Community Stories

Community Stories

Virtual Insanity: A deficit of empathy over Silicon Valley Bank collapse

What Is FinTech? The Basics Virtual Insanity: A deficit of empathy over Silicon Valley Bank collapse When I read the news last Thursday of the impending collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, it triggered all the emotions of 2008. The stress, the anxiety, and that feeling of having the rug pulled out from under you all…

By Derek Watson  |  Mar. 17, 2023

Community Stories

Difficult founder or reality distortion field ?


What Is FinTech? The Basics Difficult founder or reality distortion field? 🤔 Have you ever come across a founder who's described as "Difficult"? ➡️ At first, this may seem like a 🚩, but there's more to it than meets the eye. When it comes to reference checking for startup founders, "Difficult" is a word that…

By Derek Watson  |  Feb. 15, 2023

Community Stories

Top tips and myth busters for startup founders

Top Tips and myth busters for Startup Founders Be this founder and don't ask any experts to advise you on fundraising, coz it's you #1 job. Good luck with that! for the ❤️ of startups [video width="480" height="368" mp4="https://n2.eco/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Mr-Bean-at-the-Dentist.mp4"][/video] 💡 Your startup needs these five things to succeed: 1️⃣ A solution to a real problem…

By Derek Watson  |  Feb. 12, 2023

Community Stories

Throwback Thursday: Another Brick in the Wall of Failed Fintechs: Wingocard Edition

Throwback Thursday: Another Brick in the Wall of Failed Fintechs: Wingocard Edition It's Throwback Thursday, and today we're taking a look at Wingocard, the personal finance platform for teens. The company made a big splash when it launched in May 2021 with 75,000 teens on its waiting list and almost $2 million in seed funding.…

By Derek Watson  |  Feb. 01, 2023

Community Stories

Throwback Thursday: Bolt Mobility: The Race to Nowhere – No Golds, No Glory

Throwback Thursday: Bolt Mobility: The Race to Nowhere - No Golds, No Glory It's Throwback Thursday, and today we're taking a look at Bolt Mobility: The Race to Nowhere - No Golds, No Glory. Bolt Mobility was a Miami-based micromobility startup that aimed to revolutionize transportation through safe, smart, and sustainable transit solutions. Co-founded by…

By Derek Watson  |  Jan. 12, 2023

Community Stories

#TBT Throwback Thursday: The Rise and Fall of Flying-Car Startup Kittyhawk

Throwback Thursday: The Rise and Fall of Flying-Car Startup Kittyhawk It's Throwback Thursday, and today we're taking a look at the rise and fall of flying-car startup Kittyhawk. Founded in 2010 by Sebastian Thrun, a former Google VP and leader in the development of autonomous vehicles and Google Glass, Kittyhawk was backed by Google co-founder…

By Derek Watson  |  Dec. 29, 2022

Community Stories

#TBT Throwback Thursday: Why Airlift Failed

Throwback Thursday: Why AirliftFailed It's Throwback Thursday, and today we're taking a look at the rise and fall of Airlift, Pakistan's top startup that promised to revolutionize the way we shop and get around. Founded in 2016 by Usman Gul and Junaid Ilyas, Airlift quickly rose to fame as the go-to ridesharing service in Pakistan,…

By Derek Watson  |  Dec. 22, 2022

Community Stories

Generative AI, It is just version 1

What Is FinTech? The Basics Generative AI is Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI) Generative AI is in its infancy. It involves the use of artificial intelligence to generate original content, such as images, text, and music, using algorithms and machine learning techniques. One example of generative AI is ChatGPT, a version released in December 15th that…

By Derek Watson  |  Dec. 20, 2022

Community Stories

Startup ideas have two dimensions, a view of unconventional success

What Is FinTech? The Basics ➡️ Startup ideas have two dimensions, a view of unconventional success 💡 I love the way Andy Rachleff views unconventional success 💙 It is something we all know but just said in a much better way. His view was influenced by Howard Marks of Oak Tree Capital, and goes something…

By Derek Watson  |  Dec. 16, 2022

Community Stories

#TBT Throwback Thursday: Why CommonBond Failed

Throwback Thursday: Why CommonBond Failed It's Throwback Thursday, and today we're taking a look at the story of CommonBond, a student loan startup that was once on the rise but ultimately failed. Founded in 2011 by David Klein, Michael Taormina, and Jessup Shean, CommonBond aimed to provide affordable student loan options for university graduates. However,…

