National Incubation Center for Aerospace Technologies has welcomed Cohort 8 to its programme after a highly competitive selection. Out of 1,093 applicants, only 18 startups made the cut, which works out to an acceptance rate of 1.64 percent. The newly selected founders recently gathered for a two day orientation that marked the official start of their journey at the incubator, and the team described the occasion as the beginning of a shared effort to innovate, scale and shape the future of aerospace and deep technology.
The orientation covered both the programme and the skills founders need to grow. Shayan Yar, Project Director, and Abid Gul Qazi, Program Manager, introduced the programme along with the rest of the team, setting out what the startups can expect over the coming year. Shagufta Jabeen, Founder and Principal Consultant of Next-Gen Impact Consulting, gave a talk on capital strategies, which gave founders an early look at how to think about funding as they plan their growth. The two days also included a corporate yoga session led by Yogi Baqer, a lighter session that gave the founders time to meet each other as a group.
The selection follows two days of final pitch sessions for Cohort 8, in which startups working across aerospace, defence and deep technology presented to a panel of judges. The low acceptance rate reflects the specialised nature of the incubator, which looks for startups with prototypes, working products or solutions that are ready to scale in sectors that need technical depth and often significant capital.
National Incubation Center for Aerospace Technologies is Pakistan’s first aerospace and deep technology incubator, based inside the National Aerospace Science and Technology Park. It is funded by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication through Ignite National Technology Fund and is run by a consortium led by NetSol Technologies, which includes the National Aerospace Science and Technology Park, Air University and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex Kamra. Since it began in 2022, it has incubated dozens of startups, and its programme gives them co-working space, access to design and prototyping labs, and links to the research facilities of the consortium members, along with mentorship and investor connections.
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