Ignite, a driving force behind fostering innovation and entrepreneurship, presented an impressive lineup of 16 innovative startups with vast potential across various sectors.
Pakistan’s startup ecosystem received a significant boost as Ignite National Technology Fund, a public sector company under the Ministry of IT & Telecom, continued its tradition of supporting emerging businesses. The organization participated in this year’s ITCN Asia, showcasing 16 promising startups from its extensive network of National Incubation Centers.
ITCN Asia, a renowned event that brings together tech enthusiasts, industry leaders, and innovators to celebrate advancements in information technology and telecommunications, marked its 23rd edition at the Expo Center Karachi from August 31st to September 2nd, 2023.
The inaugural session was graced by Dr. Umar Saif, Caretaker Federal Minister for IT & Telecom, who served as the Chief Guest. This three-day event is a hub for networking, knowledge-sharing, lead generation, and a series of conferences designed to create a dynamic learning environment for like-minded individuals to exchange knowledge and experiences.
Ignite, a driving force behind fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in Pakistan, presented an impressive lineup of 16 innovative startups with vast potential across various sectors. These startups have benefited from Ignite’s incubation and acceleration programs, which provide essential mentorship, resource access, and networking support to fuel their growth.
Ignite’s pavilion, featuring these 16 diverse startups and their cutting-edge products, drew significant attention from ITCN visitors. The showcased startups included:
- DelSys/EzFuels (Transport/mobility, NIC Islamabad)
- EZShifa (HealthTech, NIC Karachi)
- Adrover by CARLteck (Robotics, NIC Quetta)
- Blink (Transportation/mobility, NIC Karachi)
- Kalam4Solutions (Agritech/aerospace, NICAT)
- NSIT (Aerospace, NICAT)
- Encoder Bytes (Artificial Intelligence, NIC Peshawar)
- Innovative Composite Engineering (Web, NIC Peshawar)
- Oval (Metaverse & Web3, NIC Karachi)
- Four Engineers (Aerospace, NICAT)
- SLOSH AI Solutions (Healthcare, NIC Islamabad)
- DecentrAI (AI/ML, NIC Hyderabad)
- PAMICO Technologies (Farm mechanization, NIC Faisalabad)
- The Enviro Solutions (Farm mechanization, NIC Islamabad)
- Indaraj (AR/VR, NIC Hyderabad)
- Digital Cartel (AR/VR, NIC Hyderabad)
Dr. Umar Saif, Caretaker Federal Minister for IT & Telecom, expressed his enthusiasm for innovation and entrepreneurship, emphasizing their transformational role in turning Pakistani youth from job seekers to job creators. He also announced plans for a new fund of funds aimed at incentivizing foreign venture capitalists to invest in Pakistan by reducing their investment risks through a matching grant.
Federal Secretary for IT & Telecom, acknowledged the significance of ITCN Asia, where the entire IT and startup ecosystem converges under one roof. He highlighted the energy and determination of young minds driving startups, both local and global.
Asim Shahryar Husain, CEO of Ignite, emphasized the organization’s role in nurturing entrepreneurship through Pakistan’s largest incubation network, which spans eight cities and has supported nearly 1,400 startups over the past 5 to 6 years.
Ignite’s participation with these startups at ITCN aimed to showcase Pakistan’s entrepreneurial talent to both local and international visitors, creating new leads and business opportunities for these innovative ventures.