The local ecosystem is buzzing with anticipation as Karachi and Lahore announce their upcoming festival-like events; 021Disrupt by The Nest I/O and The MIX 2017 by Plan9 – Punjab IT Board.
Karachi’s first ever showcase of a startup expo and possibly the largest startup conference for the city was definitely Momentum 2017. The two day event took place at the Expo Center Karachi. This was preceded by the Startup Lahore conference that was organized by MIT Enterprise Forum – Pakistan. The local ecosystem is buzzing with anticipation as Karachi and Lahore have announced their upcoming festival-like events; 021Disrupt by The Nest I/O and The MIX 2017 by Plan9 – Punjab IT Board.
The Mix 1.0
Organized by the Punjab IT Board, The Mix 1.0 is all set to take place on the 11th and 12th of November 2017 at the Alhamra Cultural Complex, Gaddafi Stadium Lahore. The event is stylized for tech integrated with different fields including culture, arts, design and well since it’s Lahore… food! This event is open for everyone, be it that you are a budding entrepreneur or an avid gamer, a new mother or an avid reader, a grandparent, or an artist flowing with expression! You can be anyone from anywhere and you are welcome to attend.
Official details on the agenda and breakdown are still awaited, but this certainly looks like a promising event and a positive shift from the usual startup exhibitions or conferences. Tickets for this two-day festival are available for purchase on the bookme.pk website. PC World Pakistan is proud to announce its partnership with The MIX 2017 – catch us on day two for a session!
Read: PASTIC Presents National Information Technology and Computer Tools Exhibit
021Disrupt
Karachi is all geared up to welcome international speakers and highlight the ever-so-vibrant startup ecosystem at the upcoming 021disrupt Conference. 021disrupt is aiming to initiate conversations with global relevance and address challenges emerging worldwide. The event is set to take place at Movenpick Hotel, Karachi. Participants include students, startups, professionals from the local business and tech ecosystem.
Jehan Ara – Big Bird at The Nest I/O is opening the event, with a welcome Note by Grace Shelton – US Consul General Karachi followed by Keynote to be delivered by Ghias Khan – President & CEO Engro.
Joining in from across the globe are speakers including Sam Mallikarjunan – Executive Strategist – HubSpot, Alden Richards – Consultant Innovation and Entrepreneurship – Brown University. Also including Riyad Abou Jaoudeh – Executive Director ME – Venture Partners, Oman Technology Fund. Felipe Milan – Community Development Manager SendGrid and Enis Hulli – Venture Partner, 500 Startups Istanbul and more!
Read: Stimulating Entrepreneurial Growth in the Region: Invest2Innovate Takes Seat at GEN Asia
From the local ecosystem, 021Disrupt is bringing on board Dr. Umar Saif – Punjab IT Board, Faizan Siddiqi – IMM Jang Media Group, Monis Rahman – Naseeb Networks, Zafar Khan – Sofizar, Atif Azim – VentureDive, Yasser Bashir – Arbisoft, Rabeel Warraich – Sarmayacar, Imran Moinuddin – NexDegree, Raza Matin – Google Pakistan, Jawwad Farid – Alchemy Technologies, Shehryar Hydri – Secretary General P@SHA and many more! All details are available on the 021disrupt site, including the agenda and ticket, which can be purchased from bookitnow.pk. The early bird prices include: Rs. 4,000 for students, Rs. 6,500 for startups (per person), Rs. 12,000 for professionals and Rs. 35,000 for influencers. The event is spread across several workshops, panel discussions, lightning talks, fireside chats and networking!
Read: Startup Istanbul – The Hottest Startup Conference in Eurasia
Some of the major startup or technology events to take place in Pakistan also include KPK’s iconic Digital Youth Summit, TiE Islamabad Pakistan Startup Cup, Startup Expo Islamabad, PlanX Demo Day etc. As Karachiites ourselves though, we do feel that the stronger focus for startup events has always been Lahore. We’re thrilled to see that The Nest I/O, P@SHA’s technology incubator has taken the initiative of hosting this large-scale event, engaging the global community.
The Momentum Tech conference that took place in February was one of the biggest startup events that Pakistan has seen. It brought together the youth and various startups, incubators, academic institutions, and investors from 19 different cities under the same roof. Another big startup event was Startup Lahore that was organized by the MIT Enterprise Forum – Pakistan and Information Technology University. Entrepreneurs from various cities of Pakistan exhibited and discussed the emerging startup industry of the country. Startup Expo is a one-day event that was last held in April 2016 at the Jinnah Convention Center. Startups from all over the country were present where 12 startups were declared winners for different categories.
