Eight students develop five business startups in five months

LAHORE: SparkTank by Beaconhouse, Pakistan’s first business incubator for 10-19 year-olds, celebrated the graduation of its inaugural cohort at an event titled ‘The SparkTank Showcase’ held at a local hotel here on Friday.

According to a press release, the SparkTank Showcase featured five promising startups developed by eight students over a five-month incubation period from September 2023 to February 2024. The graduating startups include Go Clean, Pak Maweshi, Bitty Bop’s Perfumery, Takhti.pk and BreatheEasy.

The event featured an exhibition and presentations by the graduating students where they introduced their idea and the startups to an audience including investors, experts from the startup industry, as well as students, parents, and educationists.

A keynote speech by Chief Sustainability Officer at Al Futtaim Group, Ellora-Julie Parekh, highlighted the importance of promoting entrepreneurship from an early age to equip the youth with the skills and mindset necessary to tackle modern day challenges. Education technology entrepreneur and CEO of Build Something Different, Chris Geary spoke on ‘Tech Education: Cultivating Tomorrow's Innovators’.

A panel discussion titled ‘Navigating Early Stage Funding’ explored the various opportunities for obtaining initial financing for startups. It provided practical advice on overcoming funding challenges and planning for long-term financial sustainability.

The panelists included CEO & founder of ‘CIRCLE’ Sadaffe Abid; founder & general partner of ‘Zayn Venture Capital’ Faisal Aftab; co-founder & CEO of ‘Smartlane’ and co-founder of ‘Rent It’ Fatin Tariq Gondal; and managing director of ‘Endeavor Pakistan’ Shehryar Hydri. Co-founder of ‘Out-Class & Taraki’ Ali Nomani moderated the discussion.

Speaking at the event, Beaconhouse School System and SparkTank CEO Kasim Kasuri said “We are incredibly proud of our first cohort of young entrepreneurs. Their dedication and innovation have been truly inspiring, and we are excited to see the impact they will go on to make. SparkTank is committed to supporting innovation among the youth, nurturing their talent while promoting creative thinking and business acumen.”