Pakistan’s startup ecosystem is maturing, says a McKinsey’s report. 3G/4G connections in the country have increased four-fold over the last three years, which marks a high level of connectivity in the country. With a surge in teledensity in recent times and a promising younger population of the country, the environment seems only promising for startups. Another factor to consider is the increased purchasing power of Pakistan’s middle class population. These conditions are ideal for innovative entrepreneurial ideas to turn into successful startups. Success however is also dependent on how much of a technologically savvy approach an entrepreneur has for its idea.

Entrepreneurial landscape is tied to technology. Technology breeds successful startups and embracing its need can set a startup for growth and help it in tapping its potential. Realizing the importance of this, Ejad Labs in collaboration with JS Bank came up with an idea of organizing Pakistan Innovation Roadshow. A roadshow that would be conducted all across Pakistan highlighting and celebrating its tech ecosystem. An event aimed at spurring conversations essential for tech ecosystem development.

What is it offering?

Pakistan Innovation Roadshow that is being organized in 20 cities aims to highlight the booming tech ecosystem and top tech talent from Pakistan. It aims to discuss and present policy recommendations for the tech ecosystem, discover and highlight inspirational stories of young tech talent from all over Pakistan and make it easier to find top tech talent through a database. Although Pakistan’s startup ecosystem is evolving, there is still a long way to go. Pakistan ranks 120th in the Global Entrepreneurship Index rankings which is an indicator of the health of the entrepreneurship ecosystem of a country. Therefore, the role which mindful and well thought-out communication aimed at fostering the importance of technologically driven startups can play right now is very significant.

The event is being organized from 1st to 30th March, 2021 and is offering following activities for its participants:

• Thought Provoking Conversations 

The highlight of the Roadshow would be Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, where we will engage with tech enthusiasts, innovation ecosystem builders, CTOs and more to highlight what makes each city unique. 

A series of keynote speeches, panel discussions and fireside chats to shed light on the wins; pressing issues; changes needed in policy and regulation; and future of tech innovation in Pakistan. 

• Skill Development Seminars

An opportunity to learn from the best of the best, students who aspire to become freelancers and enter the tech field will learn everything from freelancing and marketing to remote development – all the tricks of the trade that can help them stand out.

These capacity building sessions will take place in 20 cities with a budding tech ecosystem. 

• Industry Meetups 

Staying true to the organisers’ mission of building communities, meetups will be organized for freelancers and tech enthusiasts to interact with industry players and domain experts for sharing insights and building connections.

The goal is to connect with the key stakeholders of the innovation ecosystem of every city and help them connect with each other.

• Online Webinar Series

In line with the philosophy of sparking meaningful conversations about the tech  industry in Pakistan, a curated  webinar/podcast series with Pakistan’s top-ranking tech talent will be featured, addressing the most important aspects of the industry and highlighting the success stories.

This series will be featured for a period of 6 months following the roadshow.

What is in it for you?

• Startups

Speaker sessions are packed with insights from industry leaders and successful entrepreneurs. Startups get a chance to not only learn from them during these speaker sessions, but they also get the opportunity to network and have one on one sessions with investors as Office Hours to receive mentorship and initiate investment deals. 

• Ecosystem Builders 

Are you an investor, incubator or entrepreneurial ecosystem enabler? Get the opportunity to network with like-minded individuals from all over the country. Join us in celebrating the wins of Pakistan’s startup community in spite of a pandemic. You will also get to meet fresh entrepreneurial talent and inspire aspiring entrepreneurs.

• Professionals 

Do you want to stay ahead of the curve through corporate innovation? Start now! Attend the Pakistan Innovation Roadshow to network and engage with innovators in the startup community and collaborate with key stakeholders. 

• Academia

Are you a research scholar, professor or academic policy maker looking for exposure to all the happenings in the innovation and technology landscape? Come to Pakistan Innovation Roadshow and engage with top innovators in the entrepreneurial ecosystem and explore areas of collaboration. 

• Students

Are you a student aspiring to be a freelancer or entrepreneur? This is the best chance to get exposure to all the possibilities in the entrepreneurship and technology ecosystem. Whether you want to be an entrepreneur or want a career in technology, this roadshow is the place to be! 

Expected Impact

The expected impact of the roadshow is to establish:

• 5,000+ direct connections with tech talent.
• 15,000+ indirect freelancer connections.
• 500,000+ digital audience engagement.
• 50+ success stories.

The roadshow will

– enable conversations by documenting and highlighting success stories of tech talent,

– establish digital communities,

– make policy recommendations for tech ecosystem,

– and form a database of Pakistan’s freelancers, IT companies and startups.

 all helping in bolstering the tech ecosystem of Pakistan.