Wafi Energy Pakistan, formerly Shell Pakistan, has expanded its social investment commitment by sponsoring the regional round of the World Startup Championship, SEE Pakistan 2026, in partnership with NED University of Engineering and Technology. The collaboration signals growing corporate investment in Pakistan’s emerging entrepreneurial ecosystem, extending Wafi Energy’s involvement beyond its core energy business into direct support for youth-led startup development.
The regional competition attracted more than 300 student-led startups from universities across Sindh, offering participants a direct pathway to transform business concepts into commercially viable enterprises. Beyond the pitching opportunity itself, participants received professional mentorship from industry experts, access to business development resources, and the chance to pitch directly to investors and corporate partners, giving the competition a structured support layer that extends well beyond a single-day pitch event. Winners from the regional round advanced to the national round of the international championship, positioning the Sindh-based competition as an entry point into a considerably larger global entrepreneurship platform.
Wafi Energy positioned the partnership as part of its broader Tameer initiative, the company’s flagship social investment program, through which it funds platforms supporting entrepreneurship and innovation beyond its core commercial operations. Imran Qureshi, Director of Corporate and Government Affairs at Wafi Energy Pakistan, emphasised the strategic rationale behind the investment, stating that the company is committed to providing young innovators with the platforms and opportunities they need to transform their ideas into sustainable businesses, and that the collaboration with NED University and SEE Pakistan reflects a belief that investing in young entrepreneurs today is an investment in Pakistan’s future economic growth.
The World Startup Championship operates as an annual international entrepreneurship competition that creates structured pathways for students and young innovators to launch ventures, with Pakistan’s startup ecosystem continuing to expand as emerging founders tackle problems across agriculture technology, fintech, healthcare, and energy. Regional competitions like the SEE Pakistan round play a particular role in surfacing talent that might otherwise lack access to investor networks and business mentorship, extending opportunity to students outside Pakistan’s more established startup hubs. Wafi Energy framed this partnership as proof of its commitment to building a more resilient economy through job creation and innovation, reinforcing the company’s positioning as an active participant in shaping Pakistan’s next generation of entrepreneurs rather than a purely commercial energy operator.
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