Pakistani entrepreneurs, investors meet at Karachi tech conference

Published February 8, 2017
Chairman of the Punjab IT board Dr Umar Saif speaks at the conference.— Photo courtesy: Momentum Facebook page
Chairman of the Punjab IT board Dr Umar Saif speaks at the conference.— Photo courtesy: Momentum Facebook page

Young techies, entrepreneurs, startup enthusiasts, investors and speakers flocked to Karachi's Expo Centre this week to attend the two-day Momentum Tech Conference that sought to promote the startup ecosystem.

The conference-cum-exhibition, held on Feb 6-7, included speeches and panel discussions featuring executives from some of the most successful tech startups and organisations including P@SHA, Microsoft, Telenor, Homeshopping.pk, Careem, Pakwheels, Amazon web and IBM.

Showcasing more than 100 Pakistani startups, the event gave aspiring entrepreneurs a chance to pitch their ideas and get funding from investors.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan, who was the chief guest at the event, encouraged youth entrepreneurs to "dream big, never compromise on your vision, and to stand up in the face of defeat and handle pressure".

Team SocialChamp with the Momentum cup and winner's cheque
Team SocialChamp with the Momentum cup and winner's cheque

Sameer Ahmed Khan, co-founder and CEO of SocialChamp was declared the winner of Momentum Startup Pitch competition and was awarded $10,000.

SocialChamp is a social media management tool that was incubated at The Nest I/O.

In response to the success of his startup, Khan pointed out that "the true success belongs to all the startups that represent Pakistan. With all the limited resources and crazy challenges, they still beat an entrepreneurial heart, and look into the eyes of all those who say Pakistan isn't ready yet."

"Momentum played a huge role as a catalyst to this change by empowering Pakistani Startups and connecting them with international investors and mentors.", said Khan of his experience at the Momentum Tech Conference.

The speakers at the conference shared their inspiring success stories and discussed the latest trends that will impact the future of internet driven businesses.

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