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Support for entrepreneurs: P@SHA launches incubator in Karachi

Follows footsteps of Lahore; aim is to serve as platform for budding talent.

Our Correspondent January 14, 2015 1 min read

quot we want them to create jobs not only for themselves but also for thousands of others in the city quot said p sha president jehan ara photo afp

"We want them to create jobs not only for themselves but also for thousands of others in the city," said P@SHA President Jehan Ara. PHOTO: AFP

KARACHI: Taking a leaf out of the globally thriving trend of start ups, Pakistan is gradually taking its baby steps as a growing number of ventures have emerged.

One of the leading players of this field would be the Pakistan Software Houses Association for IT and IT-enabled Services (P@SHA), which has recently launched its technology incubator.

Hailed as a valuable addition to the country’s startup ecosystem, the aim of the incubator is to serve as a bridge between talent, opportunity and commercial development for millions of young people, seen in the case of Plan9, the Lahore-based technology incubator of the Punjab Information Technology Board.

“The tech community in Karachi has eagerly awaited this day and it is a great moment to witness its execution,” said P@SHA President Jehan Ara as she welcomed guests at The Nest I/O, P@SHA’s technology incubator.

“We want them to create jobs not only for themselves but also for thousands of others in the city,” the president said, addressing the event comprising of diplomats from South Korea and the United States; officials from Google and Samsung, experts from Pakistan’s ICT industry; heads of successful startups and the media.

The incubator will support over 50 residential startups, and provide co-working space to dozens of technology entrepreneurs during its first year of operation. Samsung Pakistan MD J.H. Lee; Google (Asia Pacific) Head of Public Policy Ann Lavin and US Consul General Karachi Brian Heath expressed their commitment to continue support for startup culture in the country. Google, Samsung and the US government collectively provided $1.4 million worth of support to the launch of The Nest.

The incubator will serve as a platform for talented entrepreneurs, where they will have access to mentors, training and community events. They will also get access to current technology platforms and products for developing and testing, the officials told the audience.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 15^th, 2015.

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