Pakistan’s aviation sector is set to welcome a new player as South Air, a newly established private airline, moves closer to launching commercial operations after bringing its first aircraft to the country and successfully conducting trial flights.

The arrival of South Air’s first ATR 72-500 aircraft marks a significant milestone for the airline, which aims to strengthen regional connectivity, improve domestic air travel, and support economic development across underserved regions, particularly South Punjab, Balochistan, and other emerging economic corridors.

The airline is expected to begin commercial operations in June 2026, according to industry reports.

South Air’s First Aircraft Arrives in Pakistan

The ATR 72-500, a turboprop aircraft widely used for regional routes, recently arrived in Pakistan as part of South Air’s plans to establish a reliable domestic network connecting major cities with secondary destinations.

Industry observers believe the airline’s entry could help improve accessibility for travelers from South Punjab, where demand for efficient domestic air connectivity continues to grow.

The development comes at a time when Pakistan is witnessing renewed interest in regional aviation services aimed at reducing travel times and supporting economic integration between provinces.

Trial Flight Successfully Lands at Gwadar International Airport

In another major milestone, South Air successfully operated its first trial flight between Karachi and Gwadar.

Flight Z8-905 departed from Karachi and landed at the New Gwadar International Airport, demonstrating the airline’s operational readiness and commitment to serving strategic destinations across Pakistan.

The launch of services to Gwadar is expected to support the broader vision of enhancing connectivity under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), while facilitating passenger movement, cargo transportation, tourism, and business activities.

A spokesperson for the airline stated that improved links between Gwadar’s seaport and airport infrastructure could contribute to transforming the coastal city into a major commercial and transit hub.

What South Air Means for South Punjab

The emergence of South Air has generated particular interest in South Punjab, a region that has long sought stronger air connectivity to major economic centers.

Cities such as Multan, Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, and Rahim Yar Khan could potentially benefit from expanded regional air services, creating new opportunities for business travel, tourism, trade, and investment.

Improved domestic connectivity may also provide residents and businesses with more travel options while supporting regional economic growth.

Employment and Economic Opportunities

Beyond passenger travel, South Air’s launch is expected to contribute to job creation across multiple sectors, including aviation operations, ground handling, customer services, logistics, tourism, and hospitality.

Aviation experts note that the expansion of regional airlines plays a crucial role in improving mobility, encouraging investment, and strengthening links between Pakistan’s major urban centers and developing regions.

South Air Set for June 2026 Launch

With its first aircraft now in Pakistan and trial operations underway, South Air appears on track to commence commercial flights in June 2026.

The airline’s launch represents a notable addition to Pakistan’s aviation industry and could help address growing demand for regional air travel while supporting connectivity, tourism, and economic development across the country.

Key Facts

• South Air has brought its first ATR 72-500 aircraft to Pakistan.
• The airline is expected to launch commercial operations in June 2026.
• South Air successfully conducted a trial flight from Karachi to Gwadar.
• The airline aims to strengthen regional connectivity and domestic tourism.
• South Punjab is expected to benefit from improved air travel options and economic opportunities.
• Gwadar connectivity could support trade, tourism, and CPEC-related development.

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Pakistan’s IT and IT-enabled services sector recorded $2.97 billion in export inflows during July to February FY2026, marking a 19.6% year-on-year increase. However, a steady drop in monthly receipts over the past two months has tempered expectations around the government’s $5 billion annual target.

IT Exports Hit $2.97 Billion in July to February FY2026

According to data from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Pakistan’s ICT export earnings grew by 19.78% year-on-year, reaching $2.61 billion in the first seven months of the current fiscal year ending June 2026, up from $2.18 billion during the same period last year. Cumulative inflows reached $2.97 billion by the end of February 2026, compared with $2.48 billion in the same period of FY2025.

IT exports now account for over 10.8% of Pakistan’s total exports. This is considered a historic milestone, reflecting the country’s gradual economic shift from traditional goods like textiles and rice toward high-value digital services.

Monthly Receipts Show a Two-Month Decline

Despite the cumulative growth, monthly figures reveal a softening trend. The sector peaked at $437 million in December 2025, before declining to $374 million in January 2026 and $365 million in February 2026, a drop of over 16% in just two months.

