Can a Facebook emerge out of Pakistan? Can the country produce the next billion-dollar startup? Maybe, it can.
Industry experts, such as Lahore University of Management Sciences Center for Entrepreneurship’s Executive Director Khurram Zafar, believe some Pakistani startups have the potential to join the Billion-Dollar Startup Club.
One of the founding board members of Plan9 – a technology incubator of the Punjab Information Technology Board, Zafar says technology entrepreneurship ecosystem in Pakistan is at a tipping point and investment in the country’s startups at this point will be a smart bet.
Despite lack of access to capital, the single largest hurdle facing Pakistani startups, many entrepreneurs have already earned rave reviews in the technology world. This young pool of talent reflects the country’s potential in the field of information technology. When it comes to discussing the country’s IT workforce, one can’t rule out Rafay Baloch. The 21-year-old computer science student of Bahria University was recognised as the world’s top security researcher in 2014. Baloch, who aspires to run his own information security company, clearly reflects the kind of talent and potential the country produces.
The Nest I/O, a technology incubator of Pakistan Software Houses Association, is the latest addition to this growing segment. Given this incubator has the official backing of the country’s IT industry and partners with over 30 startup hubs around the world, it can certainly provide a much-needed platform for the country to produce the next billion-dollar startup.
These are only a handful of examples of the large pool of talented IT workforce that is shaping the future of Pakistan’s small IT industry ($2 to $3 billion). Almost all of these entrepreneurs have made the headlines well before the recent wave of technology incubators and other startup support initiatives.
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To contact the SIEM Pakistan team, please get in touch with Saman Imtiaz, Head SIEM, Pakistan at Saman.Imtiaz@britishcouncil.org.pk