapists. Think fitness app, but for speech.

“We built what I wish I had when I was younger,” Hamza says. Lothgha isn’t just a product. It’s a movement. It’s breaking taboos around speech disorders in a region where therapy is often unaffordable or stigmatised.

Building a business while jumping through hoops

As if developing a cutting-edge speech app wasn’t hard enough, Hamza had to do it while navigating Egypt’s rigid business laws. “I couldn’t open a bank account. Couldn’t register the company. The law assumes students can’t run a business.” So he made a bold move. He registered Lothgha in Delaware, USA. “I had to go international to be taken seriously.”

Egypt’s startup scene is growing, but it still has a long way to go. “There’s more hype, more competitions. But investors still want 50–70% of your company. It’s wild.” His advice? Think global. “We copy what we see. If all you see is local businesses, you’ll think small. If you watch global founders, your ambition explodes.”

One of his toughest hurdles was no one got what he was building. “Speech tech isn’t big in Egypt. Mentors didn’t get it. Incubators didn’t get it. So we built anyway.”

Fueled by belief, built on purpose

Hamza is unapologetically driven by impact and by faith. “What motivates me is the positive impact Lothgha has on people’s lives. My faith teaches that helping others brings reward. That’s what this app is. Every user we help is a win.”

And he’s honest about the pressure. “I worry about not being able to pay my employees. They’ve given so much. I don’t want to let them down.”

Juggling university and running a startup is not exactly smooth sailing either. “I won’t lie. I don’t balance things well. I focus on Lothgha all year and cram for exams last minute. That’s the honest truth.”

Failing forward, together

Every founder hits walls. Hamza learned to face them as a team. “When our app update flopped, everyone had a theory. One blamed UX. Another blamed payments. Turns out, it was the business model. That failure taught us to fix things together.”

His burnout cure is simple. “I sleep. No phone. No laptop. Then I wake up clear-headed and reanalyse the whole situation.”

This isn’t just an app

Lothgha is changing lives. Thousands of users are speaking more, applying for jobs, and making friends. “People tell us they’re laughing again. That’s the real reward.”

Hamza’s journey has inspired more than users. It’s sparked a new wave of young Arab entrepreneurs. “Students tell me, ‘If you can build this while studying, maybe I can too.’ That’s why I keep going.”

What’s next? Big vision, bigger mission

The goal is to expand into every Arabic-speaking country. “Kids, teens, adults – everyone deserves to feel heard.”

His parting wisdom: “Don’t wait for permission. Don’t wait until you’re ready. Start with what you have. Solve a problem you understand deeply. That’s how you win.”

Hamza didn’t just fix his voice. He gave others the courage to find theirs. That’s the kind of entrepreneur the world needs more of.

👉 Want to see more of Hamza’s story? Watch The Journey Season 3 to follow his story and get inspired to build your own impactful business.