NIC Hyderabad celebrated the graduation of thirty startups from Cohorts 6 and 7, marking a milestone that also coincided with four years since the incubation centre began operations. The graduation event brought together founders who had completed their time within the incubator’s structured programme, marking their transition from incubated startups toward operating more independently within Pakistan’s broader startup ecosystem.
This year’s graduation was built around the theme Ideas Take Flight, with the entire event designed around an airport journey concept. Graduates received their certificates styled as passports and boarding tickets, a symbolic choice intended to reinforce the idea that graduation from the incubator represents a continuation of their entrepreneurial journey rather than an endpoint. This framing positioned the incubation period as one stage within a longer trajectory rather than a final destination for the founders involved.
In her address, Sana Shah, Project Director at NIC Hyderabad, reminded graduates that they will always remain part of the broader NIC ecosystem even after formally completing the programme. Shah also spoke to the responsibility that comes with this continued belonging, encouraging graduates to become givers within the ecosystem going forward, extending the same generosity and support to younger, incoming entrepreneurs that they themselves received during their time in the programme.
Farhan Iqbal and Professor Doctor Arifa Bhutto joined the event as Guests of Honour, contributing to a day organisers described as filled with conversations, reflections, and both old and new connections among the founders and broader NIC Hyderabad community. The presence of guests from outside the immediate incubator network added an additional layer of engagement to the graduation, connecting the founders with individuals positioned to offer further mentorship or industry perspective as they move into their next stage of growth.
The event marked four years of NIC Hyderabad’s operations, with the graduation of thirty founders across two cohorts reflecting the scale the centre has built up over that period. The occasion was supported by Ministry Of IT and Telecommunication, Ignite National Technology Fund, PTCL, LMKT, and Tech Destination Pakistan, reflecting the institutional network tied to NIC Hyderabad’s ongoing programming, with the incubator’s continued growth over four years pointing to its expanding role within Sindh’s broader startup and entrepreneurship ecosystem.
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