Daily Times

IBA Karachi’s Centre for Entrepreneurial Development (IBA-CED) marked Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) 2024 with a series of events, held from November 21-23. This year’s theme, ‘Entrepreneurship is for everyone,’ was reflected in the diverse range of activities designed to engage students, faculty, investors, industry specialists, and entrepreneurs from all age groups.

IBA Executive Director Dr S Akbar Zaidi inaugurated the GEW and said that most students now want to become entrepreneurs rather than work in multinationals. IBA CED Director Dr Lalarukh Ejaz presented the welcome address and detailed the activities being organised to mark GEW.

The first day’s flagship event, E-Connect, featured two panel discussions, a fireside chat, and the launch of Pakistan’s first university-based angel investor network. The panel discussions focused on sustainable impact and fueling early-stage innovation, while the fireside chat explored entrepreneurial tales of triumphs and trials.

The panelists included prominent figures from the entrepreneurial ecosystem, such as Jehan Ara, CEO of Catalyst Lab; Ayesha Mian, CEO of Synapse; Azima Dhanjee, CEO of ConnectHear; Jaffar Raza, Group Head of JS Bank; Khaqqan Sikander, CEO of NayaJeevan; Tabish Shahzad, CEO of KDSP; Atyab Tahir, Hugo Bank; Nadeem Sheikh, Founder of Naeem; Amin Sheikh, YouPitchLive; Darakhshan Vohra, Legal Advisor and Angel Investor; and Sennen Desouza, CEO of Investors Lounge. The discourse kept the audience fully engaged, enabling them to develop a robust understanding of the startup ecosystem. Concurrently, I-BAZAAR, a marketplace for 36 innovative student startups, showcased products in various categories.

On the second day, an interactive session with Shark Tank Pakistan allowed enthusiastic IBA students to engage with the Sharks. The third day featured INVENT2024, Pakistan’s pioneering university-based business plan competition. The top 10 shortlisted startups from across Pakistan, selected after a rigorous evaluation process, competed for cash prizes and one-year incubation services at IBA-CED. YumKin Foods Pvt Ltd from Faisalabad secured the first position, while Carbo Tech Dynamics from Lahore came in second, and Islamabad’s NanoDrop took third place, receiving PKR 300,000, PKR 200,000, and PKR 100,000, respectively.