Shayan Yar, Project Director at NICAT, has shared key takeaways from the organisation’s participation in the ESO programme, describing how the experience is helping National Incubation Center at Air Technology evolve the way it supports startups within its network. According to Yar, building sustainable startups requires first strengthening the organisations responsible for supporting them, a principle that has guided NICAT’s engagement with the programme over recent months.
Among the changes Yar pointed to was the adoption of what he described as an investor lens, an approach that involves evaluating startups within the incubator’s network using criteria closer to those applied by investors assessing companies for funding, rather than relying solely on traditional incubation metrics. This shift reflects a broader trend among incubators globally, where programmes are increasingly structuring their support models around the same standards startups will eventually be judged against when raising capital, with the aim of better preparing founders for that transition.
Yar also highlighted the introduction of early due diligence processes as a second major takeaway from the ESO programme, noting that identifying potential risks or gaps in a startup’s structure earlier in its development allows for more targeted support before issues become harder to address. Alongside this, NICAT has placed a stronger emphasis on sustainability as a core consideration in how it evaluates and supports startups, moving beyond short term growth metrics toward a more long term view of how ventures can remain viable well beyond their time within the incubation programme.
NICAT’s participation in the ESO programme was made possible with support from Accelerate Prosperity, KFW, and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, known as BMZ, three organisations that have continued to play a role in strengthening entrepreneurship support structures across developing markets. NICAT, which operates in connection with National Aerospace Science and Technology Park, has continued to position itself within Pakistan’s broader innovation ecosystem, with its work extending into sectors tied to aerospace and advanced technology development alongside more conventional startup incubation activities.
The announcement was shared alongside acknowledgements of Ignite National Technology Fund, Ministry Of IT and Telecommunication, NETSOL Technologies, National Aerospace Science and Technology Park, Air University, and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex Kamra, reflecting the wider network of institutional stakeholders associated with NICAT’s operations. Yar’s comments suggest that NICAT intends to continue refining its support model based on lessons drawn from the ESO programme, with the changes expected to shape how the incubator engages with startups moving through its programme going forward.
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