Participants of Elevate Entrepreneurship Cohort 2 recently held a session at Bahria Business Incubation Center in Islamabad, gaining exposure to the startup ecosystem and to the support structures that help early stage ventures grow. The visit was built on the idea that entrepreneurship grows stronger when learning meets the right ecosystem. The session was hosted by Professor Dr Raja Mazhar Hameed, Director of Research and Innovation, and Warda Qasim, Manager of the incubation center, and mentors from S&P Global shared their expertise and insights with the aspiring entrepreneurs in the cohort.
The mentors who joined the session were Mohsin Adeel, Syed Murtaza Ahsan, Uzair A., Muhammad Rayyan Ali Khan, Afra Allah Ditta, Ali Faizan, Khurram Farooq, Maheen Nayer, Muhammad Abdullah Shoaib and Mosa Khan. Tehreem Arjman, Nida Abbasi, Nuke N. and Sara Mustasim also joined the session, and the organisers gave special thanks to Sonia Javed for helping make the learning experience possible. A university-based incubation center is a useful setting for such a session, since it shows participants a working example of how early stage teams get space, guidance and connections within an academic environment.
Elevate is a programme of TiE Islamabad, the Islamabad chapter of The IndUS Entrepreneurs, which has operated since 2008 and focuses on entrepreneurship development through mentoring, networking and education. The programme grew out of Project Elevate, a three year mentorship initiative launched by S&P Global in Pakistan with the chapter to prepare more than 600 young Pakistanis for a competitive global economy. It runs across three annual cohorts of about 200 participants each, who receive one-on-one and group mentorship, corporate readiness training, career development workshops and access to the networks of both organisations. The entrepreneurship track gives participants who want to build their own ventures a way to learn directly from professionals and from the incubators that support new companies.
Through Elevate, TiE Islamabad says it continues to equip emerging entrepreneurs with skills, mentorship and connections to move their ideas forward. For the participants of Cohort 2, a visit to Bahria Business Incubation Center offered a close look at how an incubator works and what support is available to them once they are ready to turn an idea into a venture.
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