The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad and the Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) Islamabad Chapter celebrated the conclusion of the 2015 Pakistan StartUp Cup, a nationwide business model competition. At the closing ceremony, American Ambassador David Hale and State Minister of the Capital Administration and Development Division Tariq Fazal Chaudhry presented awards to the winning startup, Patari, and the two runners-up, Wifigen and Maro Tandoor, who competed in the national pitch session on January 26.
Ambassador Hale delivered the event’s closing remarks to an audience of more than 100 entrepreneurs. “Take the skills and the connections that you have gained through StartUp Cup and use them to tackle the challenges faced by communities across Pakistan. From promoting clean energy to combatting violent extremism, you have tremendous potential to help solve the biggest problems in your communities,” Ambassador Hale said.
Through the 2015 StartUp Cup, over 450 startups from around Pakistan received coaching through multi-day “Build-a-Business” workshops and regular mentoring to help turn their ideas into fully operational businesses. Participants learned to design business models, develop customer bases, and launch their startup concepts in the local marketplace.
The 2015 StartUp Cup in Pakistan introduced new partnerships with entrepreneurship centers across Pakistan, including with the Women’s Entrepreneurial Center of Resources, Education, Access, and Training for Economic Empowerment (WECREATE) in Islamabad, the Lahore University for Management Science (LUMS) Center for Entrepreneurship, Lahore-based government-supported incubator Plan 9, and Karachi-based technology incubator “The Nest I/O.”
The partnerships between StartUp Cup and these centers will ensure that newly established businesses receive sustained support, mentoring and essential tools for long-term success. Several U.S. Embassy programs assist Pakistani entrepreneurs by increasing their access to financial resources, supporting opportunities for entrepreneurship education, and nurturing an entrepreneurial culture.
For more information on StartUp Cup Pakistan, please visithttp://pakistan.startupcup.com/.
