Pakistan’s premier startup reality show Idea Croron Ka (ICK) is well on its way to launching its third season in July 2018. Having completed two seasons, the startups who pitched on the ICK stage have raised Rs. 22 crores, whereas a total of 48 startups were given the chance to present their business ideas, with 15 local and international investors as a part of the show.
ICK is accelerating and escalating its goals by partnering up with USAID Small and Medium Enterprise Activity (USAID SMEA). USAID Small and Medium Enterprise Activity (SMEA) project is implementing business development support (BDS) activities designed to facilitate growth and enhance productivity in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).
Read: USAID-Backed Challenge Fund for Entrepreneurs, SMEs Launches in Islamabad
ICK represented by Nabeel A. Qadeer; Host, Lead and Content Producer signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with USAID SMEA represented by Farrukh Khan; Chief of Party here on Monday, 11thJune, 2018.
USAID SMEA has agreed to appear on ICK to provide grant capital in two categories; Information & Communication Technologies and Hospitality, to deserving entrepreneurs of Pakistan.
“Through this MoU, ICK will access grants that will incentivize the development and diffusion of innovative, scalable business ideas that will benefit both the entrepreneurial sector and startups.”
– Nabeel A. Qadeer
Sharing his thoughts on this partnership, Farrukh Khan said,
“The sort of opportunities we provide at USAID SMEA will provide ample opportunities to startups appearing on ICK to help them launch and scale their products / services.”
ICK is backed by CMACED and together they are tapping into unexplored sectors. Their growing partnerships with Circle, Turkish Airlines and now USAID SMEA is turning out to be fruitful for entrepreneurs looking to scale their businesses. We are excited for season 3 and look forward to novel amazing ideas!
