![solotech 039 s flagship product smartxs quot we are also getting queries from immigration departments of many governments for this product quot solo smart ceo farhan masood photo solotech solotech 039 s flagship product smartxs quot we are also getting queries from immigration departments of many governments for this product quot solo smart ceo farhan masood photo solotech](https://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/576597-solotechsmartxs-1373749973.jpg)
All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them, says Walt Disney.
Disney’s quote, perhaps, best explains the success story of Farhan Masood, who has been recognised among the world’s brilliant minds by Massachusetts Institute of Technology Enterprise Forum earlier this year for his product – world’s fastest retina and face scanner algorithm called SmartXS.
Masood’s dream – to build a Pakistani product and turn it into a global one – came true this year after he won the MITEFP Business Acceleration Plan contest, a highly competitive annual event that lasts for 4 months to handpick and select one among hundreds and there is one such brilliant mind produced every year by BAP from Pakistan. The objective of BAP is to help Pakistani IT, ITES, telecom and new media companies improve their business.
Of the 165 participants that compete in this contest, some members of top teams also get a chance to attend an entrepreneurship development programme at MIT in Cambridge, USA.
![](http://pullquotesandexcerpts.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/1329.jpg?w=625)
After a winning performance in the contest, Masood joined the list of MIT alumni. He has just returned after attending a course at MIT, one of the world’s best educational institutes. Those who attended this programme previously had benefited a great deal.
According to Pakistan Software Export Board’s website, some of the companies that participated in this programme saw their revenues grow by 5 to 10 times and valuation increase by 15 times. Giving the example of Sofizar, the PSEB’s website stated that the company’s revenue increased from less than $1 million to $30 million in two and a half years.
Masood, too, seem to benefit from the programme as his product has been well received by both MITEFP and the industries worldwide. “MIT Enterprise Forum has done tech evaluation of SmartXS, which is a big achievement,” Masood told The Express Tribune. “When your product is recognised by MIT, there is not much you can ask for.”
Interestingly, the man behind this technology is a college dropout who hated math for he was weak in the subject. “I have got all of this achievement because of my passion,” the 36-year-old Lahorite said.
Masood is the CEO of Solo Smart that’s based in Lahore and has offices in the UK and USA, represented by its subsidiaries namely Solo Tech and Solo Metrics respectively. It also has an office in Australia.
“We are trying to bring all these companies under one name – Solo Metrics. It is a high-tech company that deals in Mechatronics – a combination of software, electrical and mechanical engineering,” he said.
SmartXS is a biometric verification system that uses human face and eye to verify his identity, Masood said, and works mainly in two spaces – workforce management and security access control.
“Our algorithm is very fast,” he said while claiming it is the world’s fastest retina and face scanner algorithm.
The product was first brought to life in 2005 and its hardware was as big as a refrigerator, but now it’s smaller than a PC, Masood said. It has started to get worldwide recognition.
He said his product is currently used by the National Database and Registration Authority, the Pakistan Army and many multinational groups including Pepsico, Nestle and Tetra Pak. These companies are in talks with Masood for the implementation of the technology in their global operations.
“We are also getting queries from immigration departments of many governments for this product,” he said, refusing to share details. “University of Pennsylvania has also shown interest in the medical application of this product.”
Before starting his own entrepreneurial venture, Masood served as IT professional and had a lucrative job. He is the originator of Urdu, Persian and Arabic on internet and was able to incorporate Urdu, Persian and Arabic characters in English-based Windows back in 1997.
Masood was hired as a project director in Dubai Electronic Government in 2000. “The government had softened its state laws for one day to hire me and few others,” he said as he didn’t have a bachelor’s degree, a requirement for that job.
Despite his lucrative job that paid him 55,000 UAE dirhams per month, he chose to be an entrepreneur. “If I can do a lot of things for others, why not for myself and that very thought was the reason I chose to come back and launch my own business,” he said.
Correction: An earlier version of the story had misspelt mechatronics. The correction has been made. Additionally, the earlier article incorrectly stated that MIT had recognized Masood for his achievement - it was the MIT Enterprise Forum.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 14th, 2013.
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COMMENTS (134)
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Good job Farhan Masood!! Making Pakistan proud!! Hope you have further success.
