Atlas Dreams Languages launched in April of 2010, focusing on offering foreign language tutoring services. Coming from Egypt with a deep understanding of different cultures and languages, Zineb Outnouna, CEO and founder, chose to invest in her dream of interpretation and translation services with whatever she had at the time. She started with $2,000, attended every free workshop she could find, spent countless hours reading business books at the library, and showed up to every networking event she could afford. She didn’t have a roadmap—just a deep belief in the importance of language access and a passion for making a difference.
As a woman-owned and immigrant-founded business, she was fortunate to connect with Pitt SBDC’s Brent Rondon when he was working at Duquesne SBDC. He was key—especially when she urgently needed Spanish interpreters for her team. He responded quickly, despite it being late in the day, and sent her several qualified candidates. She selected one of them, and he’s still part of the team today.
Brent continued to keep her informed about valuable workshops offered by the SBDC, many of which she attended. The topics ranged from QuickBooks basics to Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contracting Program certification and government contracting. Throughout their relationship, he has felt like an unofficial member of the team—someone genuinely invested in the success of Atlas Dreams Languages and always ready to offer help and solutions.
What began as a one-person effort—teaching Modern Standard Arabic, Moroccan Darija, Egyptian Arabic, and French—has grown into a team of over 70 independent contractors. Atlas Dreams Languages has expanded from serving just the Greater Pittsburgh region to now working with clients across multiple states.
In 2025, The Pittsburgh Pirates and PNC Bank announced that Zineb Outnouna from Atlas Dreams Languages was one of the recipients of the 2025 Going to Bat for Small Business Program.
At the heart of this journey is a message of possibility and inspiration—especially for fellow immigrants and underrepresented entrepreneurs: don’t wait for the “perfect” time or resources. You can start where you are, with what you have, and build something meaningful.