Frances Ferreira, Senior Adviser for Women and Girls at the Commonwealth of Learning, visited NIC Hyderabad to interact with startups and founders, sparking conversations around youth empowerment, women-led innovation, and inclusive entrepreneurship.

Canva Community Peshawar hosted a Canva Builds session for SMBs and startups at NIC Peshawar, bringing together founders, entrepreneurs, and creatives for hands-on design learning and practical visual communication insights for business growth.

A visit to the Shahjehan Syed Karim Incubation Center at Institute of Business Management revealed a complete startup ecosystem designed to shape, guide, and transform early-stage ideas into viable ventures through a ground-up approach to entrepreneur development.

The Prime Minister Youth Programme has announced its largest ever allocation of PKR 22.4 billion in Budget 2026 for the Youth Business and Agriculture Loan Scheme, supporting young entrepreneurs, startups, small businesses, and farmers across Pakistan.

NIC Islamabad's Founder Institute Cohort 5 held a Revenue and Business Model session led by mentors Jivko Ivanov, Anna Leshchuk, and Zunaira Omar, covering business model frameworks, pricing strategies, revenue streams, and customer economics for sustainable startup growth.

National Incubation Center Hyderabad hosted Pitch It Better, bringing together aspiring founders and Cohort 9 applicants to refine their pitches with feedback from judges Farhan Iqbal, Muhammad Ghayas Uddin, and Imran Azeem ahead of the next stage of their startup journey.

NICAT has opened applications for Cohort 8, inviting aerospace and deep tech founders, researchers, and engineers to access funding, mentorship, and state-of-the-art facilities, backed by Ignite, NETSOL Technologies, NASTP, Air University, and PAC Kamra.

Abdul Muqsit Abbasi has launched Cya Later, a smart networking utility designed to help entrepreneurs, executives, and investors organize, remember, and manage meaningful professional connections from events and conferences. Join the waitlist at cyalater.app.

NIC Islamabad's Founder Institute is hosting a Customer Development session on June 23, 2026, led by mentors Ali Moeen of ezBike, Moon Aamir of Innoval Technologies, and Sarfraz Arshad of ToyCycle, teaching founders how to identify customer pain points and validate hypotheses before over-investing in the wrong direction.

CEGA, the Center of Excellence for Gaming and Animation, has trained over 1,600 creators since its November launch, working toward a national target of 10,000 trained professionals and 200 plus startups incubated in creative technologies, backed by Ignite National Technology Fund.

Vector, a Pathfinder CITADEL startup co-founded and led by Maaz Ali Nadeem, is advising companies worldwide on AI-led transformation after securing a spot at the Startup Showcase at Davos through CITADEL's network.

Muhammad Umair Arif, founder of NIC Karachi Cohort 12 startup The Disrupt Labs, was featured on ARY News morning show Bakhabar Savera discussing the importance of AI education in schools and preparing students for an AI-driven future.

CEGA has spotlighted three Karachi startups, Imagine World, TuPack, and Sabz Film, ahead of FUTUREPLAY Investor Summit 2026 on July 9, showcasing ventures in gaming, technology, and animated storytelling within Pakistan's creative economy.

SafetyX Pro, a NIC Islamabad startup, has been selected to participate in B Acceleration Week 2026 in Bilbao, Spain, and secured a place in the Startup World Cup Regional Final at BAT B Accelerator Tower, showcasing AI-powered industrial safety solutions on a global stage.

Tasdeeq, the infrastructure of digital trust in Pakistan, is set to become the first credit bureau to list on the Pakistan Stock Exchange, marking a significant step toward greater transparency, investor confidence, and financial innovation in Pakistan's capital markets.

TPL Corp Limited has disclosed that an international investment group has expressed interest in acquiring a majority stake in its subsidiary TPL Trakker, a leading Pakistani provider of tracking, telematics, and IoT solutions, in a notice filed with the Pakistan Stock Exchange.

NIC Faisalabad's Investor Summit 6.0 has confirmed the participation of Fatima Gobi Ventures, Amaana Capital, New Energy Nexus, Accelerate Prosperity, and Groundup, bringing investment expertise spanning technology, agriculture, healthcare, education, and sustainable ventures to engage with Faisalabad's startups.

Nectar Social, an AI-powered social engagement platform co-founded by sisters Misbah Uraizee and Farah U, has raised a USD 30 million Series A led by Menlo Ventures and Anthology Fund, with the founders based at Daftarkhwan Downtown in Lahore.

Respond.io, the AI-powered customer conversation platform co-founded by a Pakistani entrepreneur from Peshawar, has raised USD 62.5 million in a Series B round led by Camber Partners, reaching USD 35 million in annual recurring revenue with 169 percent year-on-year growth.

Frances Ferreira, Senior Adviser for Women and Girls at the Commonwealth of Learning, visited NIC Hyderabad to interact with startups and founders, sparking conversations around youth empowerment, women-led innovation, and inclusive entrepreneurship.

NIC Islamabad has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding with BAT B Accelerator Tower in Bilbao, Spain, signed by Sayyed Ahmad Masud and Eriz Sainz Gurtubay, marking a significant step toward cross-border innovation and startup collaboration between Pakistan and Spain.

TiE Islamabad hosted a fireside chat with Muhammad Bilal Abbasi, CEO of Ignite, led by Faisal Aftab of Zayn VC, exploring Pakistan's innovation journey and the opportunities emerging in the age of artificial intelligence for founders, investors, and policymakers.