Good work bro and i hope u wont stop here.
Making me proud Farhan bhai :) .. And God bless the writer of this article for once focusing on positive Pakistani-International activity!
Proud of your creative achievements. I am glad that you have made us all Pakistanis proud.
I still remember that April afternoon when I visited office of Farhan Masood back in 2010. the purpose of my visit was to have a demonstration of his facial recognition device for an article i was working on. since then I knew that this product will soon grow big and knowing Ferhan Masood's credentials and dedication it was expectable that he will nail it one day. today i am not just happy for Farhan but also proud of him. congratulations farhan bhai keep growing :)
@Zafar: "This article is a absurd because it is factually incorrect."
@Dr.X: "This is nothing more than a publicity stunt. Sorry to burst your bubble guys, but this MITEFP competition is a local competition for Pakistanis ONLY. Don’t believe me? Check it out yourself: http://mitef-pakistan.org/aboutus.htm Competition is for locals, judges are local, the whole thing has little to do with MIT itself."
I agree that this seems to be some sort of a false propaganda or even a scam There is no evidence that to show that "MIT recognises Pakistani as one of world’s brilliant minds" according to my MIT contacts. There is no evidence or patents to show that this guy Masood is the main inventor/contributor of this device.
We have seen many of these claims of original invention, some right here in ET before- the car that runs on water, Khoji bomb detector, hydraulic driven tractor etc.. Also there have been blown-up propaganda stories of some small companies.
Masha Allah... great job and article too. Farhan Masood you are true asset of Pakistan.
This article is a absurd because it is factually incorrect. While we should definitely celebrate our successes, it is important not to distort and grossly exaggerate. Farhan won a local business acceleration plan held by the Pakistani MIT Enterprise Forum during a year where judges complained that the entries were of lower quality than previous years. It has absolutely nothing to do with MIT recognizing him as a brilliant mind! As part of the winning the local competition, the winner can fly AT HIS OWN EXPENSE to attend a conference at MIT. That's about the only direct link there is with MIT.
ET needs to fact check so it remains credible. We need to support budding entrepreneurs but exaggerating mediocre success kills the credibility of these stories.
@Dr.X: "This is nothing more than a publicity stunt. Sorry to burst your bubble guys, but this MITEFP competition is a local competition for Pakistanis ONLY. Don’t believe me? Check it out yourself: http://mitef-pakistan.org/aboutus.htm Competition is for locals, judges are local, the whole thing has little to do with MIT itself."
I agree that this seems to be some sort of a false propaganda or even a scam There is no evidence that to show that "MIT recognises Pakistani as one of world’s brilliant minds" according to my MIT contacts. There is no evidence or patents to show that this guy Masood is the main inventor/contributor of this device.
We have seen many of these claims of original invention, some right here in ET before- the car that runs on water, Khoji bomb detector, hydraulic driven tractor etc.. Also there have been blown-up propaganda stories of some small companies.
Though credit goes to this person for this fast algo , But cons are there . Currently we are using hand-held device for retina scan . But this machine is a big one , certainly not a hand-held device . Yes , I can use it for scanning of huge data as mentioned above . Second thing is why should I use a face scanning device if I have retina scanning device.But still , good achievement, keep it up!!!
This is nothing more than a publicity stunt. Sorry to burst your bubble guys, but this MITEFP competition is a local competition for Pakistanis ONLY.
Don't believe me? Check it out yourself: http://mitef-pakistan.org/aboutus.htm
Competition is for locals, judges are local, the whole thing has little to do with MIT itself.
Well done Masood you make all of us proud, Congratulation. Hard work and passion always pay. you put Pakistan on world map in positive way. keep it up , you are "Saheen" of Iqbal. sky is your limit.
@GIndian: Thanks for your humble comment. Really appreciate the positive message from neighbors.
MaShALLAH masood great achievment super ALLAH bless u
Pakistan has a talent but the need is to bring out and polish that hidden talent. The point I noted that the persons who don't interested or dropout from Schools are mostly genius and done with some wonder things.
