Stanford Seed Spark Programme: LUMS-nominated start-up wins first place across South Asia

LAHORE: National Incubation Center (NIC) Lahore at LUMS-nominated start-up Codeschool.pk has won top laurels and a cash prize in the capstone business pitch competition in the Stanford Seed Spark Programme for high-achieving entrepreneurs across South Asia. This was the inaugural cohort from Pakistan, and was introduced by NIC LUMS.

“Our partnership with Stanford SEED Spark reflects our confidence in Pakistani entrepreneurs and their ability to compete with the very best talent globally,” said Saleem Ahmad, Chairman NIC LUMS Lahore and Quetta at the graduation ceremony of Stanford SEED Spark’s inaugural cohort in Pakistan.

“Our conviction is reinforced by the fact that all of NIC LUMS mentored start-ups made the top 20 finalists and have brought home much pride in also winning the top position across South Asia.”

83 ventures participated in the programme, from across 17 collaborating institutions such as IIT Bombay, TiE Chennai and CII-Young Indians. The competition selected only the top 20 graduates as finalists. After a rigorous scoring process, the top three start-ups were selected to win a cash prize as well as a virtual showcase feature in the global Stanford SEED Spark gallery.

“Our collaboration with NIC LUMS for Spark’s maiden cohort in the Pakistan start-up ecosystem has been a great experience,” said P R Ganapathy, Regional Director, Stanford Seed South Asia.

“We are thrilled to see the energy and enthusiasm that NIC LUMS-nominated entrepreneurs brought to the programme. We are looking forward to meeting more innovators and problem solvers from Pakistan to apply and make best use of a word-class online entrepreneurship programme at their own pace and time.”

Speaking about her journey with the programme, co-founder Sadaf Rehman commented: “The Stanford SEED Spark Programme was instrumental in helping us articulate our vision. The frameworks, expert sessions, as well as the one-on-one mentorship provided just the right mix to propel us beyond what we could have achieved on our own. I am deeply grateful to NIC LUMS for introducing this programme to Pakistan, and for the networking opportunities and support that they have provided along our journey.”

Her venture, Codeschool.pk, provides fun, interactive coding classes to children aged six years and up, with the aim to promote critical 21st century skills like problem solving, creativity, and resilience. Within the first year of operations the startup is reaching over 450 students in ten countries. She was mentored by LUMS alumnus Adeel Saya, Programme Manager, Google in Zurich.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022