DYS: Boosting entrepreneurship in KP
Over 4,000 delegates from across Pakistan attended this year’s Digital Youth Summit, Peshawar’s premier tech and entrepreneurship conference organised by the KP Government’s IT Board and The World Bank. The event, held on 5th-7th May, was supported by Jazz, UNDP and the USAID.
The event kicked off with an by-invitation-only opening panel on May 4 – the open to the public event was held from the 5th to the 7th and over 80 speakers from around the world came together to discuss Pakistan’s future in entrepreneurship and innovation. Delegates and speakers were buzzing with energy during the three days as they listened to panel discussions, keynote speeches and pitching competitions. The venue’s café and restaurant became a networking hotspot as start-ups pitched their businesses to investors and corporates and even signed MoUs with the Government and development sector organisations.
Here are some key talking points and take-home messages of the conference:
1. Growth of incubators in Pakistan
A lot of the conversation at the conference revolved around the recent growth of incubators in Pakistan. Speakers discussed how incubators are helping Pakistan’s start-up ecosystem and whether there was a need for more. Yousaf Hussain, CEO, ICT & R&D Fund, announced the establishment of four new National Incubation Centres (NIC) in Lahore, Peshawar and Karachi; a model NIC has already been established in Islamabad. In a discussion with directors of notable incubators in Pakistan, the panel agreed that although incubators are crucial, it is the founders themselves who make a start-up a success.