From Personal Frustration to Widespread Innovation

As Founder and CEO of MishiPay, Mustafa Khanwala turned a frustrating 20-minute wait at Lidl for a single can of soda into an opportunity to advance retail checkout. MishiPay, a Scale Up 6th Cohort member, enables customers to scan item barcodes with their phones, pay through the app, and skip traditional checkout lines entirely.

Mustafa’s academic foundation was key in shaping his career path. He earned a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering from The University of Manchester, which provided him with the technical skills to develop MishiPay’s first prototype. He then pursued an MSc in Engineering with Finance from University College London. This unique combination of skills empowered Mustafa to take MishiPay from concept to a successful solution that’s enhancing retail today.

Mustafa’s journey into entrepreneurship was fueled by both his engineering background and his drive to solve real-world problems. His first venture, a food delivery service in Manchester offering home-cooked Indian meals to students, honed his entrepreneurial instincts. His experience grew further as he worked on engineering projects with major companies such as Porsche, National Instruments, Barclays, and TATA, where he applied his expertise to real-world challenges.