i2i Ventures launches $15mln fund

Washington: i2i Ventures, an early-stage investment fund with a focus on Pakistan-based technology enabled companies, has launched a $15 million fund and also made its first investment in startup Mauqa Online, a statement said.

i2i Ventures sets out to challenge the traditional power dynamics of a fund, taking an impact and gender-lens approach to investing and allowing for its portfolio founders to have as much power at the negotiating table as the investor.

“As the 5th largest market in the world, with a young population, a rising consumer class and increasing smartphone penetration, Pakistan presents tremendous investment opportunities,” said Kalsoom Lakhani, co-founder and partner of i2i Ventures.

“Having operated in the region and industry for more than eight years, it's clear that the market is ripe for a founder-focused fund like i2i Ventures, where shared goals, trust and open communication are deeply embedded into the investment strategy.”

i2i Ventures is the first female-founded institutional fund to invest exclusively in Pakistani entrepreneurs.

Misbah Naqvi, co-founder and managing partner said the venture is committed to investing in Pakistani tech entrepreneurs at “the seed level and supporting them as they grow their business and raise funding for post-seed and series A rounds”. As its first investment, i2i Ventures had invested in Mauqa Online, an Islamabad-based startup providing an on-demand digital platform for domestic services.