A exceptional performance from early age startups from the remote regions of Gilgit-Baltistan & Chitral enabled them to make it to the main round of StartUp Cup Pakistan 2015.
About 400 startups from across Pakistan had applied for the StartUp Cup Pakistan 2015 competition, 75 out of whom were invited to take the intensive “Build a Business” Workshop held at Islamabad Marriot Hotel. Only 25 startups could make it to the next level of the competition who will take a 7-month long course that would enable to build a viable and scalable business.
The startups from Gilgit-Baltistan & Chitral (GBC) who have made it to the main round include Hunza Organic Foods, Qashqar, One Stop Solution (OSS), NICE Ladies Photography and Chitral Potato.
The winners of the Startup Cup will receive Rs. 1 million ($10,000 USD), the first runner up will bag Rs. 750,000 ($7,500 USD) and 2nd runner up will get Rs. 500,000 ($5,000 USD).
The 2015 edition of StartUp Cup is being organized by the Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) Islamabad Chapter, in collaboration with the US Pakistan Women’s Council and the US Embassy in Islamabad.
Earlier at the opening ceremony, Thomas E. Williams, deputy chief of Mission of the US Embassy in Islamabad said:
“Programmes like StartUp Cup foster greater inclusiveness in Pakistan’s economy, particularly for women. The entrepreneurial solutions that arise from competitions such as StartUp Cup foster inclusiveness, grow economies, promote stability, expand the international supply chain, and spread the exchange of ideas.”
The 2015 StartUp Cup in Pakistan will also bring new new partnerships with entrepreneurship centers across Pakistan, including the world’s first Women’s Entrepreneurial Center of Resources, Education, Access, and Training for Economic Empowerment (WECREATE) in Islamabad sponsored by the US Department of State in collaboration with the US Pakistan Women’s Council; the Lahore University for Management Science (LUMS) Center for Entrepreneurship; and Karachi-based technology incubator “The Nest I/O.”
The StartUp Cup is a great platform for early age startups to take their idea to a whole new level where they can evaluate their business model under the supervision of seasoned startup mentors. Startups from Pakistan like GoFig Solutions, Ideacentricity, and BioTech have previously made it through the process and now bagging success globally.
About the StartUp Cup:
The StartUp Cup business model competition is an innovative community-based approach designed to increase the quality and quantity of entrepreneurs in any community. To learn more visit StartUpCup.com.
About the Author
Imran Ahmed Hunzai is a Digital Media Consultant and co-founder of Islamabad based Centanlge Interactive (Pvt) Ltd. He regularly covers early age startups from Pakistan.
Photo Credits
TiE Islamabad Chapter
