Alumni Entrepreneur Award Winner - Karim Fawaz

3 July 2025

What inspired you to pursue entrepreneurship? 
When I was 14, I used to spend hours playing video games. One day, I realised that while games give you the feeling of progress, it’s largely an illusion. Why not “just build things”? I’ve always been in pursuit of progress, and discovering that I could create products and services from 0 to 1 through software is what led me to software engineering and entrepreneurship as the two go hand in hand. After teaching myself to code and building my first 2D game, I began looking for ways to optimise everyday life. That led to the creation of BRAIN 2.0, a multi-faceted solutions company focused on reinventing industries – “2.0-ing” them. PLAYBACK is our latest example, and it is transforming the sports industry. 

How did you come up with your business ideas and put them into practice? 
Football has always been a big part of my life – especially during my childhood. I lost my father at age 4 and used football as a distraction. I used to train all day using our front door as a goal because I had to compete with my friends to get a starting place in the school’s first team. Given my mother had to work all day to support the family, I was never able to train at an academy or have someone come watch me play. This however did not stop me from training over 2 hours every single day and looking up training drills on YouTube. 

In 2011, I had an end of year school tournament. My mother, sister, grandmother and uncle came to watch me play. It was my time to shine. The stars aligned, I scored a goal, and my uncle recorded it and uploaded it to YouTube. Now I can watch my mom and grandmother cheering me on for the rest of my life. PLAYBACK started by implementing footage-based solutions because there’s a big gap in the market. Too many moments are missed and never shared – so I wanted to become everyone’s “uncle”. 

Once we started onboarding academies to the PLAYBACK Academy Service, we realised we were onto something much bigger. Originally I wanted to just make ends meet, ensure goals are recorded and shared, and provide a platform for players. Upon launch, we decided to sponsor 200 scholarship players completely for free to ensure they got to access the technologies with zero burdens. 

Within 60 days, eight of these players got professional contracts just through having access to our technologies. I personally got a text from a parent who wanted to thank PLAYBACK for having this kind of infrastructure in place as it allowed her to watch her kids play in a tournament match whilst she was at work. Sure, it’s just a camera, but for them, it’s allowing them to feel involved and for the kids to know that their parents are watching even if they’re not there - I can assure you this is exactly what nine-year-old me would have wanted. 

After launching footage-based solutions, our partners in the PLAYBACK Network started mentioning other pain points in their business, such as paying payment processing fees which was eating up a chunk of their profits. By being involved in our partners granular operations, we are able to evolve, innovate and create – all whilst making sure nine-year-old me is proud. 

How did you overcome business challenges, fears and doubts when establishing your venture to ensure success? 
I wouldn’t say I had fears to overcome in the traditional sense. I lost my father at a young age and was raised by a single, hardworking mother. Watching her make bold yet calculated decisions taught me to take risks and commit fully. So, when it came to building a business, it felt natural to follow in those footsteps. 

The journey from 0 to 1 in any venture is about identifying patterns, managing stakeholders and consistently putting in the hours to build purposeful solutions. My upbringing gave me the foundation, but it was my vision, discipline and desire to make something meaningful that pushed me through challenges. 

I’ve also been lucky to have a strong support system – my mother, sister and grandmother. I never feared failure. Instead, I held myself accountable to make them proud and to exceed the potential they saw in me. 

Do you have any advice for anyone considering pursuing an entrepreneurial journey? 
On your way to school or work, how many red cars did you notice? Now imagine I offered you £50 for every red car you could spot. Suddenly, you’d pay much more attention – because you’re motivated. 

Entrepreneurship works the same way. If you train your mind to spot problems and feel a genuine rush from thinking about how to solve them, the rest – building the solution, designing the product, launching the service – becomes inevitable. With the right mindset and motivation, opportunities are everywhere. It’s just a matter of being alert enough to see them and disciplined enough to act on them.