Islamabad: As per the latest update, a Two-day Startup Pitching Completion was held at the Higher Education Commission (HEC) under the “Innovator Seed Fund (ISF).” Program In this event, nearly 65 entrepreneurs have pitched their creative and innovative business ideas to the jury. The jury comprises various business and industry experts encouraging entrepreneurship and accelerating the nation’s socio-economic development.
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Dr Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman of HEC, was the opening ceremony’s chief guest. He congratulated all the competitors who participated in the event for their brilliant efforts and for going beyond their comfort zones to positively change society. During the event, he said, “Keeping in view the current situation of the job market of Pakistan, it is incumbent upon youth to be job providers instead of job seekers,”
ISF, an initiative under the Higher Education Development in Pakistan Program, provides support and seed funding to early-stage startups through HEC-recognized Business Incubation Centers (BICs) at universities. Initially, ISF got 205 concept notes against the available funding slots. The concept notes were from various thematic areas, including:
- Housing
- Logistics
- Agriculture
- Construction
- E-commerce
- Digital Media
- Transportation
- Food Resources
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As per the report, out of the total received concept notes, about 175 were shortlisted and provided pitching training. About 65 startups were shortlisted for the pitching competition before the final award ceremony for 30 winner startups scheduled for September 1, 2023, at the Pak-China Center, Islamabad.
Up to 28 startups with ties to various universities in Pakistan have been awarded Rs. 10 million each under the Higher Education Development in Pakistan (HEDP) Program. The HEC’s Innovator Seed Fund (ISF) presented the reward for their ground-breaking, avant-garde business concepts.
Furthermore, last year, around 15 ISF projects were awarded, and this year, almost 30 ISF projects have been awarded in different major thematic areas ranging from Education EdTech, Creative, and Digital Media Arts to Sustainable Development, Energy & Climate and Health-tech, and E-commerce.
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