The Pakistani tech startup industry witnessed many highs in the last couple of years — record-breaking funding rounds, debuts by marquee global investors, and the emergence of founder “mafias,” among others. If all goes well, the world’s fifth-most populous country might bag another win soon: its first home-grown tech unicorn.
As neighboring India produced its 100th Pakistani tech startup unicorn this month, many in the Pakistani tech startup community are waiting with bated breath for a local company to touch the aspirational $1 billion valuation. Local investors say that having a unicorn will validate Pakistan’s potential and cement its place as a startup destination.
“Right now, there’s no proof that the market is a destination; there are the inklings of it and it’s really exciting… But unicorn valuations, whether or not they actually matter, are important for signaling,” Kalsoom Lakhani, co-founder and general partner at Pakistan-focused early-stage fund i2i Ventures, told Rest of World earlier this year. “Unicorn valuations, whether or not they actually matter, are important for signaling.” A unicorn could go a long way in convincing global investors who might be sitting on the fence, given the country’s uncertain political environment, Faisal Aftab, co-founder and managing partner of Pakistani venture capital fund Zayn Capital, told Rest of World. “It will solidify that Pakistan is here on the map to stay.”
Lakhani, who is hopeful that Pakistani tech could produce...
Read Full Story: https://technologytimes.pk/2022/05/18/pakistani-tech-startups-are-having-a-dazzling-run/
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