SZABIST University’s Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialization, known as ORIC, has opened a call for ideas for the fourth cohort of ZEN, the SZABIST Entrepreneurial Nest. The program is aimed at aspiring entrepreneurs with an early stage idea and describes itself as a complete startup ecosystem that provides the resources, guidance and support needed to turn an idea into a working venture. Applications close on 17 December 2026, which gives interested founders a little over a month to prepare and submit. Registration is handled through a QR code printed on the program poster, and those who want more information can visit ORIC at the 153 Building on the SZABIST University campus.
The support package covers both money and practical help. Selected participants can receive financial assistance of up to PKR 200,000, and they gain access to a workstation and incubation space on campus. Training and coaching sessions are tailored to participants, and the program places weight on networking and community building so founders meet peers and mentors early. The list of services extends into the work that often slows first time founders down. ZEN offers help drafting a financial model, legal guidance and assistance, support in building a pitch deck and a prototype, and backing for company registration and intellectual property. Funding opportunities and investor outreach are also part of the offer, which means the program is meant to carry a team from a concept through to a point where it can approach outside capital.
The mix of services reflects a gap that many university based founders face. A student or recent graduate with a promising idea often lacks a workspace, a basic financial plan and a clear picture of how to register a company, and each of those tasks can take weeks when handled alone. By grouping legal, financial and product support inside one program, ZEN tries to shorten that early stretch. The financial assistance is modest in size, but paired with free space and professional guidance it can cover the first stage of building a prototype and preparing a pitch, and it lowers the cost of testing whether an idea is worth taking further.
ZEN is not new to the SZABIST campus. The university’s Business Incubation Centre launched its first cohort in May 2024, with entrepreneurs pitching to a panel of judges, and ZEN invited applications for Cohort II in November 2024. Cohort 4 continues that run and keeps the same basic structure of mentorship, workspace and a route to funding. For applicants, the practical steps are simple. Scan the QR code on the poster, submit an idea before 17 December 2026, and visit the ORIC office for any questions about eligibility or the application process. ORIC’s message to applicants is that a good idea needs the right platform to grow, and Cohort 4 is its offer of one for the next group of founders.
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