Well done Mr. Farhan......whole nation is proud of you.......Appreciated!!
underneath the ashes of terror laden society,,, we still got potential to yield the mind products..................inspirational,,,,,,,we need to train the upcoming generation of a more potential and productive approach,,,,,,,,,,simply PROUD,,,,,,,, IT WOULD BE A RELIEF TO KNOW THAT PAKISTANI SOIL IS WORKING TOWARDS THE BETTERMENT OF HUMAN LIFE.......
Great achievement!!!! Only if we could emphasize LESS on the DROPOUT factor, puts a negative impression on the generation still going through their studies.
@bla:
You actually meant to say :
"and here comes the Indian mentality"...
@GIndian: But they are our Masters, we cannot defy them.
Gr8 work.
I hope this can be used to make the next general elections automated.
Thanks God a great news from Pakistan. Pakistan should build more and more its IT and high tech industry and promote these kind of genius people so that investment can be brought to our country.
I was so excited to see that its the same Farhan Masood I know through Social Networking due to his Go Green Pakistan initiative http://gogreenpakistan.com/about-go-green-pakistan I have been really impressed with him and his team ever since and later learned more about his other achievements. You make us proud Farhan!
another inspiration from Pakistan. Alhamdulillah!
Farhan Masood is always the most humble, the most funny and the best company to have anywhere! The fact that he has earned this recognition is, inshAllah, nothing. He will go for miles!! Still. InshAllah.
@Ayush ...and here comes the negativity
This is all about his passion and nothing else. Keep it up , Chin High! ;)
Congrats Farhan you are truly an Inspiration
Good work must be recognized. Farhan's creativity and innovation helped the product achieve market acceptability. Hard work and Smart work - Well done!
Thanks for some good news and well done.
How rare indeed.
An article with almost zero comments from Indians.
Even the pretenders amongst them cant help pretend to congratulate us in this blog.
Very illuminating indeed ....
Sounds impressive.
Encourage him. Treat him better than you treated Salam.
This is good news for Pakistan, but where did MIT say that he is one of the "worlds brightest minds" as the article puts it?
Sir, I really Proud of You. Being a Pakistani You make us Proud. Regards Athar
We are proud of you Farhan Masood Bhai :) I hope you will now transfer your knowledge to our young generation so that we could see more and more people like you :)
Farhan, you are a difference maker, a real game changer my friend! Looking forward to what the future holds!!
@ Vishal Kaul
Whether MIT would reconsider their opinion about Pakistanis or not, you should definitely work on your grammar and spellings. . Wonder how you read the article in English!!
Awesomeness, respect, love and best wishes - to my bro Farhan Masood :)
I am so proud to be Friend of Mr Masood.
Tera Dude , Mera Dude. Farhan Masood, Farhan Masood
I've known Farhan for awhile and it comes as no surprise that he's won this accolade. I'm glad all his hard work, persistence and perseverance has finally paid off and that more Pakistani's can look towards him and be inspired to write their own names in the history books.
Farhan, thanks for making all Pakistanis proud! Looking forward to more accomplishments from you. Keep it up buddy.
You're a true inspiration. A great person, a great friend, a great mentor and even greater father to a princess. I still remember our first meeting back in 2009 at my home in islamabad while having pakors :P and your words, "you've something in you and will go big". how can i ever forget these words ? Being a college drop out myself i have excelled within competitive aviation industry of middle east and have joined one of the reknowned companies as manager sales & marketing. I strive for more just like you!!! Without you around me as an inspiration i wouldn't have been where i am standing today.
I am so very proud to have you in my friend's circle and more importantly as a true inspiration. Wish you loads of success for future endeavors.
I've got nothing to do with this System but out of blue it make me feel proud that someone from our land is doing too much good for the Country. Mr. Farhan Masood WE ALL ARE PROUD OF YOU.
Very proud of my friend Farhan Masood for his great achievements and being such a passionate Pakistani in so many ways. You deserve all the success you are getting, and more!
Congrats Farhan Masood
The first thing one notices about Farhan is his love for Pakistan , the sheer purity of his patriotism . This sincerity has destined him to achieve for Pakistan . Wish him best of luck with his endeavours .
Farhan is the real man!He is a great inspiration for people like us..
