PESHAWAR: Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Syed Amin-ul-Haque said that the youth of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had always exhibited passion, motivation and steadfastness in all fields and appreciated the hard work of the women entrepreneurs for facing market challenges.
He was speaking as chief guest at a ceremony arranged by the National Incubation Centre Peshawar. He was accompanied by the political leadership from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, CEO Ignite, LMKT team and other dignitaries.
NIC Peshawar is an initiative of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication funded by Ignite and operated by LMKT in collaboration with the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL).
Since its inception, NIC Peshawar has played a key role in the development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It has not only contributed towards the growth of local startups but has also helped in uplifting the regional economy.
The startups that are graduating out of the third and fourth cohorts have built innovative and disruptive solutions for a diverse set of industries including education, health, e-commerce, lifestyle, transport, gaming, and delivery services. In a limited span of two years, these startups have created an unprecedented social impact by generating more than 1419 direct and 1295 indirect employment opportunities, raising more than Rs504 million in investments and registering a revenue growth of Rs212 million.
Addressing the ceremony, Syed Amin-ul-Haque said, “The startups graduating today out of NIC Peshawar have delivered on the benchmarks set by their predecessors. The youth of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has always exhibited passion, motivation and steadfastness in all fields of life and they will continue to do so in the years to come. It gives me immense pleasure to witness and experience the innovative products and solutions developed by these startups.”
He said, “I am happy that five graduating startups are led by female founders which shows a 33 percent engagement rate for women entrepreneurs from the KP.
“Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is on the cusp of establishing itself as the hub of innovation and technology and plays an integral role in actualizing the dream of a digital Pakistan. NIC Peshawar is at the forefront of this mission and is facilitating the growth of the startup ecosystem in the province,” commented Ziaullah Bangash, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Science Technology and Information Technology.
CEO Ignite, said the success of NIC Peshawar was the result of the dedication and hard work put up by the Ignite and NIC Peshawar team, founders and their mentors. “We look forward to more innovative ideas from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that are especially led by women entrepreneurs,” he added.
Atif Raes Khan, CEO LMKT, congratulated all the graduating startups and said, “The accomplishments of the graduating startups and the efforts put up by NIC Peshawar have proved once again that a developing economy like Pakistan needs to invest in human capital for development and success in the long-run”
Asim Ishaq Khan, Director NIC Peshawar, thanked the guests for attending the ceremony. In his address, he said, “The progress made by these innovators in such a short span of time is phenomenal. All the startups have displayed tremendous perseverance and consistency to overcome market challenges and take their products and solutions forward. NIC Peshawar is proud to have been an advocate for the entrepreneurial ecosystem and a nurturing partner for the startups.”
