The Technology incubator Nest I/O recently hosted the second edition of its highly successful flagship conference, 021Disrupt in November. The highlight of the event was the invite-only, closed doors Investors’ Roundtable that brought together on one platform key investors and stakeholders from across the local startup network, as well as participants from international investment firms and global corporate organizations, to discuss the challenges and opportunities of Pakistan’s tech and startup ecosystem.
The excerpt from the Investors’ Roundtable Whitepaper has been revealed that discusses the challenges and opportunities of Pakistan’s tech startups. The paper starts off with that it is an exciting time for investors in Pakistan with regards to the startup ecosystem. The paper reads, “Capital availability is at a record high, foreign VCs are looking to make their entrance into the local market, and fearless Pakistani entrepreneurs are moving fast, breaking things, and laying the foundations for a vibrant startup community.”
According to the paper, the major discussion at the conference revolved around the apparent lack of trust among members of the local investment community. There was emphasis that Co-investment and collaboration among investors is a sign of a healthy, mature ecosystem and that greater knowledge-sharing in such ecosystems ensures that capital flows through to the right people, the report states.
However, despite its set of challenges and concerns, the whitepaper states the Pakistani ecosystem is still ahead of the curve with a gathering like the 021 Disrupt Investors’ Roundtable itself being a rarity.
The report also highlights that another topic was also under discussion and that was the role of family offices in the local investment landscape. Furthermore, the report also mentions that the changing dynamics of the investor-founder relationship were also explored. At the conference, the need to increase the appetite for risk in investors was also necessary in order to develop a better relationship between the two parties.
The entire white paper is available to the public, to read the paper click here.