Analysts project exports to grow 18 to 20% in FY2026, which could bring the total to around $4.5 billion. This figure still falls short of the ambitious $5 billion target set under the government’s national economic plan, Uraan Pakistan. At the current monthly run rate of approximately $365 million, full-year IT exports are likely to plateau around $4.4 to $4.5 billion.

Geopolitical and Regional Pressures Add Uncertainty

The slowdown in monthly inflows is partly attributed to broader global uncertainty. Ongoing regional tensions have prompted clients, particularly across the US and GCC markets, to delay digital transformation and expansion projects. This has reduced near-term order flow for Pakistani IT firms.

The growing tendency of international companies to outsource software development, cybersecurity, and digital transformation projects has boosted Pakistan’s profile as an affordable IT services provider. Even so, regional instability continues to introduce uncertainty into forward planning for many of these engagements.

Beyond export figures, Pakistan’s broader startup ecosystem reflects a market in a phase of cautious maturation, with genuine momentum tempered by structural funding constraints.

Ecosystem Value Surpasses $4 Billion

Pakistan’s venture capital-backed startups have surpassed a combined enterprise value of $4 billion, up 3.6 times since 2020, according to the January 2026 Pakistan Tech Report by Dealroom.co and inDrive. The growth rate outpaces larger ecosystems including India, New York, Paris, and Dubai, placing Pakistan among emerging “New Frontier” tech markets.

The country now hosts over 170 VC-backed startups, with roughly 17 “breakouts” that have raised between $15 million and $100 million, two scale-ups that have crossed $100 million in funding, and 13 “Colts” generating between $25 million and $100 million in annual revenue.

According to TechList Pakistan, which tracks startup funding activity across the country, deal flow in early-stage rounds, particularly pre-seed and seed, has remained consistent through Q1 2026. Fintech, healthtech, and B2B SaaS have emerged as the three most active verticals during this period.

Startup Funding Rebounds in 2025

Pakistani startups secured over $74.23 million in equity and hybrid financing in 2025, spanning pre-seed, seed, and Series A rounds across fintech, mobility, healthtech, and other sectors. According to Data Darbar, local startups raised about $36.6 million in equity across 10 disclosed rounds, a modest increase from $22.5 million the previous year, though deal volume slipped slightly from 15 to 14 transactions.

Fintech and Healthtech Lead Investment Activity

The fintech sector continues to dominate investment activity, with startups such as Haball and Metric securing sizeable Pre-Series A and seed funding rounds. Analysts say fintech’s appeal lies in its ability to integrate with banking infrastructure, simplify payments, and tap into an underserved market of SMEs and digital consumers.

Haball secured a $52 million Pre-Series A funding round led by Zayn VC and backed by Meezan Bank. The company has scaled its platform to handle over $3 billion in payments, disbursing more than $110 million in financing while supporting thousands of SMEs and multinational clients.

Healthtech is emerging as the second major growth engine. MedIQ’s $6 million Series A and Xylexa’s $1 million seed round highlight strong investor appetite for solutions that address healthcare accessibility, a critical need in a country of over 240 million people.

No Unicorns Yet: The Capital Gap Remains

Despite the momentum, no Pakistani startup has yet reached unicorn status or surpassed $100 million in annual revenue. Limited domestic capital is widely identified as the primary bottleneck holding the ecosystem back from the next level of scale.
Globally, venture capital investment reached $512.6 billion in 2025, up 30.8% from 2024, with artificial intelligence alone accounting for $270.2 billion. For Pakistan, these global trends highlight the structural challenge of competing in capital-intensive sectors like AI without matching infrastructure or investment scale.

Female-Founded Startups Gain Ground

One of 2025’s notable trends is the rise of female-led startups, which raised $8.8 million in disclosed equity, accounting for more than 24% of total funding. Startups including Shadiyana, BusCaro, Metric, MedIQ, and Lean Outset were among the female-founded or co-founded ventures contributing to this shift. TechList Pakistan has closely documented this trend through its founder coverage and funding trackers.

Policy Reforms Supporting Export Growth

The State Bank of Pakistan raised the permissible retention limit in Exporters’ Specialised Foreign Currency Accounts (ESFCA) from 35% to 50%. This allows IT exporters to retain a larger share of their dollar earnings, a reform that has provided greater liquidity for companies reinvesting in global operations.