Dear Farhan, Please receive my heartiest congratulations to be considered as one of the brilliant around the globe by one the world largest university in rankings.I know its the matter of commitment, hard work.You are the man who has distinguished himself from others.The effort that you have made is tremendous and remarkable.I am so proud of you.I am following you since 2010 when i was almost 15.I just wanted to say you that i love you so much.You are a true patriot for our country...Thanks Regards, Ahmad Idrees
I am so glad that Pakistanis are doing so well. Full credit goes to this genius gentleman. I wish you best of luck with everything and all your upcoming projects in future. Take care
@vaticancity: "This is wonderful news....Prince Charles talking to Imran Khan..... " . OMG. It can't be true. We should declare a one--week holiday!
Great job, way to go, you made us proud Farhan. Congrats for another achievement. :)
It is really mesmerizing to keep reading this piece and knowing what a talent can do on his own. However, it is also depressing that our authorities are so snobbish that they won't know existence of such genius even if it was retorted through their ears. I dearly believe that such a set up should have had government backing from its very beginning and if not so at least they should now quit their indifference to the heroes like these. I am sure Mr. Masood would be more than fine and his talent would be sufficient for his own needs but since Pakistan does not own it any buyer or reseller could have it "Made In XXXX" written on it. A source that keeps providing wonderful auxiliaries and main techy products should be invested upon, there is more than hope that great benefits would come off it. Anyway, congratulations to Mr. Masood, you are a good response to those who still remember Edison for inventing that bulb but forget Al-Bairuni who told the world of the opposite charges.
good work sir jee, Pakistan need people like you!
Excellent work by Frahan. Brilliant as usual. Great work.
Great whatever mentioned, but would you please correct me as believe that these devices are made in china and were imported/ distributed by the brand name Solotech!! just google and you would know that from where the device and its superb face reading Algo came from.
@qureshi:
"reminds me of the water car …. ‘mit’ is an educational institution. it does no such evaluation of ‘brilliant minds’"
Your skepticism may be justified. All I can find is that his idea was chosen by a team of Pakistanis at Lahore and he was sent for a five day program in MIT. There is no independent news link to confirm that the MIT made any such comments as the headline suggests. More importantly, there is not patent to support the claims made. Something is not sounding right here.
You make every Pakistani proud Farhan Masood! It is people like you who give hope and faith to others that with talent and through hard work, we can achieve anything in life. You also proved that there is no shortcut to success. Thank you for putting Pakistan on the global map marking the potential in our country and our people. I wish you all the very best and pray that more Pakistanis will follow your success story and work hard in making their country proud! Thank you for thia proud moment!
Farhan Masood is also a successful product of Shahbaz Sharif's brainchild initiative in 1997 (during his 1st tenure as CM) to make Lahore as IT hub of Asia. Shahbaz Sharif established Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) to implement the vision of "eGovernment" whereby all the land revenue record & all motor vehicles record was supposed to be made online. The IT professionals working on the project will become a global talent. Bill Gates had committed to invest US$ 500 million in the project. However, due to military coup on the night of October 12, 1999 sanctions were imposed on Pakistan and the proposed investment from Bill Gates got diverted to India, where the then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh had made Banglore as IT hub of Asia and within 3 years India's IT exports surpassed Pakistan's overall exports. Had there been no military coup, Pakistan would have many super-hit projects similar to SmartXS making Pakistanis proud all over the world!
Congratulations Farhan ! Looking forward to see more of such stuff. All the very best.
You make us proud! This is the best news I heard in a while. This is the beginning Farhan ... keep growing, evolving, learning and making headlines!
Allah aapko aur kaamyaabi de!
With lots of love from India,
Ruchhita Kazaria
You make us proud Farhan! I am experiencing a mixed palette of emotions as I write this out! This is the beginning Farhan and you have the world cheering for you my dear! Unleash your potential to the fullest. Allah aapko aur tarakki ... aur kaamyaabi de! Ameen!
Lots of love from India,
Ruchhita Kazaria
I have witnessed this technology in action when Farhan was visiting Chicago. All I could say was "Jaw Dropping". Second to none and the best part, Farhan never felt hesitated by saying "he is from Pakistan". I am really proud of what Farhan has done and given a good name to Pakistan. Reading the comments above I see that there are a lot of jealous brothers here who will never say anything positive or will never ever appreciate anyone for their achievements. May Allah have mercy on your soul and show you the right path. -
Excellent! You've made the whole nation proud! :)
Fahan Masood Pride our nation
Farhan Masood jem of Pakistan.
