Jawwad Farid

09/07/2023

https://risktrainer.medium.com/why-computer-science-b7a33c531d7c

In December '22 I joined IBA as a Professor of Practice at the School of Math and Computer Science.

I am often asked about this choice. Why computer science? Not just as an instructor but also as a profession and a career.

34 years ago I made a choice by enrolling in an undergrad computer science program. The only undergrad program in my city that year that focused on pure computer science.

This year many more high school students will struggle with that choice. Here is a perspective that may help in making a final call.

BTW, the final deadline for appearing in IBA entrance test in Karachi on the 17th of July was extended till this Tuesday.

A note for those thinking about picking CS as their undergraduate major.

01/07/2021

There were quite a few requests to see if we could create a cheaper self paced version of the Financial Modeling for Founders course.

Introducing the self paced edition. Focused on founders. 8.5 hours of video lectures, 3 modules, 40 lessons.

We have been at it for a while. Expected course launch and availability.

***Release date update.***. 4th July 2021.

Everything we do in the live course but self paced. Modeling growth, cash and valuations. Projecting proforma financials, common mistakes, do not dos.

There are no instructors.
The lectures are edited recordings. Similar Excel templates and course pre-reading materials - online as well as downloadable.

And cheap.

The live course runs at $990.
The self paced one, same lectures but without the instructor, $159.

With a twist.

Place a pre-order now and get a deep discount on pricing.

First 30 customers - $39
Next 50 - $49
Final 50 - $59

***availability update**** 13 slots left at $39.
Then price bumps up to $49.

Preorders open now. Non binding and cancellable on your part. You can change your mind all the way to course and product launch.

Financial Modeling Self paced learning course for founders and startups. Focused on founders. 8.5 hours of video lectures, 3 modules, 40 lessons. A downloadable study guide. 2 Excel templates. Everything we do in the live course but self paced. Modeling growth, cash and valuations. Projecting profor...

25/06/2021

Rationality is overrated. Number don't always add up.

We are the choices we make. Also dreams and regrets. Tell me about your dreams and I can tell you how far you and I are going to go with them...

Should you listen to the little voice from your heart? Or ignore it? Do what seems to be, appears to be rational, or take a bet on a different outcome?

If the models we rely on to make such calls are often wrong, does it make sense to toss them out of the window?

Tell me something before we start, what would you choose?

a) A shot possibly worth 100 million dollars
b) 68,786 after taxes

What do you think I chose? Here is a hint. It was never about money but listening to your heart.

https://youtu.be/5ojhzZGlWYQ

This talk was originally put together for the Pro Actuary summit, June 2021. Based on a much longer 3 hour lecture that I reserve for my students on the last day of class, it took some effort to shrink it down to 20 minutes.

A big thank you to Amin Ahmed Farid, who setup and ran the camera team across two days of takes and then synced up the audio from three different feeds. His hours of work made it possible for me to get the final cut out.

Rationality is overrated. Number don't always add up. We are the choices we make. Also dreams and regrets. Tell me about your dreams and I can tell you how f...

22/06/2021

Financial Modeling Deep Dive with Jawwad Farid.
Version 2.0. Modeling Growth. Cash. Valuations.

Pre-registration open now. Cohort A. July 4th to 7th. Cohort B. July 11th to 14th. Two live case studies. 4 half days. Instructor led via Zoom.
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Numbers make for great stories. The stories we tell depend on the questions we ask. What questions do you want to ask?

How do you model growth in the midst of a pandemic? Will you have enough cash across a range of future timelines? How much are you really worth? Why?

Not just how, but why? Understand the why behind the process, focus on discovery, rather than mechanics. Graduate from being a simple model builder to a story teller.

Just like learning a new language rewires our brain, building models should help us think better; if we use the exercise as a thought experiment, the model as a thinking tool.

Two live cases. Four half days. Real world models. With an instructor who has walked in your shoes before. And questions that come straight from a founder’s heart.

What did participants like about it:

“The hands-on model treatment. How P&L, Income Statement and Balance Sheet work together. Counter-intuitive insights. Creating models as a way to refine and improve thinking. Where do I sign up for the next one?”

Build better models faster by asking the right questions with the math that matters framework. US$ 1,250. 5 half days. June 2021. Online

12/04/2021

Are you making these common mistakes in building your financial models?

Common mistakes financial modeling. Cash or equity as a balancing item. Project cash or equity as a percentage of top line. Reconciliation

14/03/2021

There are three lectures that I always wanted to record for posterity.

The feature prioritization and product market fit one was the most important and the one I had always missed. We finally recorded it this Friday with my Habib University students.

We talk about Product Market Fit and project pillars across Sushi burgers, Sashimi, Grease the movie, Neal Stephenson, Imran series, Teaching Chinese, Game design principles, attendance quizes and liberal arts education.

Just over a year since we started teaching remotely as teachers and instructors. My teaching style and the conversations I have with my students have changed and evolved over the last 12 months.

While the primary audience here are CS and EE undergraduate students, there are some nuggets in there for regular founders too. Take a look. Would love to hear your reactions and comments on how the class went.

Enjoy.

Given a list of features for a product which one do you work on first? How does feature prioritization fit into the product market fit debate? How do you sol...

12/02/2021

Lecture two of my, "I wish someone had set me down and explained this to me 30 years ago series."

Unit Economics for Student Founders. From the Habib University MGMT 301 - Tech Management and Entrepreneurship Course

Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC), Life Time Value (LTV), Contribution Margin, Breakeven point, Breakeven orders. What should you know about these terms as a ...

04/02/2021

Fin-Tech. Financial Innovation and Disruption in Pakistan. Lecture Two. Part II. Mostly English, some parts in Urdu.What does it take to build a trading alg...