Facebook has collaborated with the Government of Pakistan and the National Technology Fund, Ignite to launch the first Facebook Innovation Lab in Pakistan.
According to a press release, the Innovation Lab is to focus on providing infrastructure access to developers, entrepreneurs and community groups that will enable them to network, train and grow their expertise.
The lab is to also host future initiatives, including housing community events, workshops and training for startups. The lab is to welcome startups and entrepreneurs based in Pakistan who would like to deep dive into the emerging technology space. The initiative will also help developers build products and applications using emerging technology like Virtual Reality.
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Jason Lin, head of Startup Programmes (APAC), Facebook speaking on the occasion said,
“We are proud to launch the Facebook Innovation Lab as a part of our long term commitment to support innovation and the developer community in Pakistan.”
According to her, Facebook is committed to building an impactful community in the country and the management of the social media platform believes it is important to support businesses, startups and the individuals who are driving innovation to grow and succeed.
She further added,
“We are confident that through our partnership with the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom, Ignite, National Incubation Centre (NIC) Lahore, and LUMS, Facebook Innovation Lab will not only be a unique training and innovation center, but will support a vibrant and transformative technology community in the country.”
Furthermore, along with providing a showcase of the latest technology, participants will also be matched with mentors and connected with Facebook’s global and exclusive experts, industry leaders, and specialists in product innovation, business growth, and data protection.
Yusuf Hussain CEO Ignite speaking on the occasion said,
“Augmented Reality (AR), VR and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are rapidly expanding and will be major sectors of the future. Ignite’s partnership with Facebook, one of the world’s leading AR/VR development platform, will help launch this crucial 4IR technology in Pakistan in a big way.”
Meanwhile LUMS Vice Chancellor, Dr. Arshad Ahmad said, “Innovation is the backbone of cutting edge research and quality teaching at LUMS The lab provides leverage to our core offerings and enables us to achieve another level of training and mentorship as it promises to create social capital amongst young entrepreneurs that will drive their ideas with no boundaries.”
The innovation lab is to be located within the National Incubation Center (NIC) at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). The launch event of the lab was attended by prominent names in the industry.
Image source: Facebook/Press Release
