ISLAMABAD: Gradua-tion Day ceremony for the first cohort of National Science and Technology Park’s (NSTP) Hatch 8 Programme took place at the main campus of National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST) here on Wednesday. A total of 9 startups graduated as part of the first cohort.

After six months of challenging sessions at the Park, coupled with continuous mentorship, guidance and business plans revamping, the founders of these startups were ready to showcase their prototypes and businesses with an ambition to make a difference in the tech realm. Some of these graduates have also been granted space in NSTP’s next stage incubator Cube 8, whereas one has even transitioned straight away into an NSTP Hi-tech SME.

The tech startups graduating from the Park, inter alia, span a wide array of themes ranging from Ed-Tech, Fin-Tech, Agri-Tech and Smart-Tech. Out of the 9 startups, three were given awards for high achievement on the basis of revenue generation, customer base and socio-economic impact. The winner was awarded a cheque of Rs 100,000, while the runner-up received an amount of Rs 50,000.

The occasion was graced by the VP NSTP, Dr Nassar Ikram as chief guest, along with leading startup and entrepreneurship industry luminaries. The event was opened by keynote presentation of Director NSTP, Adnan Ejaz, followed by pitches by startups, prize distribution, and speech by the chief guest.

Speaking at the occasion, Dr Nassar Ikram highlighted the accomplishments of the park since its inception in December 2019. He dilated upon how NSTP offers a complete spectrum of enabling services and environment that connects stakeholders, provides digital and physical access to information and knowledge through a centralised repository, and brings to bear NUST’s exclusive knowledge base and proven expertise of the domain to help nurture startups and propel them from idea stage into growth stage.—PR

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021