By Derek Watson  |  Dec. 15, 2022

Community Stories

What the 🤬 is Product Market Fit

What Is FinTech? The Basics What the 🤬 is Product Market Fit ➡️ PMF is bandied around by everyone, but rarely do I hear it accurately described with context, process or valuable insights. ✅ Product market fit is an outcome, you either have it or you don't. 💡 The helicopter statement. Product market fit =…

By Derek Watson  |  Dec. 14, 2022

Community Stories

For non-tech founders building a Tech stack brings a huge amount of imposter syndrome

What Is FinTech? The Basics 💡 For non-tech founders building a Tech stack brings a huge amount of imposter syndrome 😳 Building a tech stack ➡️ Building a tech stack for your startup can be a daunting process, but it's a crucial step in creating a strong foundation for your business. I recently went through…

By Derek Watson  |  Dec. 12, 2022

Community Stories

I asked ChatGPT to write its own Pitchdeck, this is what it came up with

What Is FinTech? The Basics 💡 I asked #ChatGPT to write its own Pitchdeck, this is what it came up with 🤯 ❝ Write a pitch deck to raise investment from venture capital investors for ChatGPT, the deck needs to have the following slides, Title page with the company name and tagline, Problem, Solution, How…

By Derek Watson  |  Dec. 04, 2022

Community Stories

When solving problems, there is a conflict between puzzles and mysteries.

Startup opportunities: Fitness meets Gaming in the metaverse 💡 How do some startups seem to raise so fast? 💡 When solving problems, there is a conflict between puzzles and mysteries. ➡️ Startups and Investors need to be able to distinguish between them in a world filled with both. ✅ Puzzles are solvable, with clear rules…

By Derek Watson  |  Nov. 11, 2022

Community Stories

How do some startups seem to raise so fast?

Startup opportunities: Fitness meets Gaming in the metaverse 💡 How do some startups seem to raise so fast? ➡️ The reality is that they have been preparing to raise for much longer than we realise. Raising money when you don't need it is raising from a position of strength. They have a process that allows…

By Derek Watson  |  Nov. 04, 2022

Community Stories

Startup Speed to Velocity Flywheel

Startup opportunities: Fitness meets Gaming in the metaverse 💡 Startup Speed to Velocity Flywheel It's an old framework but a goodie and can be applied to anything we do. But first, let's debunk the advice we often see about speed when building a startup. ➡️ "Don't worry about speed; direction is more important. I would…

By Derek Watson  |  Oct. 30, 2022

Community Stories

Startup founder ageism is REAL and totally WRONG.

Startup opportunities: Fitness meets Gaming in the metaverse 💡 Startup founder ageism is REAL and totally WRONG. ➡️ Let's set the record straight instead of listening to guessing rhetoric 👇🏼 plus three criteria that data says you need to succeed. ➡️ Let's set the record straight instead of listening to guessing rhetoric 👇🏼 plus three…

By Derek Watson  |  Sep. 20, 2022

Community Stories

Tactics without strategy are the noise before defeat.

Startup opportunities: Fitness meets Gaming in the metaverse 💡 Tactics without strategy are the noise before defeat. ➡️ In 2009, a Stanford professor gave their entrepreneurship class a task.➡️ The students were split up into different teams  ➡️ Each team was given five dollars in funding➡️ Each team was given two hours for the task💡 Make…

By Derek Watson  |  Sep. 12, 2022

Community Stories

N2 is proud to be a partner of One Tree Planted

N2 is proud to be a partner of One Tree Planted N2 is proud to be a partner of One Tree Planted One Tree Planted is a 501C3 non-profit with a focus on global reforestation. The importance of trees In the Northern Hemisphere, whether you are in the city or countryside, it's impossible not to…

By Poppy Higgins  |  Mar. 24, 2021

Community Stories

N2 & NIC Webinar on Fundraising: How to Become Investor Ready

In this session hear from the experts on what it means to be investor ready. Hosted by the National Incubation Center Karachi and N2 Technology. Panelists:    Derek Watson, Founder, N2 Technology Sidra Bano, Investment Lead, TLP e-Ventures Lee McMahon, Co-Founder, Clara Technologies Mediator: Sana Shah, Creative & Outreach Lead, NIC Karachi Read more on…

