LMKT-operated National Incubation Center (NIC), Peshawar on Dec. 21 graduated 15 startups from its third and fourth cohorts.
Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Syed Aminul Haque was the Chief Guest of the ceremony. CEO Ignite Syed Junaid Imam and members of the political leadership of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also graced the event.
Since its inception, NIC Peshawar, an Ignite-funded initiative of Ministry of IT and Telecommunication, has played a key role in revolutionizing the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In a span of two years, startups from NIC Peshawar have created over 1419 direct and 1295 indirect employment opportunities, raised over PKR 504 Million in investments and registered a revenue growth of PKR 212 Million.
The recently graduated startups, a third of which are women led, belong to a diverse set of industries including education, health, e-commerce, lifestyle, transport, gaming, and delivery services. These graduates have continued to build on NIC Peshawar’s tradition of innovation and inclusivity.
“The startups graduating today out of NIC Peshawar have delivered on the benchmarks set by their predecessors,” said Mr. Aminul Haque. “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 to create a wave of disruption in the most conventional industries.”
“Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is on the cusp of establishing itself as the hub of innovation and technology and play an integral role in actualizing the dream of a Digital Pakistan,” added Zia Ullah Khan Bangash, Special Assistant to Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Science & Information Technology. “NIC Peshawar is at the forefront of this mission and is facilitating the growth of the startup ecosystem in the province.”
CEO Ignite Mr. Junaid Imam attributed the success of NIC Peshawar to the dedication and hard work of the team.
“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” said CEO LMKT Atif Rais Khan, as he congratulated all the graduating startups.
Director NIC Peshawar Asim Ishaq Khan, thanked all esteemed guests for attending the ceremony and noted that “the progress made by these innovators in such a short span of time is phenomenal.” He added that “all 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.”
This is the second graduation ceremony of NIC Peshawar, which was inaugurated in January 2018 and is operated by LMKT in collaboration with PTCL.
About LMKT:
LMKT is a full-service technology company based out of Pakistan offering scalable IT solutions. Formally incorporated in 2010 the company has a pedigree of nearly three decades. LMKT specializes in smart cities, smart buildings, integrated security, e-governance, clean technology and agri-tech solutions in its pursuit to support the country’s fast growing economy and rapid urbanization.