Weldone Farhan Bhai !!
FELICITATIONS PAKISTAN for having such a brilliant minds....Govt should think about before brain drain..
Besides his professional success he is also a social person...I had attended his volunteer based fund raising schemes(Food, medical campus etc) under umberall of Pakistan youth revolution with Shoiab sb, Maj. Soban sb, Ali Awais sb ... May Allah bless you alll...ameen :) :)
Well done Farhan bhai kudos to you for your hard work in the midst of all the challenges that you have faced on all fronts. You are an inspiration to all those budding entrepreneurs to go out there and give it their best and to achieve great new heights. But im sure you will not stop here, here is wishing you the best for all your future endeavours. Best regards.
I am an expat and accompanied Farhan on his trip to USA and MIT in Boston MA In USA. I have seen the technology demonstrations firsthand in prestigious boards rooms in the USA. This technology has been very well received and is an achievement by any standard.
MashaaAllah Today every Pakistani feeling proud on Sir Farhan Masood to make Pakistan's Image more Positive in the eyes of World (y) May Allah bless u Sir Aameen
Well done Farhan!!!! We are so proud of you. This has come at a right time, especially so when the whole world is so awe-inspired by Malala's speech. Pakistan is blessed to have youngsters like you and many others, who make ripples in international news and headlines and get recognition Globally. Keep up the good work.
Farhan Masood is really an inspiration for all of us . He havent completed his studies. but still due to his hardwork he made the whole country proud :D GOD bless him ! He is now my ideal :D well i only like to say that keep it up Farhan and Inshaallah you will get more and more success in life .. :D :D
Finally a well and truly modern achievement by a pakistani. Extremely proud may he have all the success he deserves and much more besides.
Well done! Great to see something else that is brilliant, other than mangoes come out of Pakistan :)
Correct link of contest ( held in Lahore) http://mitef-pakistan.org/newsbap12winner.htm
I had the opportunity to meet Masood and witnessed his scanner working live at the dinner hosted at MIT, Cambridge. I must say it was an amazing technology and truly a masterpiece. I am pleased to stumble upon this well written article covwring his achievements and wish him more success. Cheers!
Not taking anything away from Farhans achievement, it's great to see Pakistani companies doing well on international platforms but we need to tone down these flowery headlines, as they are a disservice to the genuine success stories. The fact is that Solosmart got selected for MIT Business Acceleration Program and this happens every year to a leading Pakistani company since 2007 e.g Sofizar. It does not mean that "MIT has recognised a Pakistani as one of the world's brilliant minds".
There is no alternative to technology just as there is no alternative to secularism. Congratulations to the Pakistani inventor.
@Ali: Every other day, the need of proper education as well as exposure to technology becomes more prominent. This is Aurengzeb Hafi V2.0.
@Fazal Aziz Wali (fb): His name is Pranav Mistry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pranav_Mistry
@Faizan: Let's all drop out
Great. I am always been a fan of electronics achievements so far. This one is special.Its a pakistani version of Indian Parnab misry smart device. Though both are different.But inventions are great ideas.
@vaticancity: Agree with all of the above except the Prince Charles talking to Imran Khan. How does that fit into the picture? It's rather embarrassing if you ask me.
Godspeed Mr Masood
Mechatronics, not megatronics -_-
Congrats to Masood! u make us proud.... happy to see some one work for the true and Unblemished image of Pakistan. It may take time but with sincere efforts we may one day make all the world realize that we ar world.re not terrorists and not the war loving nation.. rather brilliant minds who if given opportunities can truly rock your world. I hope it brings more opportunities for students all over pakistan and boosts economic conditions ultimately.
@Vishal Kaul: lol I smell something burning...
