The National Incubation Center Karachi marked a milestone by graduating 30 startups from its 12th Cohort while celebrating its first anniversary, a ceremony attended by Federal Minister for IT & Telecom Shaza Fatima Khawaja along with CEO Ignite Rafique Ahmed Buriro and Asim Ishaq Khan, Vice President LMKT, and a broad mix of industry leaders and investors.
Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja underlined the government’s commitment to the Prime Minister’s Digital Nation Vision, saying that the graduates reflect Pakistan’s entrepreneurial talent and the potential of young innovators to create jobs and reshape industries. Her remarks highlighted how NIC Karachi continues to support a knowledge-based digital economy by empowering youth across the country.
Rafique Ahmed Buriro of Ignite described the role of public-private collaboration in scaling entrepreneurship, noting that NIC Karachi shows how targeted support and mentorship can help startups build globally relevant solutions. The CEO emphasized Ignite’s drive to expand distributed innovation and ensure startups from all regions receive the guidance and investor access they need.
Asim Ishaq Khan of LMKT praised the consortium model and partners YBG and Orbit Startups for strengthening the incubator’s pipeline of scalable businesses, saying the success of Cohort 12 demonstrates that with the right ecosystem and investor linkages Pakistani founders can compete internationally.
Since its inception NIC Karachi has incubated more than 375 startups, contributed to the creation of over 1 million jobs, generated upwards of PKR 10 billion in revenue and attracted more than PKR 12 billion in investment. The center provides free-of-cost incubation, mentorship, investor introductions, legal and financial advisory, and access to advanced labs in Fintech, Industrial Automation and Media.
The graduating startups from Cohort 12 are now positioned to scale their products across local and international markets, reinforcing NIC Karachi’s role in strengthening Pakistan’s innovation ecosystem and supporting the government’s vision for a digitally driven economy.
