The Sindh Enterprise Development Fund has opened applications for its Enterprise Grant Scheme, offering up to PKR 35 million to businesses across five target sectors.

Dr Faisal Kamiran, founder of Addo AI, has been honoured with the APSUP Excellence Award 2026 for Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year, presented by Governor of Punjab Sardar Saleem Haider Khan, recognising his journey from AI research and academia to building a globally impactful technology company from Pakistan.

Fasset has reached a $1 billion valuation after raising $68 million in Series C funding led by Japan's SBI Group, expanding its stablecoin network.

SECP has sent a draft Venture Capital Bill to the Board of Investment, proposing a regulatory framework to increase startup investment access in Pakistan.

Haddiqua Siddiqui, Founder of E for Etiquettes and NIC Karachi Cohort 14 startup, is building a platform focused on soft skills and professional etiquette training.

HiringMine, a NIC Karachi Cohort 15 startup led by Jaffar Aman, is building an AI powered recruitment platform with over 6,000 users and 3,000 jobs.

CEGA has opened applications for its third incubation cohort, offering gaming and animation studios a six month programme with zero equity taken.

NIC Sialkot hosted its Cohort 1 Demo Day on August 8, bringing together shortlisted startups pitching across AI, deep tech, e-commerce, SaaS, and Sialkot's legacy industries.

EMRChains, founded by Muzna Khan and incubated at National Incubation Center Islamabad, is building a blockchain and AI powered healthcare platform designed around patients.

Dr Faisal Kamiran, founder of Addo AI, has been honoured with the APSUP Excellence Award 2026 for Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year, presented by Governor of Punjab Sardar Saleem Haider Khan, recognising his journey from AI research and academia to building a globally impactful technology company from Pakistan.

IU CORE startups MR 3D, ABHS, and The Brave Next have secured places among the Top 100 and advanced to the final round of SEE Pakistan 2026.

Global Animal Passport Registration, a NIC Hyderabad startup, won the Agriculture Category at SEE Pakistan 2026, competing among the Top 100 startups nationally.

MediWeb, a startup incubated at IU CORE, has secured a place among the Top 34 Finalists of the Lok Sahaita STEM Talent Search Program.

Spurt International, a startup incubated at NIC Faisalabad, hosted its Annual Partner Conference in Abbottabad, recognising top channel partners and sharing its aeroponic farming roadmap.

Fasset has reached a $1 billion valuation after raising $68 million in Series C funding led by Japan's SBI Group, expanding its stablecoin network.

SECP has approved the IPO of Agro Processors and Atmospheric Gases Limited for listing on Pakistan Stock Exchange, with the company offering 58.05 million shares at a price range of PKR 32 to PKR 44.80 per share to raise up to PKR 2.6 billion.

MENA startups raised $172.6 million across 45 deals in July 2026, according to Wamda, with debt financing accounting for 56 percent of total capital as Saudi Arabia led regional funding.

Clover Pakistan Limited has disclosed that Irbanah Ventures International LLC-FZ acquired two million of its shares through a regular market purchase on the Pakistan Stock Exchange, valued at over seventeen million rupees.

Pakistani fintech Oraan has raised fresh funding from Epic Angels and returning investors WaveMaker and i2i Ventures to expand its gold savings product and enter new markets.

Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Pakistan Tech Forum have signed an MoU to promote technology-driven business growth, entrepreneurship, and international market access.

Sybrid hosted an OPEN Global delegation at its Islamabad office, discussing its Innovation Division and industry academia collaboration efforts.

NIC Karachi and Orbit Ventures have launched a founder acceleration program offering grants up to PKR 5 million and mentorship from Orbit Startups.

Nexa Robots, a Pakistani automation startup, is pursuing deeper alliances with Chinese manufacturers to build the country's first authentic robotics sector.

OPEN Islamabad met with representatives from the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication and PSEB to connect Pakistan's entrepreneurial ecosystem with global opportunities.

Google Vice President Wilson L. White and a delegation visited National Incubation Center Lahore, meeting founders and discussing Pakistan's startup ecosystem.

The Sindh Enterprise Development Fund has opened applications for its Enterprise Grant Scheme, offering up to PKR 35 million to businesses across five target sectors.

SECP has sent a draft Venture Capital Bill to the Board of Investment, proposing a regulatory framework to increase startup investment access in Pakistan.

SBP BSC and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Small Industries Development Board held a meeting on SME value chain financing to explore expanding formal credit access.

UNIDO and SEDF disbursed €2.03 million in grants to 17 SMEs under the third round of the PAIDAR programme, inviting applications for a fourth batch in rural Sindh.

Pakistan's National Incubation Centre network has generated Rs36.3 billion in revenue from over 2,250 startups, creating 185,000 jobs, Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja told the National Assembly.

The Power Division has launched Pakistan's first National Power Sector Innovation Programme, allocating over Rs1 billion to mentor and scale innovative energy solutions.

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.

Discover how Sialkot's world-renowned sports manufacturing industry can evolve into sports-tech innovation, using smart equipment, AI, sensors, and connected technology to shape the future of global sports.

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.

Niya Summit, a global startup summit for the Muslim economy, will take place at Computer History Museum in Silicon Valley on August 29, featuring founders, investors, and an AI focused track.

OPEN Global will hold its Annual Women's Conference on November 19, focused on the well-being and resilience of women entrepreneurs, held virtually.

The U.S. Embassy and APSUP hosted a forum in Islamabad connecting Pakistani entrepreneurs with U.S. market opportunities, featuring speakers from NUST, Superior University, and angel investor Scott Fox.

Startup Bangladesh Limited has launched a $33 million Fund of Funds designed to work alongside BSIC, a $35 million fund backed by 39 commercial banks.

Paklaunch UNConference26.2, powered by Abhi, will bring together founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders at the Yale Club in New York on October 19-20, 2026.

DigitAll has opened enrollment for its eight week acceleration programme helping existing companies advance their digital transformation, with applications open until August 23.

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.