Karachi – July 24, 2023 A three-day Synergy Bootcamp of tech-based start-ups was organized by Accelerate Prosperity (AP) in collaboration with Shahjehan Syed Karim Incubation Centre (SSKIC) at the Institute of Business Management (IoBM) from July 18-20, 2023. Accelerate Prosperity is a joint initiative of the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) and Industrial Promotion Services (IPS) of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) in Central and South Asia. Synergy Bootcamp is a customized pre-incubation program designed for entrepreneurs with innovative, scalable, and tech-enabled idea-stage and early-stage start-ups. The objective of this bootcamp was to provide business training to aspiring and existing entrepreneurs to create innovative and sustainable small and growing businesses (SGBs). It also supported and elevated women-led and youth-led idea-level start-ups by offering personalized one-on-one and group business training, mentorship, and guidance.
On the opening day, Ms. Aqdas Hussain, Business Technical Assistance Analyst, AP, and Mr. Raza Abbas, Head of SSKIC, IoBM presented their insights on the importance of incubating ideas for economic growth. Mr. Raza was hopeful that the aspiring entrepreneurs will add value to Pakistan’s start-up ecosystem. He added that IoBM targets nearly 20% of its students to set up their businesses. Dr. Muhammad Abbas, Professor and Dean, College of Computer Science & Information Systems (CCSIS), IoBM, and Syed Faraz Ali, Manager ORIC, IoBM were also present along with faculty and management. The bootcamp was facilitated by notable trainers from the start-up industry. Representing Metric were Ms. Meenah Tariq (Co-founder), Mr. Omer Parvaiz (Co-founder), and Mr. Muneeb Arif Khan (Head of Finance and Strategy). Representing Carbon Law was Mr. Mubariz Siddiqui (Founding Partner). Ms. Meenah Tariq advised aspiring entrepreneurs to revisit their pitches and review and edit their business assets to update them according to the changing market trends. The Vote of Thanks was presented by IoBM alumna, Ms. Maheen Salman, CEO of Global Business Management Consulting and Former Senior VP, KATI. She said that the aspiring entrepreneurs who participated in this bootcamp are fortunate to connect with industry experts through AP and SSKIC.