Pakistan’s 5G spectrum auction, conducted in March 2026, is expected to unlock new product categories in healthtech, edtech, IoT, and industrial automation that have remained structurally inaccessible on existing infrastructure. Building quality talent, empowering grassroots entrepreneurship, and accelerating local AI adoption are identified as the three pillars needed to position Pakistan as a competitive global IT export hub.

Long-Term Target: $10 Billion by 2029

National long-term targets foresee $10 billion in annual IT exports by 2029, a goal that requires a significant acceleration from the current growth trajectory. IT exports now constitute over 40% of Pakistan’s total services exports, supporting foreign exchange stability, high-value employment, and entrepreneurship. This cements the sector as a core pillar of Pakistan’s broader economic strategy.

Closing the gap between the current pace and the $5 billion FY2026 target will require reversing the recent monthly decline, broadening client geographies beyond the US and Gulf, and continuing to scale startups into globally competitive businesses. The structural groundwork is being laid, but sustained execution remains the sector’s defining test going forward.

Sources: State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, Data Darbar, Dealroom.co / inDrive Pakistan Tech Report (January 2026), Topline Research, Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA), TechList Pakistan.

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Uplift AI, a Pakistan-based voice technology startup, has raised $3.5 million in seed funding as it looks to expand voice-first AI products and create thousands of local jobs.

The round was led by Y Combinator, the Silicon Valley accelerator behind companies like Airbnb, Dropbox and GitLab, with participation from Indus Valley Capital. Other investors include Pioneer Fund, Conjunction, Moment Ventures, and a group of angel investors from Silicon Valley.

Founded by former Apple and Amazon engineers Zaid Qureshi and Hammad Malik, Uplift AI is focused on building voice AI systems for Pakistan’s regional languages, including Urdu, Punjabi and Balochi. The company’s goal is simple: enable people to interact with technology by speaking naturally in their own language.

Its flagship model, Orator, is designed to speak Urdu with near-human fluency, a capability the startup believes is critical in a country where literacy remains a major barrier to digital access.

Uplift AI says its tools are already gaining traction. More than 1,000 developers are using its APIs to build real-world applications ranging from FIR registration bots to voice-based health intake systems for rural clinics.

The company argues that voice-first technology is particularly important for Pakistan, where an estimated 42% of adults are unable to read, limiting participation in the digital economy.

“Voice technology can unlock access to knowledge and opportunity for millions of people,” said Hammad Malik, CEO of Uplift AI. “We started Uplift AI to make that impact now, not years down the line.”

Investors see a large opportunity in this approach. Aatif Awan, Partner at Indus Valley Capital, said voice is often the most practical gateway to the digital economy in emerging markets.

“Built by engineers with deep experience at Apple and Amazon, Uplift AI is creating the core voice infrastructure needed to unlock this market at scale,” he said.

The implications extend across mass-market sectors such as banking, healthcare, agriculture and government services,  areas where text-based digital solutions often fail to reach large segments of the population.

“In Pakistan, agriculture doesn’t lack effort; it lacks accessible intelligence,” said Sultan Raja, Head of AI Transformation at Syngenta Pakistan. “Uplift AI’s voice technology allows us to deliver that intelligence directly to farmers in their own language, helping them adopt AI and improve yields.”

According to CTO Zaid Qureshi, Uplift AI has taken a fully in-house approach to development, handling data collection, labeling and model training internally, a decision driven by the limitations of off-the-shelf solutions for regional languages.

“That investment is paying off,” he said. “We regularly hear from customers who say our models outperform OpenAI and Google for these languages.”

With the new funding, the startup plans to expand voice-first AI support across all major Pakistani languages. While the company sees long-term global potential in serving underserved languages worldwide, Pakistan remains its immediate priority.

“In the short to medium term, our focus is entirely on Pakistan,” Awan told Business Recorder.

Malik said approximately $1 million from the funding will be allocated to data collection and labeling,  an effort expected to generate thousands of local jobs. The remaining capital will be used for research and development, particularly in advancing speech recognition and speech generation for Pakistan’s five major languages.

While Uplift AI is not currently working directly with government departments, Malik noted that its platform is already open to startups and small businesses.

“More than 1,000 developers are already using our API,” he said. “Any startup or small business can sign up and start building today.”

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The popular YouTube creator launches his first tech venture, unifying six premium AI models into one affordable platform for users worldwide.