NIC Islamabad hosted Simon Andrews, IFC Director for Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, and Sahar Etezaz, IFC Country Officer, for a dialogue on connecting Pakistani startups with global capital, investment, and strategic partnerships to accelerate ecosystem growth.

Iqra University Vice Chancellor Dr Nassar Ikram met with Sindh Enterprise Development Fund CEO Khizar Pervaiz to discuss collaboration on entrepreneurship, skill-based training programs, and strengthening the startup ecosystem in Hyderabad and Tharparkar.

CITADEL participated in the SSBC Management Committee Meeting at COMSATS University Islamabad, with Bibi Maryeum serving as judge while students from Batch 13 and Batch 14 presented business ideas for evaluation, seed funding consideration, and induction into the SSBC incubation program.

The Prime Minister Youth Programme has announced its largest ever allocation of PKR 22.4 billion in Budget 2026 for the Youth Business and Agriculture Loan Scheme, supporting young entrepreneurs, startups, small businesses, and farmers across Pakistan.

Ignite, the National Technology Fund under the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication, marked International MSME Day by highlighting how National Incubation Centers, Pakistan Startup Fund, and BridgeStart are helping technology-driven startups become the next generation of high-impact micro, small, and medium enterprises.

Intellectual Property Organization of Pakistan is inviting inventors to apply for the WIPO Inventor Assistance Program, offering free legal support to file patents in Pakistan and internationally for those who lack the resources to protect their inventions. Apply at iap.wipo.int.

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan has approved Khudmukhtar Khatoon, the country's first digital financing product exclusively for women-led MSMEs, developed by Walee Financial Services, offering Shariah-compliant asset financing between PKR 100,000 and PKR 1.5 million through the Hakeem app.

Trade Development Authority of Pakistan participated in the first Entrepreneurship Day organized by CENTIN at University of Management and Technology Lahore, where Director General Rafia Syed emphasized integrating AI across export-oriented sectors including manufacturing, agriculture, and logistics to strengthen Pakistan's export competitiveness.

Ignite, the National Technology Fund under the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication, has extended the application deadline for the Prime Minister Cloud Program for Startups Batch 2 to July 10, 2026, offering selected startups up to 60 percent reimbursement on approved cloud costs and access to leading Cloud Service Providers.

Shark Tank Producer Usman on the two-year Sony negotiation, the casting calculus, the off-camera valuation coaching, and the production mechanics that turned a skeptical market into the site of the biggest deal in the franchise's global history.

NICAT, in partnership with DEMO Pakistan (SPIN-IDG), hosted a session on data-driven decision-making, exploring how digitization, analytics, and innovation are shaping Pakistan’s economic and enterprise future.

Industry leaders discuss how fintech, agritech, and edtech are enabling women’s economic empowerment in Pakistan, while startups leverage technology, partnerships, and community engagement to scale solutions.

Pakistan Super League offers startups more than sponsorship. Discover how PSL can drive brand awareness, customer acquisition, and long-term growth.

NIC Karachi hosted a session on Saudi Arabia’s PDPL, led by data protection expert Bilal Ghafoor, guiding startups on compliance, risks, and strategies for expanding into the Kingdom.

Former Infosys CEO Vishal Sikka has launched Hang Ten Systems, an AI startup targeting the IT services sector, raising 32 million dollars in seed funding led by Mayfield with strategic investment from Aramco Ventures, and early enterprise customers including Siemens Gamesa and Fresenius.

AI Everything Abu Dhabi has opened free visitor registration for its 2026 edition, taking place October 6 to 7 at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi, welcoming over 350 global AI enterprises and startups from more than 100 countries alongside leading Chief AI Officers and investors.

Accelerate Prosperity is participating as an Ecosystem Partner of the ANDE Pan-Asia Convening 2026, themed Asia's Moment, taking place online from July 14 to 16, 2026, bringing together changemakers, investors, and ecosystem builders supporting entrepreneurship across Asia.

OPEN Exchange is hosting Reimagining Finance in the Age of AI on June 27, 2026, at Computer History Museum in Mountain View, bringing together leaders from Wells Fargo, Visa, Stripe, Payactiv, and Securiti AI to explore banking, payments, blockchain, and financial inclusion in the AI era.

OPEN Circle is hosting an exclusive Mentorship Breakfast on June 28, 2026, in Silicon Valley with Dr Maheen Mausoof Adamson, Clinical Professor of Neurosurgery at Stanford School of Medicine, covering the journey from academic science to healthcare entrepreneurship for researchers and founders.

An online information session on June 26, 2026, hosted with Silkroad Innovation Hub, introduces founders to two opportunities including Road to TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 2026 and the Alchemist Silkroad Silicon Valley Residency, offering investment, mentorship, and US market access.

Pakistan’s startup ecosystem in 2025 entered a new phase shaped by selective funding, hybrid financing, debt-backed growth, AI innovation and institutional maturity, as startups adapted to tighter capital markets and evolving investor priorities.

Exactly two years ago, on 24th April 2024, the United Nations Development Programme’s State of Youth Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in Pakistan presented a comprehensive assessment of the country’s youth entrepreneurship landscape.

Circa early 2024, as Pakistan’s startup story was beginning to fray at the edges of what had only recently been framed as a breakout moment, the stepped in with a short but pointed intervention. Published on January 26, 2024, “Monumental Shifts in Pakistan’s Startup Landscape: For the Better or Worse?” was written at a time when the exuberance of 2021–22 had already given way to funding slowdowns, startup shutdowns, and a growing unease around valuations that had once been celebrated.