NIC Islamabad has launched Azadi Pitch, an initiative inviting founders across Pakistan to submit a 79-second video explaining how their startup addresses a national challenge, marking the country’s 79th year of independence. The campaign asks participants to record a short video answering a single question, how does your startup solve a national challenge in Pakistan, framing the submission process around a simple, structured format that connects a startup’s work directly to a specific problem facing the country.
Participants are asked to follow a suggested structure for their submission, naming their startup, identifying the national problem they are addressing, and explaining their solution within the 79-second time limit. This format is designed to make it easy for founders to communicate their value proposition concisely, while also giving NIC Islamabad a consistent basis for comparing submissions from a wide range of startups working across different sectors and addressing different kinds of challenges.
Selected submissions could be chosen for a wildcard pitch opportunity, giving founders a chance to pitch live at NIC Islamabad on August 13, 2026, alongside startups already incubated at the centre as part of the broader Azadi Pitch event. This creates a direct pathway from a simple video submission to an in person pitching opportunity, potentially giving startups outside NIC Islamabad’s existing incubation cohort a chance to gain visibility within the centre’s ecosystem.
Beyond the live pitch opportunity, selected submissions will also be featured on NIC Islamabad’s LinkedIn and Instagram accounts, offering participating startups additional exposure to a wider innovation ecosystem audience even if they are not chosen for the wildcard slot. NIC Islamabad has noted that it will collect all submissions and feature them in line with its required branding guidelines, ensuring a consistent presentation across the campaign’s social media output.
The submission deadline for Azadi Pitch is set for August 10, 2026, giving founders a short window to record and submit their videos ahead of both the social media feature rollout and the live pitching event later in the month. The initiative is supported by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, Tech Destination Pakistan and Ignite National Technology Fund, alongside collaborators including Fauji Foundation, Founder Institute and Cybervision International. Submit: https://lnkd.in/drRGgE9V
Follow the SPIN IDG WhatsApp Channel for updates across the Smart Pakistan Insights Network covering all of Pakistan’s technology ecosystem.
