2025 Year in Review: Perseverance

MMW end-of-year letter by founder Subhi Irshed is here.

Dear MMW Community,

This end of year letter has become a tradition I cherish deeply.Like the past five years, I am inviting you into my reflections on the journey MMW experienced in 2025.

When I look back at 2025, perseverance is the word that stays with me.Not because everything moved fast — but because much of it didn’t. Yet, we showed up anyway.

Perseverance as a founder and leader

The year started rough. Q1 came with rejections, slow uptake, postponed conversations, and doubt. There were days where clarity was expected from me, even when I was still searching for it myself. What I learned is simple, but not easy. Leadership is not having all the answers — it is holding direction anyway. Showing up consistently became the work. Not perfectly. But honestly.

Perseverance as a team effort

No one builds through uncertainty alone. This year demanded trust, patience, and alignment within the team. We chose to stay the course together. To resist shortcuts and protect what we are building. Progress did not always look linear. But commitment never wavered. Staying aligned under pressurebecame one of our quiet strengths. A special shout out to my co-founder, Olga a walking, resilient human machine.

Perseverance turning belief into momentum

Somewhere along the way, the work began to compound. From Q2 onwards, customer trust deepened and contracts were signed. By mid-year, we were supporting 11 paying customers. Conversations shifted from interest to long-term commitment. One customer said something that stayed with me:“Your perseverance and passion is why we chose to work with you.”

It reminded me that perseverance is visible. People feel it through how you show up, speak, and lead.

In Q3, MMW was named one of the Top 20 Rising Startups in Europe. By Q4, we secured close to 2 million DKK in total runway, combining customer revenue with selected strategic funding.

Another milestone was secured toward year end. One we will share publicly in January.

These moments were not endpoints. They were signals that staying the course matters.

Perseverance as a shared responsibility

Community remained at the heart of everything. Not as an audience, but as co-builders.

In 2025, our community grew to 3,707 members, supported by 100+ ambassadors globally.

Through Ambassador Program 2.0, participation turned into collaboration. We gathered in person twice;  in March and December, in Copenhagen. More than 100 ambassadors showed up offline. And when people show up together, ownership follows. Showing up proved contagious.When people feel invited into the work, they rise with it.

Looking ahead

As we step into 2026, perseverance takes on a new meaning. Not just enduring — but executing with clarity. The runway is in place. The team is aligned. The pieces of the puzzle have come together.

To everyone who showed up through uncertainty — thank you. The next chapter is about building on what we earned. With perseverance,

Subhi

Founder & Executive Director, MMW NGO

Founder & CEO, MMW Social Enterprise