DCO director Abdul Karim Samakie told the audience, “I’m hoping we come out of this event with some MoUs and deals signed, and possibly new hires in Pakistan as part of this event.”
A number of Saudi startups were present at Future Fest, Pakistan’s largest tech conference and expo, to explore opportunities for cooperation and expansion. Future Fest 2023, a three-day expo with the hashtag #SaveTheFuture, will feature 50,000 attendees, 500 startup representatives, and 200 exhibitors from more than 30 nations.
The second iteration of the largest tech expo, which had its debut in Islamabad the previous year, is held in Lahore in collaboration with the provincial government of Punjab and the Punjab Information Technology Board.
Senior representatives from the Digital Cooperation Organization, based in Riyadh, and Invest Saudi, the Kingdom’s Ministry of Investment’s brand for attracting investments, are among the Saudi delegation’s attendees at the event.
In a panel discussion on Friday titled “Saudi ecosystem and expansion opportunities,” DCO director Abdul Karim Samakie told the audience, “I’m hoping we come out of this event with some MoUs and deals signed, and possibly new hires in Pakistan as part of this event.”
The panel’s other member, Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, additional foreign secretary of Pakistan for the Middle East, noted that there were many opportunities for cooperation, particularly given that Pakistan had human resources and a sizable network of IT professionals who could participate in the Kingdom’s digital job market and ecosystem.
“Pakistan certainly offers technical power and prowess,” he said. “With proximity to the Middle East and a history and tradition of fraternal relations between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan,”
The fact that young people dominate both Saudi and Pakistani societies is another factor that facilitates cooperation. A panellist and journalist named Raza Rumi noted that Saudi Arabia and Pakistan both have young populations. “Young people want to work in the government and civil service in both countries.”
According to Lucid Motors’ vice president and managing director for the Middle East, Faisal Sultan, “I can tell you that Pakistan has a role to play in human capital and supply chains.” “At Lucid, we see a lot of that.”
Arzish Azam, CEO of Future Fest, stated last week that the event aims to provide a “platform for greater collaboration and growth, and indeed a new dimension to what is an already historic event-relationship between Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” ahead of the tech conference.
“The Saudi tech sector is expanding quickly. We have the startups and talent in Pakistan to support this growth,” he claimed.
AlGooru, Classera, financial and insurance services, as well as other educational and learning platforms, will have business representatives at Future Fest 2023. Hala, Moyasar, Takadao, Derayah Financial, and transport monitoring service tracking, software developers Squadio and Qoyod, as well as the providers of digital solutions Elm and Nana, and the e-commerce companies Salla, Diggipacks, Salasa, and Mozn
They travel with groups that aid in the development of startups in Saudi Arabia, such as Merak Capital, Nama Ventures, Khwarizmi Ventures, and the Misk Foundation.