I was born in Karachi. The last time I was there, Musharraf was in power; 2006 to be specific. Since then, there have been two instances when I felt like going back for a visit. One, after I discovered Irfan Junejo’s vlogs and two, after witnessing last year’s 021 Disrupt — Pakistan’s leading tech conference with an entrepreneurial zeal.
Before the pandemic, yearly starting in 2017, the who’s who of tech converged in Karachi for this premier tech conference. This year, the conference was virtual due to the pandemic allowing me, and many others all over the world, to attend. It lasted three days and was free to attend.
After the conference, a press release went out with some major announcements. I am copy/pasting it here with some modification and links to the resources:
- Indus Valley Capital launched applications for the Indus Valley Wapistani Track, a special program for returning Pakistanis.
- Roomy.pk, the Islamabad-based hospitality startup, raised $1,000,000 in Pre-Series A funding from Lakson Investments Venture Capital.
- Fatima Gobi Ventures announced their investment in Safepay and Invest Hub. The amount wasn’t disclosed.
- i2i Ventures and Sarmayacar launched Early-Stage Investor’s Guide to Pakistan.
- 10Pearls acquired TwoDots, a Karach-based design studio.
Given the circumstances on the ground, this virtual conference was wonderfully executed with an impressive lineup of speakers. Kudos to the entire Nest I/O team for proving once again that they are relentless and can keep raising the bar against all odds.
I am looking forward to some day attending this conference in person. And binging on anday wala burger while in Karachi.
