An educational app that allows Muslims to learn and understand the Quran has raised $2 million in funding from leading consumer, educational tech, and faith-focused investors.

Niyyah, formerly called Guider, said the latest round was co-led by Venrex, the first investors in Just Eat and Revolut, and Cur8 Capital, the fund behind IslamicFinanceGuru.

It also welcomed Active Partners, backers behind iconic brands such as Leon and Soho House, and has continued support from its early investors Emerge and Collective Continuum.

The group also made its name change public — from Guider to Niyyah, which means ‘Intention” in Arabic. It said the name change underscores its commitment to empower Muslims to align their actions with their intentions.

The app helps Muslims with busy schedules to learn about the meaning behind the words in the Quran in small, manageable portions. It employs a guided approach to Quranic learning, which makes it practical and accessible for users to explore various topics at their own pace.

“On any given day, the Quran is recited billions of times by hundreds of millions around the world in Arabic,” said Shinaz Navas, Co-founder and CEO of Niyyah.

“The problem is that 80% of us don’t understand the words that are being recited. This is what we’re setting out to solve, by helping Muslims understand and apply the Quran in under 5 minutes a day.

“Ultimately, we believe that the Quran has all the wisdom we need to be successful – it’s time that we finally used it,” added Shinaz, who aims to use the funds raised to expand the app’s content library and enhance it with AI features.

Niyyah has ambitious plans to achieve annual recurring revenue of over £100m in six years.

Tom Profumo, Partner at Active Partners, said: “With over two billion Muslims globally and many looking for better ways to understand the religion, the opportunity for Niyyah is truly global.

“Shinaz and the team have seen fantastic traction in their first year alone which is a testament to the genuinely differentiated product they are building and their deep understanding of the audience.”

“Having helped category-defining brands like Rapha build global communities we’re excited to support Niyyah in this next phase of growth.”

Muhammed Yesilhark, Board Member at Collective Continuum, said: “Faithtech is a new and emerging trend in which Collective Continuum is thrilled to be at the bleeding edge. The Niyyah app is a perfect example of a scalable digital product with embedded social benefits at its core.”

Taking an intentional journey through the Quran

The name change reflects the company’s mission to help Muslims intentionally journey through the Quran. Many Muslims read the Quran but most do not understand the verses they recite.

“The Quran has all the guidance we need to be successful, but most of us barely understand this guidance – this is where Niyyah comes in to help Muslims thrive by understanding and applying the Quran in their daily lives,” said Shinaz, who established Niyyah in 2023 due to his frustration with the lack of educational apps for Muslims.

While there are plenty of solutions for reciting, memorising, and reading the translation of the Quran, Shinaz felt there was nothing to help Muslims engage with its messages and practically apply its lessons.

Niyyah provides personalised recommendations with gamified features like rewards and leaderboards to encourage users to learn more about the Quran’s teachings.

In its first year since launch, Niyyah reached 20,000 users across 70 countries, with its content  seen by over one million individuals globally.

The group has improved its products based on user feedback, which has been very positive.

“It can be tough to consistently engage with the Quran, especially with my busy schedule,” said Farzana, a user in the US said. “But Niyyah makes this easy, fun and meaningful at the same time.”

Another user based in London Ishaaq Shafi said the app allowed him to understand the Quran gradually without feeling overwhelmed.

“Unlike traditional methods that can feel passive, the interactive quizzes have made my learning experience a lot more engaging,” he added.