Q&A WITH MUHAMMAD WAQAS

Q Why is establishing a social impact business important to you?

A This is a principle deeply ingrained in the ethos of our company. We believe in the concept of “good business”, where we operate and grow like any other ambitious business, generating revenue, raising funding and expanding.

However, simultaneously, we strive to create a positive impact on society, the economy and the world through our operations and products.

We aspire not only to practise good business but also to serve as a role model for this approach.

What new skills have you learnt in the process of operating your start-up? Your company’s success is tied to your personal growth. Investing in yourself [through personal development and learning new skills] is crucial.

Maintain the mindset of a lifelong learner. Cultivate a childlike curiosity as it is the best way to learn and stay motivated. Self-improvement can be categorised into four key areas that are essential for growth: Physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

Additionally, I have acquired functional skills such as accounting, project management, public speaking, communication and basic coding.

How does your business differ from others?

What sets us apart from others is that we are one of the few solutions using augmented reality, body movement and facial interactions as input.

Among our competitors, we are the only product offering an online [browser-based] solution that is plug-and-play, meaning it requires no additional software or installation.

We operate games without the need for additional hardware, making us cost-effective and easy to use. This is achieved through our unique use of patent-pending artificial intelligence.

A provisional patent for this has been filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office.

If you had the chance to do it all over again, what would you do differently?

I would not make the mistakes I made and I would take advantage of the lessons I learnt earlier in my start-up journey, thus reducing the time it took me to reach this point.

However, it is paradoxical because I would not have learnt those things in the first place if I had not made the mistakes.

Did you set up the business at the right time for the market? No, we set it up very early, when people did not even know the term augmented reality and the technology was very challenging and full of bugs. But now, I feel that the market is becoming more ready to adopt augmented reality, even treating it as a necessity.

Where do you see yourself and your business five years down the line?

In five years, we envision ourselves as one of the leaders in AR-based assistive technology worldwide.

We aim to be present in every school in the UAE and expand across the GCC market. We aim to expand into the North American market, including the US and Canada.

We plan to establish a presence in every inclusive and special education school in Pakistan. Ultimately, we aim to affect the lives of at least 500,000 children of determination and their families.