By Poppy Higgins  |  Feb. 26, 2021

Community Stories

4IR: The Metamorphosis of Technology, Facilitated by Covid-19

4IR: The Metamorphosis of Technology, Facilitated by Covid-19 Welcome to The Fourth Industrial Revolution; where the physical, digital and biological spheres have coalesced, fundamentally altering the way we live, work and relate to one another. Evolving at an exponential pace that has no historical precedence, this revolution is disrupting almost every industry, in every country,…

By Darcy Alexander  |  Feb. 16, 2021

Community Stories

C-suite start-up chat with Karim Beyhum Co-Founder of Ogram

We caught up with Karim to find out how Ogram and HR Tech are currently positioning themselves Can you tell us a little about your business? The future of work is evolving and changing rapidly. The gig economy is growing at double digit annual growth, and in fact, McKinsey research predicts that 43% of Americans…

By Derek Watson  |  Oct. 22, 2020

Community Stories

Why N2 Technology partnered with One Tree Planted

One Tree Planted One Tree Planted is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to their mission of global reforestation one tree at a time. They also raise awareness about the importance of trees, offer businesses like ours a simple sustainability solution, and motivate younger generations to do something positive for the environment. They also offer us a…

By Poppy Higgins  |  Oct. 18, 2020

Community Stories

#TBT The LBO of the ’80s

Throwback Thursday. The LBO of the ’80s In 1988, the decade of “Greed is good”, snack and tobacco producer RJR Nabisco turned private when it was bought out by KKR & Co for $25.1 billion. Still ranked as one of the largest ever LBOs, it brought the world of Private Equity to the front pages…

By Derek Watson  |  Aug. 10, 2020

Community Stories

A brief history..: Derek Watson, co-founder, N2

A brief history..: Derek Watson, co-founder, N2 Computer Science at school, my online store. From a very young age, I have had a strong passion for statistics and probabilities, rolling dice and taking note of the outcome and then trying to predict the next roll; little did I know about independence at the age of…

By H W  |  Jul. 27, 2020

Community Stories

#TBT Public to Private and back again

Blackstone Group bought Hilton Worldwide holdings in 2007, one of the world’s largest hospitality companies. Founded in 1919 by Conrad Hilton, it operated in 90 countries and had more than 4,000 hotels with 670,000 rooms under its umbrella. Hilton was a publicly listed company when Blackstone paid $47.50 per share, a huge 32% premium over…

By Derek Watson  |  Jul. 23, 2020

Community Stories

MENA REGION: VC TRENDS 2020 AND BEYOND

MENA REGION: VC TRENDS 2020 AND BEYOND I've spoken lots about how COVID has accelerated the acceptance and adoption of technology. For all the awful things that have happened due to the pandemic, it has clearly formed the tipping point for a technology driven revolution. Very few industries will look the same, function the same…

By Derek Watson  |  Jul. 02, 2020

Community Stories

#TBT When a Silicon Valley Startup, with Huge VC Backing, Crashed

Company: Jawbone Select VC investors: Khosla Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Kuwait Investment Authority, Black Rock, Rizvi Traverse Management, SevenVentures, JPMorgan Partners (JPMP), Deutsche Telekom, Silver Lake Partners, Wells Fargo, Fortress Investment Group, Andreesen Horowitz, Atomico, Mayfield Fund, SV Angel. In July 2017, device maker Jawbone became one of the most spectacular…

By Derek Watson  |  Jun. 21, 2020

Community Stories

#TBT Irrational exuberance, dot.com to dot.gone

Dot Com to Dot gone Stephan Paternot and Todd Krizelman met at Cornell University in the early 90s. Chatrooms were becoming commonplace on college campuses, and they saw the chatroom as more than just a place for social interaction but as a huge business opportunity.   In December of 1994 the two raised  $15,000 and…

By Derek Watson  |  May. 30, 2020

Community Stories

“It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves”

"It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves” - Edmund Hillary When my cousin, my dearest friend, called in early 2019 to suggest that we climb Mont Blanc to mark our birthdays, I jumped in with euphoric abandonment. I love a challenge, and one that would allow me to work out to conquer the…

By Derek Watson  |  Sep. 09, 2019