AgriTech
Ripe – Graduated
Approximately half of global food waste is fruit and vegetables, 40% of which is wasted during transit. Ethylene–the natural ripening gas of climacteric fruit–can accumulate in the supply chain and lead to fruit decay and waste. Ripe aims to create software that monitors ethylene levels in food containers in real time during transport and allow business owners to make intelligent decisions regarding their stocks and selling options.
Green Planet – Graduated
Industrial agriculture and adverse climate events in recent history have pushed smallholder farms to the edge. Green Planet aims to address smallholder farmers’ well-being by introducing technology to make them more efficient. They achieve this by i) digitizing farm management and introducing smart farming practices that incorporate data-based decision-making ii) educating farmers on developing unique value-added commodities like saffron, stevia, mushrooms, that deliver higher profit margins.
Hum-Kissan – Graduated with HONORS
Agriculture is the largest contributor to Pakistan’s GDP (20%), employs over 40% of the workforce, and earns 80% of the foreign exchange through exports. Yet, the sector is on the decline particularly for smallholder farmers who cannot access traditional financial resources. Hum Kissan is simplifying agricultural financing by connecting farmers, manufacturers, financial institutions and government on a single platform using a closed-loop wallet for end-to-end service.
Zumeera – Graduated with HONORS
Artificial fertilizers deplete soil nutrients and risk toxic overdose of chemicals that leach into the soil, further deteriorating soil quality and potentially affecting the growth of crops. Zumeera has developed an organic controlled-release, bioavailable fertilizer that is not only ecofriendly and prevents toxic buildup of chemicals but also increases crop yield by up to 3 times that of crops produced using traditional fertilizers.
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
TechNM – Graduated with HONORS
Roti is a staple food item in most South Asian diets. However, preparing rotis is a time-consuming and tedious process. While automatic roti-making kitchen appliances have entered the market, they carry a hefty price tag. TechNM is developing an affordable alternative for people on a budget. Their rotimaker will use flour, water, and oil as inputs to prepare rotis, replacing the process of kneading dough, rolling out, and cooking.
Intelligent Guard – Graduated with HONORS
Inventory shrinkage can cost brick and mortar businesses billions of dollars every year. Most inventory shrinkage occurs due to theft, fraud, errors, and damage. Intelligent Guard’s artificial intelligence-based software helps detect potential shoplifters using footage from the store’s security cameras and notifies managers. The software is also capable of alerting the police about a robbery in real time as well as detecting fire hazards.
CleanTech
REsource – Graduated with DISTINCTION
Appropriate waste management is a growing concern in Pakistan. REsource is a social impact enterprise that aims to provide professional waste investigation, guidance, services and infrastructure to reduce the waste footprint of cities. Along with providing sorting bins for households and businesses, REsource offers free resources to educate people about sorting at source as well as an online portal that facilitates selling and donating recyclable and compostable items.
RePlaste – Graduated with HONORS
Pakistan produces 3.3 million tons of plastic waste every year causing toxins to enter our ecosystems and affecting human and animal lives. RePlaste wants to reduce the impact of plastics through a circular economy system. Adopting a holistic approach, they aim to instigate behaviour change through education, workshops, and habit-changing challenges, along with upcycling plastics to create innovative products that can be reused or sold.
E-Commerce
Trendin – Graduated with HONORS
With e-commerce poised to overtake physical retail in the next 5 years, Trendin’ aims to step in as a fashion e-commerce aggregator offering a curated shopping experience based on data analytics; shoppers get recommendations based on their preferences and what’s trending, while also tagging and interacting with others to recreate the social ritual of shopping. Fashion brands will benefit through increased engagement as their products get featured on trends boards and as part of stylized outfits.
Shadighar – Graduated
Weddings in Pakistan are a multitrillion rupee industry, employing about 10 million people across fashion, event management, catering, and floristry etc. Wedding planning however, can be stressful and time-consuming. Shadighar aims to simplify the experience by creating an online one-stop shop for all things wedding-related. The platform allows customers to search, compare, and buy wedding-related products and services from a variety of vendors across 15 categories including venue, clothing, catering, and photography.
StoreToDoor – Graduated
Grocery shopping in Pakistan can be tiresome and time-consuming: customers have to battle traffic, face unregulated market prices, and now, also risk the spread of disease. StoreToDoor is an online shopping platform and delivery service that customers can use to buy all essentials. Their unique supply chain allows them to cater to the needs of not just individual consumers but also bigger corporate clients as well as supply stock to small shop owners.
BIAS – Graduated with HONORS
Growth in the e-commerce fashion industry in Pakistan remains low because of the lack of trust customers have on size, quality, and the hassle of returning/exchanging items. With industry revenue growing at 14.2% and user base expected to reach 43.8 million by 2025, BIAS aims to tap into this market by offering door-to-door service connecting small-scale and boutique fashion brands with customers, assuming responsibility for quality and offering hassle-free returns/exchanges.
