Furqan: Who I am, and How I Got Here
My name is Furqan Ahmed, and I am the Founder of Anmol.Network. This is a project close to my heart, as making technology (especially blockchain technology) accessible is extremely important to me, and this is what Anmol is all about.
Anmol allows any internet user to dive into the Web3 space and use a simple, easy-to-navigate GUI to perform complex Web3 tasks. Anmol is a portal into the Web3 space. We are focused on ease of use, and accessibility. We want to empower everyday internet users, small or large businesses, or advanced developers to participate in Web3 technologies with nominal overhead development costs.
TL;DR
My interest in computing began at a very young age — I was maybe 5–6 years old when my Dad got me my first computer. At the time, I didn’t know what to do with it, and I was clueless about how to operate it, so my Dad taught me the basics. I mostly used it to play games with my friend.
One day, I decided to look at the software behind the game and experiment with it, but obviously, as I was unsure about what exactly I was doing, I ended up breaking the BIOS and rendering the computer obsolete. While that experience was nowhere near as fruitful as I had hoped, it did give birth to my deep fascination in computing, and especially software engineering. In fact, long ago when somebody asked me why I was so fascinated with computers, I answered by saying that I wanted to talk to computers so that I could do cool things with them!
That fascination carried on throughout the school. I enjoyed spending time in the school’s computer labs, constantly honing down on my craft and getting increasingly proficient as the years went by. At some points, I was even doing more teaching than the teachers, as they mostly appreciated that I was taking the helm as I was ahead of the other students. However, there was a downside: I was quite a bit of an outcast at school as my interests lay in different places than my peers. Not only was I interested in computers, but I also loved physics and chemistry. Unfortunately, the other students did not align with me for this reason.
By around Grade 7, or Grade 8, my knowledge of computing had grown significantly, and this caused a great deal of angst. Regarding computing, I felt like I was the smartest in the room, which is a feeling I wholeheartedly detest. It made me recognize that I wanted to leave the school and go someplace else where there would be people who were miles ahead of me, and who I could directly learn from. So I went through a youth exchange program to try out some other places. I got accepted, but my parents disallowed it as they thought I was not ready for such an experience. Throughout grades 8, 9, and 10, I was trying to study in different places. It had gotten to the point where the only way I could learn new stuff was to teach myself (via the internet). Some of my teachers were certainly helpful, but by and large, I was guiding myself.
University
I got a good score on my SATs, which helped tremendously when it came to university. I got multiple offers from even US universities (my idea for applying to the US was that I had seen many smart people going there, and I was eager to have my knowledge tested by other ambitious students). I managed to secure some scholarships, although I was unable to accept any as there were significant financial quandaries setting me back. I eventually found myself at a private affiliated government university in Karachi, where I studied Software Engineering. However, my experience of university echoed that of my school. Most teachers were not particularly useful (although there were a select few who were greatly beneficial and fostered my passions in computing). I essentially found myself learning JavaScript, C, C++, C#, and Python on my own. I was even ranked 3rd in my entire batch in Software Engineering by the time of my graduation.
And so, for my first and second year of university, I constantly tried to transfer to other universities, all in the US. I even applied to Harvard around the end of 11th Grade; I didn’t get in, but I understood the necessity of aiming high in practically every area of life, and besides, stranger things have happened! This is an important mindset that I adopted early as I quickly learned that I had to carve my own path. As an entrepreneur, founder, and developer, I am still endlessly carving my own path.
Crypto and Blockchain
My interest in Bitcoin was sparked by a conversation I had with my Dad. One day, I asked what the strongest currency in the world is, and he answered by saying Kuwaiti dinar (which was, and still is, true if we’re talking strictly fiat). However, afterward, I did some research into the topic myself and I discovered that the actual answer was Bitcoin. I had never heard of cryptocurrency before, and upon discovering what they were, I became enthralled with them. The idea of a peer-2-peer cryptographically generated, independent, and digital currency was such a fascinating idea to me. I could see early on how significant this would be on a global scale.
With that in mind, I decided that I needed to spread the word about it, so I created a company named BitSpread, which had the sole purpose of raising awareness of Bitcoin on my campus. I partnered up with another company and began selling t-shirts to students, where people could buy using BTC. The company also allowed people to top up their mobile credit via Bitcoin (this was back when Bitcoin was suitable for smaller transactions!). The company eventually failed as most people on campus were largely disinterested in Bitcoin as they were unable to see its potential.