Dhruv Rathee, the Indian YouTuber known for simplifying politics, economics, and technology for millions, has officially stepped into the startup world with the launch of AI Fiesta. This subscription-based platform offers global users access to six of the world’s most advanced AI models under one roof—at a fraction of the cost of subscribing individually.

Who Is Dhruv Rathee?

Dhruv Rathee is no stranger to breaking down complex topics. With over 36 million subscribers across his channels and billions of views, he has become one of India’s most recognizable digital voices. Based in Berlin, Germany, Rathee holds a degree in mechanical engineering and renewable energy from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. His influence extends far beyond YouTube, often shaping conversations on governance, climate change, and digital transformation.

How the Idea Came to Life

In his launch video, Rathee revealed that AI Fiesta was born from personal frustration. While working on his fact-check-driven content, he relied on multiple AI tools—ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and others—spending nearly $200 each month to cover different needs.

Yet, even after paying, he found fragmentation, token limits, and inefficiencies frustrating. Meanwhile, most of his own students in AI courses were stuck on free versions, missing out on the real potential of advanced models.

“I realized most people never experience AI’s full capabilities because of cost and complexity,” Rathee explained. “That’s when the idea of bringing all major AI tools together, at an affordable price, clicked.”

What AI Fiesta Offers

AI Fiesta is positioned as a unified AI hub, simplifying access while keeping costs low.

• Six AI Models: ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Grok, Perplexity, DeepSeek.

• Side-by-Side Comparison: Users can compare outputs instantly across models.

• Prompt Enhancement: Auto-refines user prompts for smarter answers.

• Custom Assistants: Build personal AIs like a study coach, chef, or project planner.

• Multimodal Tools: Image generation, editing, and multilingual voice-to-text transcription.

• Learning Community: 3,000+ prompt library, exclusive webinars, and access to Rathee’s AI user community.

Pricing – Global & India

AI Fiesta is designed for global reach but India-first accessibility.

• Global Plans:

  • $12 / month

  • $120 / year (save 17%)

• India Plans:

  • ₹999 / month

  • ₹833 / month (annual plan)

  • Supports UPI payments and will soon roll out regional language features (Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada).

Subscriptions include 400,000 tokens/month, quarterly webinars with Rathee, and access to community resources.

Reception & Skepticism

The launch has sparked debate online. On Reddit, some praised the affordability compared to individual AI subscriptions:

“This is Dhruv’s startup… paid versions, price is very low.”

Others, however, questioned whether the model can truly sustain itself:

“Another influencer business in the name of AI. Nothing but making idiots of followers.”

The reactions highlight the challenge Rathee faces: convincing skeptics that AI Fiesta is more than an influencer-backed side hustle, but a serious tool democratizing AI.

Why This Matters

• Democratizing AI: AI Fiesta lowers cost barriers, making advanced AI accessible to students, professionals, and creators worldwide.

• India-First, Global Vision: While global in scope, India’s massive digital population is at the heart of the rollout. UPI integration and local languages signal clear localization.

• Influencer-to-Entrepreneur Shift: Rathee represents a new wave of creators who are leveraging their platforms to build real tech solutions.

• Transparency Promise: The startup plans monthly updates, quarterly webinars, and rapid adoption of new models like ChatGPT-5.

With AI Fiesta, Dhruv Rathee isn’t just entering the AI market—he’s attempting to reshape how people, especially in cost-sensitive regions, interact with artificial intelligence. Whether the platform can balance affordability with quality remains to be seen, but Rathee’s influence and community-first approach may give him a unique edge in making AI truly mainstream.

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In a landmark moment for Pakistan’s startup ecosystem, Myco, the country’s fastest-growing video streaming platform, has clinched the top spot in Season 9 of Meet the Drapers — a global startup reality show hosted by legendary Silicon Valley investor Tim Draper.

The win comes with a Rs420 million ($1.5 million) package — comprising $500,000 in equity investment and a $1 million SaaS services contract — making it the highest outcome achieved by any startup in the season.

This marks the first time a Pakistani-origin startup not only reached the finale but also emerged as the leading winner in the show’s history. Myco was selected from over 2,000 startups worldwide.

