September 1, 2025

Founder & CEO, Futurebox Systems

Arbaz Attaulla Khan is the driving force behind Futurebox Systems, where he serves as Founder and CEO. At this early stage of the company, his role covers everything from management, finance, and fundraising to marketing, content creation, and customer engagement. He ensures that every idea at Futurebox doesn’t just stay on paper but is executed, tested, and brought to life. From writing SEO-optimized blogs to maintaining the website and representing the company at events, Arbaz takes on the full scope of a startup CEO’s responsibilities.

Background & Experience

Arbaz’s journey combines a strong foundation in business education with hands-on experience across ind

ustries.

 

• Education:
  • Bachelor’s in Management Studies - Bhavans College, Mumbai University
  • Certified Digital Marketer & WordPress Developer - IIDE
  • Post-Graduate Diploma in Marketing Management - Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS), Mumbai
  • MBA - Cologne Business School (CBS), Germany
• Career Path:
  Arbaz began his career at Stern Auto Werk, an automobile company, where his passion for cars led him from intern to Business Development & Marketing Manager. He later joined HRji, a consultancy specializing in HR and talent sourcing, where his sharp business insight elevated him to Business Growth & Strategy Partner.

In 2020, while pursuing his MBA from Cologne Business School in Germany, Arbaz founded Volatrac GmbH in the last semester of the studies, a fintech startup aimed at solving challenges international students face when opening blocked accounts in Germany. The problem faced by him during opening the business led him to see the gap in the market. Startup got backed by €25,000 in angel investment from Dubai based Canadian and later an expression of interest worth €100,000, Volatrac showed promise but faced fierce competition, and the risk ratio went 10 time up from reward ratio, Arbaz stopped the process and pivot the business into Divitrac Consultancy, offering business strategy, marketing, and software development services.

This mix of entrepreneurship, strategy, and hands-on execution became the perfect training ground for his role at Futurebox.

 

Journey into Futurebox

Futurebox began as a project called Futurebox Pinball, built around the idea of an AR pinball machine. When Arbaz joined in 2023, he quickly recognized its potential to grow beyond a single prototype. With his vision and leadership, the project was rebranded into Futurebox Systems, setting the stage for a broader mission: reshaping how people experience board games through immersive technology.

Arbaz played a crucial role in securing major funding milestones for the company:

• The EXIST Business Start-up Grant (EXIST-Gründerstipendium) - €145,000, awarded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK).
• The NRW Gründerstipendium - €45,000, awarded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy of North Rhine-Westphalia.

He also built strong partnerships, securing support from TH Köln as a Guest Research Scientist, giving the team access to a makerspace and offices, as well as membership at Cologne Game Lab, an incubator in Köln.

 

Contributions & Achievements

At Futurebox, Arbaz focuses on:

• Business Development & Strategy - securing funding, building partnerships, and ensuring financial stability.
• Marketing & Communication - building the brand, writing blogs, and driving organic growth.
• Execution & Management - overseeing timelines, projects, and ensuring ideas are turned into working prototypes.

Notable achievements under his leadership include:

• Delivering the V1 AR Pinball prototype in 2024 and showcasing it at over 10 events across Germany.
• Building the foundation for Futurebox V2, the world’s first VR pinball board game.
• Raised around 0.5 Million
• Mastered the business operation, Registration, Licensing and other related in Germany and India.

 

Vision & Passion

Arbaz believes board games can go beyond tradition to become immersive, social, and interactive experiences. His vision for the next 5–10 years is to change the dynamics of play, blending VR with physical interaction to bring a new level of excitement and realism to games.

 

Beyond Business

When he’s not working on Futurebox, Arbaz enjoys planting trees, freehand sketching, and painting. Hobbies that reflect his creativity and grounding.

 

 

 

Founder & CPO, Futurebox Systems

Mahmoud Samy is the Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at Futurebox Systems, where he leads product strategy, development, and execution. With a strong background in mechanical engineering and immersive gaming technologies, Mahmoud bridges the gap between technical innovation and player experience.

He holds a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Management from Hamburg University of Technology, specializing in Product Development and Production, and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering & Power Generation from the Arab Academy of Science and Technology. His expertise spans 3D product design, additive manufacturing, electronics packaging, and mechanical systems analysis (FEA & CFD), combined with strategic management knowledge.

Before Futurebox, Mahmoud ran a 3D printing hub and developed custom hardware, sparking his passion for creating physical-digital hybrid products. This entrepreneurial drive laid the foundation for Futurebox, where he and the team reimagined arcade-style systems by merging physical modular hardware with extended reality (XR). What began as an AR pinball project has since evolved into a VR-integrated modular platform, reflected in the company’s rebranding to Futurebox Systems.

At Futurebox, Mahmoud’s contributions include:

• Product Design & Technical Development - Leading design-for-manufacturing (DFM) and modular playfield prototyping using SolidWorks PDM and PLM workflows.
• Data Collection & Strategy - Structuring feedback loops from prototype testing, VR gameplay telemetry, and user interaction data to shape the second-generation product.
• Innovation in Modular Systems - Developing customizable, reconfigurable physical bases that sync seamlessly with VR gameplay.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration - Aligning mechanical design, VR software development, and user experience into a unified roadmap.

A major milestone under his leadership has been guiding the transition from the first AR-based product (V1) to the second-generation VR modular platform (V2). His work has advanced Futurebox from early-stage CAD modeling and 3D printing, through sensor integration, and now toward closed-loop testing with real user data.

Mahmoud’s vision is to establish Futurebox as a global leader in hybrid gaming systems, expanding its modular platform into verticals like gaming, advertising, education, and fitness. He sees Futurebox as an open ecosystem where developers and players can co-create modular, immersive experiences.

Fun fact: Mahmoud once built a bio 3D printer entirely from electronic waste, a project that showcased his ability to innovate under constraints and adapt quickly.

 

In addition to team : We have a newly joined team member as a Game Developer.

Allaeddine Rakik recently joined Futurebox Systems as a Game Developer, bringing his expertise in game programming, technical artistry, and texture design. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Game Programming and has hands-on experience in building immersive game environments and interactive systems. At Futurebox, Allaeddine contributes directly to the development of VR-integrated gameplay, helping bring the physical-digital vision of Futurebox V2 to life through cutting-edge programming and creative technical solutions.