Soon afterward, I discovered Ethereum and began teaching myself Solidity. I went to seminars and followed small courses, but for the most part, this was a self-taught endeavor. I even led my own seminars, workshops, and crash courses; at some point, the university recognized my potential and offered me the chance to take my own university-level course on the matter. During this time, I managed to get a VIP invite to Pakistan Blockchain Week 2018. I was the youngest VIP attendee, and so many other guests did not take me seriously, but I was not deterred as I understood my own worth.
I put my knowledge of Solidity to use and became a freelance developer, where I worked on multiple Ethereum-based games and contracts. I later worked with Edgeware, a Polkadot-based smart contract and DApp platform, later becoming a member of their Builder’s Guild as a Community Developer and contributing to their community projects. I helped SubsCrypt to get their Web3 Foundation grant approved. I also worked with Darwinia, a decentralized cross-chain network running on Substrate, contributed to a project at Evolution Land, a blockchain-based virtual simulation game, and revamped the architecture.
I have been working in the Polkadot space for almost 2 years now.
Beyond Education
During my first and second year of university, I was trying to transfer to other universities (all in the US) where I would be able to further flourish. However, by the final year, I had to stop, as I got tied up having to complete a final year project as it was a requirement for my degree.
I finished my degree with a CGPA of 3.8/4.0, with my highest GPA for a semester being 3.97/4.0, graduating 3rd top of my entire batch! After completing my degree, I was quickly approached by a myriad of different companies and organizations, although I caught on quite early that many wanted to exploit me for my skillset. After leaving university I chose to work with one company, but unfortunately, I learned that they also wanted to take advantage of me. I figured that the only way I could truly avoid this was to work for myself. In February 2021, I started a company called DotMatrix, and with the help of a connection I made along my journey, I secured a little bit of office space where I could calmly work on my own projects and build up my own income, which I could use to invest in my own projects and endeavors. However eventually, I left that office space and chose to work from home.
Beginning Anmol
DotMatrix became a precursor to Anmol. I have been aware of how significant and revolutionary NFTs are for as long as I can remember, and as I spent more time in the blockchain space, I recognized that I wanted to meaningfully contribute to the industry. My initial plans were to grow the company using my parent’s education fund that they had been saving up for me over many years, but it soon transpired that my parents had been scammed out of their money by a middle-man. This meant there were no finances left, and so I had to begin from scratch. Everything had to be self-funded.
Around April 12, 2021 the idea behind Anmol had been finalized, and by the end of April, the website went live. I, and my team, have been moving fast trying to get this project up and running, as we understand its potential and significance in the blockchain web3.0 industry as a whole. We have been working on the project for almost a year now, and our team has worked so hard to get us to where we are. Our test net for our native blockchain Anmol is live, we are nearing the launch of our premiering DApps on several chains, and we have secured seed round funding. We have a long way to go but, it is amazing for me to see the potential for a project I have put so much of myself into, to have grown to something with the ability to revolutionize the Web3 space.
I have spent my whole life working in the blockchain sector, watching and helping it flourish. This is by far the most fascinating and revolutionary technology I have ever come across, and I wholeheartedly believe in its ability to change lives and change the technological landscape.
I am excited to be working in such a cutting-edge and unique industry and to be creating something that I am truly passionate about, and which I wholeheartedly believe in.
There are several people to who I owe special thanks, as, without them, I would not have been able to craft this project, and I would not be the person I am today.
My Mom– Who always supported me in everything, cared for me, got me fruit while I worked, and raised me to be the fatty I am now haha!
My Dad– Who I owe my entire love of computing, as well as my discovery of Bitcoin. He is also the most important figure for shaping my critical thinking abilities. He answered all my weird and never-ending questions (when I was young and even now!) He understood and supported me, even when nobody else did.
Ms. Kausar, Tabinda, Masooma & Mr. Khan– Who helped me tremendously in school, supported my learning, and cared about me on a personal level.
Ms. Sumbul– Who fostered my interest in Chemistry.
Mr. Khursheed– Who did the same for me with Physics.
Ms. Huda, Mr. Lohana, Mr. Shoaib– Who kept me motivated and guided me in the right direction in university.
My friend Jilani– Who stayed loyal for the longest time, who helped me whenever I needed it, and who never expected anything in return!
There are also some close acquaintances who deserve a mention as well, as they were (and are) also important to me. My technical journey has been influenced heavily by the following people and for that, I am very thankful. I am thankful for their time, and for sharing their experiences with me: Jordan (who helped tremendously with DotMatrix), Drew, Zohaib, Gotham J, and many others whose code I looked through and learned from.
I would also like to give a shout-out to Kai, who helped to shape this story into its own article.
My journey has given me a great deal of experience, knowledge, and wisdom– all of which I believe are useful for running Anmol.
Find my portfolio here.
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