New report shines a light on Pakistan’s startup opportunities

“As a result of heightened social media usage and increased access to technology, Pakistanis are more connected to global entrepreneurial and technology trends as well as higher quality learning than before,” says a new report commissioned by the World Bank’s Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP).

The report, released today, details Pakistan’s startup ecosystem and the key players to whom entrepreneurs can turn for things like mentorship, workshops, incubation, and funding.

“In the past several years, Pakistan’s volatile political and security environment has negatively affected the investor and entrepreneurship climate,” the report notes. However, it ultimately paints a picture of a nation adopting new technology while at the same time “adapting Western-style entrepreneurship and innovation for a Pakistan context.”

The paper was released by Invest2Innovate, a local startup accelerator, in partnership with CGAP. Kalsoom Lakhani, the founder and CEO of Invest2Innovate, tells Tech in Asia that the information might help highlight “the gaps and challenges that currently persist” in Pakistan’s startup scene. “Our hope with this report […] is that stakeholders, investors, and entrepreneurs can use this study as a resource to understand the nuances of this complex environment and better navigate this space,” she adds.

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It comes two months after the launch of the crowdsourced Pakistan Startup Wiki, for which 10 local experts and more than 20 startup geeks put their heads together to build a dynamic site that explains the nuts and bolts of the Pakistani startup landscape.

Perhaps the most useful section of the new report is the chart (below) showing the nodes in the startup network, from university incubators right up to growth-stage funding sources.

The full report can be downloaded for free here.