KARACHI:
A single WhatsApp group called Paklaunch, founded by Aly Fahd in Silicon Valley on April 29, 2020 to explore investment opportunities in Pakistani startups and mentor Pakistani founders, has grown from seven original members to a thriving global community of over than 300,000 distinguished Pakistanis.
These people are spread across the globe and aligned with the 2023 vision to build Pakistan among the top 10 tech ecosystems in the world.
Paklaunch members include unicorn founders, investors from around the world, and professionals from some of the top companies.
They have held over 300 events, conducted numerous trainings, helped over 80 startups raise over $80 million, and held three major tech conferences in the last 30 months.
The group is now hosting the exclusive top-tier Paklaunch UnConference’23 on January 25-26 in Dubai, where Pakistan’s top 50 start-ups, several major family offices/conglomerates and Pakistan-based venture capitalists will meet with the most active emerging market tech investors.
“This is not your typical tech event and the goal over two days is to facilitate friendships and help build bonds,” said a press release.
During the conference, all attendees are expected to participate in discussions and not spend a lot of time listening to lectures or presentations.
This is Paklaunch’s second Unconference after the Silicon Valley event held in June 2022, where 52 Pakistani startup founders flew to Silicon Valley and met with 95 investors. 19 investment deals originating from UnConference’22 were confirmed. “Paklaunch’s goal is to do better in Dubai,” the statement added.
Several major global funds and family offices have already confirmed their attendance. Lakson Venture Capital and Gaditek are the main platinum sponsors of the event.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 17the2023.
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