The National Incubation Center (NIC) - a partnership among Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications, Ignite, Jazz and Teamup - graduated its third and fourth cohort of thirty-two innovative tech startups, creating over 5,000 jobs, besides generating investments of over Rs500 million.
After 12 months of incubation at the innovation hub, including rigorous trainings, one-on-one mentoring sessions, access to industry experts and investors, most of these startups are now commercially growing and scaling their business to create positive economic and social impact.
Ten of the thirty-two graduating startups received "Stars of NIC and Jazz Xlr8" awards. These were awarded on the basis of investment raised, revenue generated and social impact created.
Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui, Secretary IT, applauded the startups on their passion, focus and determination, while saying it is overwhelming to see how IT is acting as an enabler across different industries, and startups are building on it to revolutionize sectors and contribute positively towards the economy. Scaling up of government efforts to uplift knowledge and skills base will result in export of high value services required by international markets.
"Although we are celebrating the graduating startups here today, we are also celebrating the three-year collaboration between Jazz and the government of Pakistan for the NIC. Scale comes from joining hands and from public private partnerships. This is how our vision of a truly DigitalPakistan will become a reality," said Aamir Ibrahim, CEO of Jazz.
NIC has taken on board over 162 startups in 7 cohorts, with over 300 founders, creating over 5000 jobs, and generating investments of over Rs500 million.
"I congratulate those graduating today in making Pakistan's innovation space robust and sustainable in its impact," he further added. Junaid Imam, CEO of Ignite, while addressing the graduating startups, said the startup ecosystem is thriving and they are all set to make it a strong pillar of Digital Pakistan.
The national incubation center has startups from diverse genres including health-tech, ed-tech, fin-tech, assistive technologies and artificial intelligence among others.
Aamer Ejaz, Chief Digital & Strategy Officer of Jazz said, "We are committed to playing our part in supporting the startup ecosystem and empowering the youth to build a progressive and digital Pakistan through the NIC and Jazz xlr8."
The ceremony also marked the completion of three years of the National Incubation Center, Islamabad. This achievement poses a promising future for entrepreneurial initiatives to flourish in the country, and the NIC will continue to strive forward in playing an integral role in the ecosystem.
Parvez Abbasi, Project Director at NIC, on this occasion remarked on the exponential growth witnessed by the ecosystem and appreciated how young talent is playing its role in shaping the future of Pakistan.
"Pakistan has immense talent, and through initiatives like the NIC, we can empower the youth to come up with innovative solutions to daunting challenges faced by Pakistan."
As a part of its vision to boost the ecosystem for more opportunities, NIC on this occasion launched an 'NIC Startup Community App' with an aim of providing a platform for investors, startups, partners and mentors to connect with each other.
Zouhair Khaliq, Co-Founder Teamup, on the completion of three years of NIC commented, "The startup eco-system in Pakistan has really matured in the last few years, and NIC has been pivotal in creating a sustained impact to develop and nurture innovative entrepreneurs and startups."
The Inter Islamic Network on Information Technology (INIT) meanwhile organized the 3rd two-day international workshop on 'ICTs for Development: Mainstreaming the Marginalized' in collaboration with Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, COMSATS University Islamabad, and UNESCO Chair in ICT for Development, University of London.
The Workshop builds on the efforts of INIT to identify ways through which stakeholders (academia, government, civil societies and private sector) can contribute towards diffusion of technologies for creating a positive impact on the marginalized communities.
The thematic areas of the workshop included understanding the deprived context for learning technologies; need of awareness of the government efforts on the use of ICTs for development; technology policies for the provision of ICTs for the marginalized; educational technologies for the marginalized; awareness of the widening digital gender divide and the role of ICTs as a catalyst; exploring the lack of technical expertise of the marginalized community; employability through technology; and importance of ICTs as vehicle of inclusion.
The workshop started with an opening address from Prof Dr Raheel Qamar (TI) Rector COMSATS University Islamabad/President INIT. He stressed the need for data management technologies owing to the requirements of the current age. Prof Tim Unwin Chairholder UNESCO Chair in ICT4D in his keynote detailed upon sustainability and technology in terms of its environmental impact. Federal Secretary Ministry of IT and Telecommunication Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui stressed on projecting the soft image of Pakistan "as we are a soft hearted, loving and caring nation." He said the role of technology is pivotal in this era of social media and digital platforms for inclusion.
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