Vanar and Google Cloud Power Next-Gen Web3 Startups in Pakistan

In a landmark step for Pakistan’s blockchain and AI innovation ecosystem, Vanar — the intelligent Layer-1 blockchain purpose-built for real-world finance — has successfully graduated the first cohort of Web3 startups from its Web3 Leaders Fellowship, a four-month accelerator run in collaboration with Google Cloud.

Bringing together frontier technology, entrepreneurship, and institutional-grade infrastructure, the fellowship fast-tracked eight promising startups working at the intersection of blockchain, artificial intelligence, and user-centered design. Each startup received hands-on mentorship from Vanar’s blockchain engineers and product teams, along with technical infrastructure, Web3 tools, and up to US $25,000 in Google Cloud credits. A further US $25,000 milestone-based grant was awarded by Vanar itself.

Web3 Meets Pakistan’s Innovation Wave

The startups span verticals such as carbon credit trading, decentralized finance (DeFi), and play-to-earn gaming. Over the course of the program, founders participated in code reviews, product clinics, and workshops covering everything from scalable Solidity architecture and tokenomics modeling, to on-chain AI agent design using advanced prompt engineering.

The program culminated in a demo day in Lahore, where founders pitched live to a curated audience of investors, Web3 builders, and ecosystem partners.

“The Fellowship converted months of guesswork into weeks of momentum,” said Anjum Shahzad, CEO of identity management startup Flare ID.

“It connected us with decision-makers that normally take a year of networking to reach,” added Talha bin Afzal of ExoFarm, a play-to-earn gaming platform.

Saad Siddiqui of edtech startup Edversity pointed out the program’s psychological impact: “Building alongside two global leaders forces you to raise your own bar.”

A Strategic Bet on Pakistan’s Digital Future

Pakistan’s digital economy is undergoing a historic transformation. In May, the Ministry of Finance allocated 2GW of surplus electricity for Bitcoin mining and AI data centers, an unprecedented policy move aimed at attracting foreign direct investment and high-tech employment.

Simultaneously, grass-roots adoption continues to surge. Chainalysis ranks Pakistan ninth globally for peer-to-peer crypto adoption, while local communities like Web3 Pak have grown to over 7,000 members across 40 universities, offering a rich talent pipeline for programs like Vanar’s Fellowship.

Scaling Beyond Borders

Vanar’s CEO and co-founder Jawad Ashraf believes this is only the beginning for emerging market builders:

“The graduation proves that frontier founders can leapfrog the traditional development cycle. By combining the high-speed, AI-native Vanar Chain with Google Cloud’s world-class infrastructure, we are helping startups eliminate the old trade-offs between speed, cost, and security.”

He also announced that applications for the 2026 Fellowship will open later this year and will, for the first time, expand to founders from Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, while maintaining a core focus on Pakistan.

About Vanar

Jawad Ashraf – CEO Vanar Chain

Vanar is an AI-native, EVM-compatible Layer-1 blockchain designed for real-world financial applications, including tokenized assets and programmable finance. The Vanar Stack features:

• Kayon: On-chain reasoning engine

• Neutron: Semantic compression layer for live on-chain data queries

• High-throughput, energy-efficient architecture

Backed by partners like Worldpay, Binance, and Stakefish, Vanar operates globally with engineering hubs in Singapore, London, and Lahore, offering builders grants, hackathons, and enterprise-grade infrastructure.

Jawad Ashraf is a veteran technologist and entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience across industries and continents, including the UAE, UK, USA, Turkey, Australia, and Norway

He has successfully built and exited multiple ventures, including steering The Entertainer Dubai through a $100 million exit.