Tech startup raises $1.4m to help Pakistani talent

LONDON/SAN FRANCISCO: A Pakistani technology startup has raised $1.4 million funding in its seed round of investment so that it can enable Pakistani software engineers and developers to get international exposure.

RemoteBase finds, hires, trains and places Pakistani software engineers and developers in Silicon Valley companies. This investment by Pakistan-based Indus Valley Capital and US Billionaire Tim Draper in RemoteBase is considered to be a boost to Pakistan’s tech ecosystem since it reflects a growing trend of Pakistani tech startups raising millions of dollars.

Umar Saif, an MIT graduate who also worked in the Punjab government and also founded Plan9, a tech incubator that gave Pakistani startups exposure to investors in Silicon Valley, said: “I am super proud of Qasim and his team on the fundraise. Having seen him work in the past, I can see Remotebase playing a pivotal role in placing Pakistan on the global map. “As companies go remote, they are looking to hire software engineers from all over the world and Pakistan can benefit from this immensely,” he added.

The founder of RemoteBase, Qasim Asad Salam who has also worked closely with Umar Saif and Plan9, said his main goal was to help Pakistani engineers compete internationally and that remote working during Covid-19 made it possible. RemoteBase currently has 40 software engineers but the company plans to hire 150+ Pakistani engineers by the end of 2021 after gaining this investment. US billionaire Tim Draper said: “I am super proud of Qasim, Talha and their team on the fundraise. I can see Remotebase playing a pivotal role in placing Pakistan on the global map.”

Qasim Asad Salam said Remotebase’s mission is to help engineers in emerging markets have the same access to working with innovative companies as those in developed nations. With this fresh round of funding, Remotebase aims to hire more engineers, power Remotebase hackathons, and encourage women to get into tech through Remotebase for Women.