Peshawar - Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Syed Amin-ul-Haq on Monday said that start-ups graduating of NIC Peshawar had delivered on the benchmarks set by their predecessors, and the youth of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa always exhibited passion, motivation and steadfastness in all fields of life and would continue to do so in the years to come.
The National Incubation Centre (NIC), Peshawar, on Monday hosted the 3rd Graduation Ceremony here, to celebrate the achievements of its third and fourth cohort start-ups.
Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication was the chief guest at the ceremony. He was accompanied by the political leadership from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, CEO Ignite, LMKT team and other dignitaries.
NIC Peshawar is an initiative of ministry of IT and telecommunication, funded by Ignite, and operated by LMKT in collaboration with PTCL. Since its inception, NIC Peshawar has played a monumental role in the development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It has not only contributed towards the growth of local start-ups but also helped in uplifting the regional economy.
The start-ups that are graduating out of the third and fourth cohorts have built innovative and disruptive solutions for a diverse set of industries including education, health, e-commerce, lifestyle, transport, gaming and delivery services. In a limited span of two years these start-ups have created an unprecedented social impact by generating more than 1419 direct and 1295 indirect employment opportunities, raising more than Rs504 million in investments and registering a revenue growth of Rs212 million.
Addressing the ceremony, Amin-ul-Haq said that start-ups graduating out of NIC Peshawar have delivered on the benchmarks set by their predecessors. “The youth of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have always exhibited passion, motivation and steadfastness in all fields of life and they will continue to do so in the years to come. It gives me immense pleasure to witness and experience the innovative products and solutions developed by these start-ups to create a wave of disruption in the most conventional industries,” he said, adding “I am happy that 5 graduating start-ups are led by female founders which shows a 33% engagement rate for women entrepreneurs from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”
Speaking on the occasion, Ziaullah Bangash, Special Assistant to Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Science Technology & Information Technology said, “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is on the cusp of establishing itself as the hub of innovation and technology and playing an integral role in actualising the dream of a Digital Pakistan. NIC Peshawar is at the forefront of this mission and is facilitating the growth of the start-up ecosystem in the province.”
CEO Ignite, while expressing his views, said that success of NIC Peshawar was the result of the dedication and hard work put up by the Ignite and NIC Peshawar team, founders and their mentors. “We look forward to more innovative ideas from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that are especially lead by women entrepreneurs,” he added.
Asim Ishaq, Director NIC Peshawar, thanked all the esteemed guests for attending the ceremony and encouraging the graduating start-ups. He said, “The progress made by these innovators in such a short span of time is phenomenal. All the start-ups have displayed tremendous perseverance and consistency to overcome market challenges and take their products and solutions forward. NIC Peshawar is proud to have been an advocate for the entrepreneurial ecosystem and a nurturing partner for the start-ups.”
NIC Peshawar is steadily working on its mission of Ignite the spark of innovation and disruption in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and aims to bring about a transformational leap in the regional economy.