@Vishal Kaul: Apply cold water on burnt area
This has nothing to do with MIT.
http://mitef-pakistan.org/newsbap12winner.htm
Announcement of Winners of Business Acceleration Program (BAP-2012) and Note on the Conference on Entrepreneurship (CE-2012)
Held on December 17-18, 2012 at the Royal Palm Golf & Country Club, Lahore
Panel of judges:
Dr. Salman Shah, Former Finance Minister of Pakistan Mr. Humayun Mazhar, Director, Crescent Group Mr. Saquib Mohyuddin, CEO, BSF Mr. Mohammad Sajid, Partner, JS Private Equity Mr. Ashraf Kapadia, MD Systems Ltd. Mr. Asim Hussain, CEO, Agrow Mr. Mubashar Hameed, Founder, Caliber Vantage Dr. Salman Ahsan, Entrepreneur Mr. Zahoor Motiwala, Principal Consultant, Motiwala Associates
Honestly when would the Pakistani nedia stop fooling this nation? If winning a local Pakistani competition (paid service) and then getting partially funded for a 5 day MIT EDP course was your dream come true then brother may you have many more.
Seems as if Lahore is a hub of "Techies",,,,,,,,Farhan masood, another genius after Arfa Kareem :-)
@GIndian:
" I cannot the get the logic why they look toward middle easterners for inspiration"
Am I missing something here? Who looks to middle easterners for inspiration in Pakistan? Are you talking about people want to work there?? I have never seen a single person inspired by middle east at least
Farhan is a wonderful man as a person and amazing in his professional fields. God bless him for all this hard work to present Pakistan in its best way to the whole world.
Mit is wrong take a recheck about there comment on.Pakistani.
Great achievements , that's what an entrepreneur want to do for his/her Nation .. feeling proud and Motivated . . . Keep it up pakix
Great work Farhan, Proud of you, Keep it up..
@Faryal:
Bus Kardo. Jobs is unmatchable.
Another Dropout .. World is setting examples that we should quit studies and thus have some much time to concentrate on our own goals :)
Amazing, Masallah:) Keep it up bro!
@ qureshi : there is always a victim of complex in comments
seriously, no direct context given. he went to BAP in 2012, his pitch won. thats that to it. anyone who truly understand tech, would know that its patent and publication that matter, getting first in accelerator program is totaly differnt thing.
This is wonderful news. Yesterday heard Malala's astounding speech, that Pakistani American owning a UK based football team, Prince Charles talking to Imran Khan and now this. Despite the setbacks, the quality individuals that make Pakistan great are true achievers. Great, wonderful news.
I am looking out for comments which say "this is a western conspiracy" or "what about drones" etc.
Didn't find any!!
Guess that's limited to any honors given to Malala, who is an woman who went against their favorite Taliban eh?
The talent is always in blood lines, I guess it just requires recognition and direction .
O yes we are... I already knew that. :)
Well done! You make us proud.. Pakistan Zindabad
Great man! Keep on serving our country
reminds me of the water car .... 'mit' is an educational institution. it does no such evaluation of 'brilliant minds'
great work dude , keep it up .
Hats off to you Masood. Pakistan has got talent in every field, whenever given the opportunity, they have established themselves as the best. Pakistan is unfortunate for not having a good leadership.
Any link, to verify?
Good to know about the product, in pakistan market willing to deployed and personallyt recomand right now at Lahore High Court, as Spokesmen of IT Comittee, in corporate sectore ,etc
Another DROPOUT making news i wish i could have left college had i heard of such people before.
Impressive !!!
hearing something good after a long time.. we r proud of u sir
Amazing job... Pakistanis have great talent...we just don't have platforms to display them in our country :(
Well done, Farhan Masood. Pakistan is proud of you. Salams
Nice work :)
Great to see this talent.
2 great news in 2 days. yesterday Shahid Khan took over Fulham and today its masood.
Just Waoo ... proud moment for the Pakistani IT industry .. great work Farhan :)
An Amazing Pakistani indeed!
Very impressive.....a Pakistani Steve Jobs :)
Good article. Many Pakistanis do not realize that they are actually smarter than many other nationality groups. I cannot the get the logic why they look toward middle easterners for inspiration.
Wow.. Awesome..:O
Well done Farhan Masood. Prayers for your future success!!
Only thing i noted is that He was a college dropout ... Unbelievable, genius are always dropouted.
Hats off to u Masood brother live u long from lahore.
Farhan Masood also helped me in my Final year project without knowing me. He is great man.
PROUD!!!!!!!