EdTech
Study Assist – Graduated with DISTINCTION
Current classroom education does not equip students for the real world, and educational resources to fill these gaps have been developed only for older students. Study Assist believes that essential life skills need to be imparted at a younger age. Their aim is to target 6-18 year olds, providing them after-school support that fosters curiosity, critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration to build essential 21st century skills through digital learning solutions.
FastTech Media – Graduated
At 8.54%, youth unemployment in Pakistan is significantly high. This is particularly acute in rural Punjab where youth lack practical skills and find themselves ill-prepared for the job market. FastTech Media aims to address this void by equipping youth with practical in-demand skills through 3-month short courses in digital and IT skills including web development, SEO, Java, PHP, digital marketing and graphic designing that can open the door to local as well as remote employment opportunities.
EDMY (PVT) Limited
Evening coaching and private tuition centres have a monopoly over exam preparation charging exorbitant fees for low quality and large group classes. EDMY aims to give students access to the same top faculty at a fraction of the cost through quality e-learning content that is aligned with examination board syllabi. The content is developed and delivered using pedagogical approaches designed specifically for online learning and covers the same material within a shorter time.
EMTEN PAKISTAN – Graduated
EMTEN Pakistan aims to help small-scale brands with digital advertisement using edutainment. The online platform runs regular live trivia and quiz games where participants can earn credit and prizes by answering questions about a variety of topics including questions related to particular brands advertising during showtime. The model ensures perfect user engagement for the brands’ benefit while giving participants a chance to cash in on their knowledge
Soouch – Graduated with DISTINCTION
Children today are growing up as digital natives, constantly interacting with screens and increasingly accessing knowledge through digital resources. Traditional textbooks are failing to meaningfully engage children in a way that promotes learning. Souch aims to enhance books using Augmented Reality to engage readers in an immersive and interactive 3D learning experience that can be accessed through a free mobile app on any smartphone.
FinTech
KalPay – Graduated with DISTINCTION
E-commerce growth in Pakistan has been slow, primarily because of low credit card penetration and an absence of trust in online platforms and payment systems. For merchants, this translates into a high rate of shopping cart abandonment. KalPay steps in as a shariah compliant credit lender promoting a buy now, pay later service that gives customers who do not have credit cards, such as students, access to credit which can be paid off with 0% interest.
Food
Food Drive – Graduated
Women’s participation in the labour force in Pakistan is low, in part due to restrictions on mobility, domestic responsibilities, and a lack of support. Home-based businesses, particularly food catering, can be viable alternatives for gaining financial security and economic independence. Food Drive aims to facilitate women-led catering businesses through a customized delivery service. The venture wants to help break stereotypes and encourage women to take the leap into entrepreneurship.
HealthTech and LifeSciences
Wellnesshive – Graduated with DISTINCTION
Over 14 million of general population in Pakistan suffers from mild to moderate psychiatric illnesses. Mental health is still misunderstood and the stigma associated with counseling deters many people from seeking the help they need. Wellness Hive provides a proactive solution to promote mental health and well-being in young population while helping them improve their quality of life through personal development courses. These human skills enable them to face life challenges head-on while saving them from mental health disorders that emerge in early, middle and late adulthood.
Intelligent Drug Dispensary – Graduated with DISTINCTION
Getting medical prescriptions filled/refilled is still a manual process in Pakistan where patients have to physically visit a doctor followed by the pharmacy. Intelligent Drug Dispensary makes the process efficient by connecting physicians/surgeons to patients and pharmacies through a unique predictive prescription writing application working in real time. The system will allow for the creation of validated medical history records accessible by all relevant parties, and bypass misinterpretation of prescriptions due to illegibility.
Saas
LoadEase – Graduated
Moving a home or relocating to a new office space is a stressful process, made worse by worrying about the safety and security of one’s possessions. Load-Ease aims to eliminate the stress of moving by providing a safe and secure moving service for homes, offices, machinery and industrial units. With a focus on delivering excellent customer service, Load-Ease offers 24/7 availability, GPS and time tracking, trained packing and driving staff, and insurance against loss or damage.
Textile, Fashion and Clothing
Hajjam – Graduated
Hajjam is a hair and beauty bookings platform that gives control to customers and salon managers by letting customers choose from a directory of salons and services and book appointments at times and prices that suit them. The platform also gives visibility to virtual salons and stylists who offer at-home services by connecting them to customers who prefer the convenience of home for their treatments.
Transport and Logistics
TransGo – Graduated with HONORS
The freight industry is still marred by inefficiencies that include labour-intensive brokering, insecurity, and under-utilized trucks running on inefficient routes, resulting in high costs. TransGo is developing a digital freight matching network that matches shipper demand for carrier capacity. The network will allow carriers to show available spare capacity and be automatically connected with shippers along the same route. Shippers will get competitive and transparent rates upfront and can track in-transit shipments in real time.