Contest among startups concludes

Islamabad: The finale of the seventh edition of the Pakistan Startup Cup held by the Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) in partnership with US Embassy was held here on Tuesday.

Over 500 startups participated in various stages of the competition, which included coaching and business readiness workshops. From the final 15 startups, the first prize of 10 million rupees went to Scaryammi, Pakistan’s first mothering community application. The second prize of Rs750,000 goes to mimAR, a building visualization company offering interactive visualisation for the real estate industry. MeraFuture, Islamabad’s startup offering artificial intelligence-based career counselling for 9th to12th grade students takes the rupees 500,000 third prize.

Regional Winners include: Mobiliti from Lahore, Poulta from Islamabad, Moogle Studio from Peshawar, Kaachi from Karachi, and Edjin Robotics from Quetta.

The Startup Cup is a local business model competition designed to increase the quality and quantity of entrepreneurs in Pakistan. This year’s event promises to show a unique virtual experience to those attending it.

“Our number-one goal for this competition is to encourage and support the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Pakistan,” said Murtaza Zaidi, President of TiE Islamabad.

“Through this competition, we can help budding entrepreneurs connect with successful businesspersons and prominent members of the startup ecosystem to gain the knowledge and expertise their business requires to prosper,” he added.

U.S. Embassy Minister Counselor for Public Affairs Raymond Castillo noted, “It is exciting to see the level of creativity and business drive that the Startup Cup generates. The United States has a long and proud history of supporting entrepreneurs, and we are thrilled to be able to share this experience with Pakistan.”

Senator, Sania Nishtar added, “Initiatives like the Pakistan Startup Cup are soimportant for Pakistan. With such a high percentage of youth in the country, it is important for our young population to entrepreneurial skills that TiE Islamabad that will not only help them but also create opportunities for others as their businesses grow.”

The Startup Cup is Pakistan’s largest startup competition. TiE Islamabad, in partnership with the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, has increased the initial scope of the competition to include entrepreneurs from across the country, and has already helped over 2,500 startups grow.