021Disrupt hosts 1000+ innovators, 600+ startups, and 20+ investors for its third edition in Karachi
The third edition of Pakistan’s leading entrepreneurial and innovation conference, 021Disrupt, was organised by The Nest I/O on November 2nd & 3rd at a hotel in Karachi; the conference aimed to connect local and international investors, innovators, and tech pioneers with the entrepreneurial community of Pakistan.
This year 021Disrupt witnessed a footprint of 1100+ entrepreneurs, investors, influencers, professionals and students attending the conference from all over Pakistan. The speaker line-up included global voices from the USA, UAE, Norway, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam among other countries. More than 600 startups from across the country engaged with 23 investors in over 200+ office hours.
There were major announcements at the conference that aim to influence the investment climate in the coming years.
Investment announcements at 021Disrupt 2019:
1. Airlift: Pakistan's Airlift secured a $12M Series A financing, led by First Round Capital, a leading Silicon Valley firm.
2. TelloTalk: Pakistan’s first homegrown messenger closed their Seed Funding Round of $1.2 million led by Spark Labs and multiple global investors who are investing in Pakistan for the first time.
3. Swvl: The company announced that it would invest $25 million in Pakistan in the next two years to mobilise 500,000 commuters, create 10,000 jobs per year, fund pre-seed startups working in the mobility space, and build an off-shore support office.
4. PriceOye: Closed a seed funding round of $450,000 led by Fatima Ventures, Artistic Ventures and Kinetico.
5. Queno: Oman Technology Fund closed Seed Funding Round of $100,000 in Queno, an ed-tech startup that provides a communication solution for parents and teachers.
6. Find My Adventure: Announced acquisition of K-Town Rooms and the launch of 100 FMA Rooms across Pakistan with a flat rent.
HBL, via COO Saghir Mufti, announced its Open Banking initiative and the launch of an Investment Fund for FinTech Startups by January 2020.