From Pakistan to the World Stage

The journey began when Paklaunch founder Aly Fahd convinced Tim Draper to dedicate an episode to Pakistani startups in October 2024 — a first in the show’s nine-season run. Out of multiple local contenders, Myco stood out, progressing through the semi-finals as the most-voted global startup and a fan favorite.

The finale was filmed in California in April 2025, followed by an intensive due diligence process. The deal was finalized in July 2025.

A Silicon Valley Endorsement

Tim Draper — known for early bets on Tesla, SpaceX, Skype, Coinbase, and Baidu — praised Myco’s innovative blend of storytelling, sports, and Web3 economics, calling it “the future of streaming.”

“Myco is one of the top Pakistani startups that PakLaunch has enabled within our network over the past three years,” said Aly Fahd. “This achievement proves the quality of Pakistani entrepreneurs on the global stage.”

Myco’s Rise and Reach

Founded in the UAE in 2021 by Umair Masoom, Myco has rapidly grown into a 20 million-user platform in just 18 months in Pakistan alone.

The platform offers more than cricket — although it holds rights to ICC events, PCB, PSL, and English Premier League — expanding into sports like MMA, Karate Combat, Padel, Squash, and Volleyball, alongside university and local tournaments.

Key Stats:

• 20M+ users in Pakistan within 18 months

• 100M+ monthly video impressions

• Active users in 100+ countries including UAE, KSA, Egypt, and North America

• Backed by Aptos Labs for its Web3 wallet and reward token system

• Targeting 50M+ users by end of 2025

Next Steps

With the new funding and SaaS deal, Myco plans aggressive expansion into North America, MENA, and South Asia, deepen its sports partnerships, launch its Watch & Earn rewards token, and form fintech alliances to drive creator and user monetization.

About PakLaunch

Founded in 2020 by Aly Fahd, PakLaunch is a global community of 350,000+ members in over 30 countries, connecting the Pakistani diaspora with local startups, investors, and global markets. It runs events such as the Paklaunch Unconference and digital accelerator programs.

About Myco

Myco is a Web3-powered video streaming and sports media platform combining premium sports rights, entertainment, and creator monetization. Its Watch & Earn ecosystem rewards users for their attention, bridging the gap between content consumption and real-world value.

Following its Meet the Drapers victory, Myco is positioning itself to become the world’s leading Web3 entertainment super app — where content meets commerce.

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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.

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In a major development for Pakistan’s tech ecosystem, Careem has announced it will be discontinuing its ride-hailing services in the country effective July 18, 2025. The announcement was made by Careem CEO Mudassir Sheikha via a heartfelt LinkedIn post, calling the decision “incredibly difficult” but necessary due to growing economic pressures, fierce competition, and global investment shifts.

“This marks the end of an iconic chapter — one built with purpose, grit, and relentless hustle,” wrote Sheikha, reflecting on Careem’s decade-long journey in Pakistan.

Launched in 2015, Careem played a transformative role in shaping Pakistan’s digital mobility landscape. The platform not only introduced app-based ride-hailing to the masses but also enabled thousands of job opportunities, especially for captains (drivers), and helped normalize digital payments and tech-driven transport solutions in urban centers.

Sheikha also recalled cultural and societal hurdles — particularly skepticism around women commuting with strangers via apps — that Careem overcame with the help of its “brilliant and fearless” Pakistan team.

“They did not just build a service that millions of Pakistanis relied on to move and earn,” he noted. “They laid the foundation for digital infrastructure, regulatory reform, trust in tech platforms, and broader startup confidence.”

The exit mirrors a growing trend of pullbacks from emerging markets by global tech firms. Uber, which acquired Careem’s regional operations in 2020, had already exited Pakistan in 2022. The pressures of high inflation, declining consumer spending, and a sharp drop in venture capital since 2022 have significantly challenged Pakistan’s startup ecosystem. High-profile players like Airlift, Swvl, VavaCars, and Truck It In have either shut down or scaled back.

Globally, ride-hailing giants such as Uber, Lyft, and Grab are also shifting focus toward sustainable markets and diversified services like food delivery, fintech, and logistics, retreating from regions where profitability remains out of reach.

Careem will continue operating in other parts of the Middle East and North Africa, where it sees stronger long-term potential. As Pakistan bids farewell to one of its earliest tech pioneers, the announcement underscores the harsh realities of scaling digital ventures in volatile markets — and the resilience required to adapt.

