The National Science & Technology Park at NUST and the US Embassy, Pakistan have launched the “Rising Stars Startup Competition.” Conceived and designed by NSTP for the minorities, the primary objective of the programme is to increase the number of quality entrepreneurs and, in so doing, give impetus to long-term economic growth of Pakistan. Besides the US Embassy, Draper University has also been welcomed aboard as a Knowledge Partner offering virtual training to participants, while Pak Mission Society has been engaged as an Outreach Partner to mobilise minority communities. Under the initiative, selected participants will avail mentoring, support from industry partners, and access to networking events. The programme will help foster a culture of entrepreneurship amongst the underprivileged to the extent that they become capable enough to scale their ventures. In addition, hands-on trainings and workshops will be offered to participants to build their entrepreneurial skills and business acumen. Participants will also be able to showcase their ideas to investors to secure funding for their respective startups. The 9-month-long programme will be conducted in a hybrid mode. Startups will also visit industry and innovation hubs, and avail pitching opportunities based on their readiness levels. The winner will be awarded the Rising Star Award of PKR 1,000,000, while the second and third place startups will be conferred PKR 600,000 and PKR 400,000, respectively.