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NIC Lahore startup founders at Plug and Play Tech Center in Silicon Valley

In an unprecedented leap for Pakistan’s tech ecosystem, four startups from the National Incubation Center (NIC) Lahore have secured a place at the prestigious Plug and Play Tech Center in Silicon Valley, under the Global Overseas Acceleration & Learning (GOAL) Program — marking the first-ever entry by any NIC cohort into the heart of global innovation.

From Lahore to Silicon Valley: Meet the Trailblazers

These game-changing startups are redefining Pakistan’s role on the global tech map:

• Paymo – The country’s first Gen Z-focused mobile wallet, built for a new era of digital banking.

• Thingsty – A no-code IoT platform powering easy smart device deployment and monitoring.

• Motto Vesta – An IP-protected airbag vest safeguarding motorcyclists with advanced wearable tech.

• Voltshare – A cloud-based EV charging network, connecting drivers to private and commercial electricity sources.

Powered by Ignite, Accelerated by NIC Lahore

This achievement is backed by Ignite – National Technology Fund and the Ministry of IT and Telecom, with NIC Lahore operated by a NETSOL Technologies-led consortium. Partners like HBL, Plug and Play, Daftarkhwan, Beaconhouse National University, UET Lahore, Women Chamber of Commerce, and Accelerate Prosperity (AKDN) have played a pivotal role in empowering this global move.

GOAL Program: Pakistan in the Spotlight

As part of the month-long GOAL Program, these startups are diving into intensive mentorship, high-impact networking, and strategic pitch sessions. The journey will culminate in the Plug and Play Summit, where over 2,500 global corporates, VCs, experts, and government bodies converge. With 565+ Fortune 1000 partners and $9B+ in alumni funding, the stakes — and opportunities — are enormous.

A National Win for Innovation

“This is more than just funding. It’s belief. It’s empowerment,” said Ayub Ghauri, President of NIC Lahore. “Pakistan is no longer an emerging market — we’re a global innovation contender.”

Adeel Aijaz Shaikh, CEO of Ignite, echoed the sentiment: “This milestone showcases the strength of Pakistan’s incubation ecosystem. It’s a proud moment for us all.”

From startup prep and visa facilitation to pitch readiness, NIC Lahore’s comprehensive support made this Silicon Valley debut possible.

What This Means

Pakistan isn’t waiting to be discovered — it’s stepping onto the world stage. The success of these startups is a signal to global investors and innovation hubs: Pakistan’s tech talent is ready to scale, compete, and lead.

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In a historic achievement, Pakistani startup BIONIKS has been honored with the Zero Project Award 2025 at a United Nations event, becoming the first Pakistani company to receive this prestigious global recognition. The award celebrates groundbreaking innovations that empower people with disabilities and promote inclusivity in the workforce.

Founded in 2016, BIONIKS specializes in AI-powered prosthetic technology, using artificial intelligence (AI) and 3D scanning to create custom-designed prosthetic limbs. The startup has provided over 700 prosthetics, transforming lives through cutting-edge assistive technology.

A Global Win for Pakistan

The Zero Project Award 2025, an internationally recognized honor, selected BIONIKS as one of 77 winners from 522 nominations worldwide. Acknowledged at a United Nations event, the company’s work in assistive technology reinforces Pakistan’s growing presence in health-tech innovation.

The company shared its achievement on social media:

“Pakistan may have missed the Champions Trophy 2025, but there’s still a victory to celebrate! Bioniks Pakistan is among 77 winners from 522 global nominations for the Zero Project Award 2025, recognized at a UN event for its AI-powered prosthetics.”
— @Bioniksorg, March 11, 2025

Innovation Beyond Borders

Earlier this year, BIONIKS launched an AI-powered mobile limb factory in Gaza, offering custom prosthetic arms and legs to war-affected amputees. The company previously made headlines in 2021 when it designed a multi-grip bionic arm for four-year-old Mohammed Sideeq, the youngest recipient of such a prosthetic.

Breaking Barriers with Technology

“Our mission is to revolutionize the way technology serves the disabled community,” said Anas Niaz, CEO of BIONIKS. “Through our devices, we aim to break barriers and empower individuals with independent and dignified lives.”

This United Nations-backed recognition not only highlights Pakistan’s tech-driven social impact but also sets the stage for future advancements in assistive technology worldwide.

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