The Foundation Council members are role model entrepreneurs and investors. The council members work together with the management of NIC to recruit high potential start-ups for admission into The Foundation Program; review their progress throughout the incubation period; provide guidance and advice to the founders; and assist the NIC management with various policy, process and operational matters related to the center.
SALEEM AHMAD, Chairman, NIC
Saleem Ahmad is Senior Advisor to Afiniti, world’s largest applied artificial intelligence company, and Co-Founder of 47 Ventures, first international venture capital firm focused on Pakistan.
Saleem is a seasoned investor with a track-record of success across multiple geographies, industries, capital structure and liquidity spectrum. His multi-billion dollar investment experience spans both private equity and hedge funds at global firms including Highbridge (JPMorgan) and Morgan Stanley. His banking experience includes mergers and acquisitions, restructurings and financings globally at firms including Credit Suisse and Citigroup.
Saleem earned postgraduate degrees from Wharton (UPENN), where he was member of the Executive Council; London School of Economics, where he was a Britannia Chevening Scholar and a member of the Court of Governors; and LUMS, where he was recipient of the inaugural Vice Chancellor’s Alumni Achievement Award.
AATIF AWAN, Founder & Managing Partner, Indus Valley Capital
Aatif Awan is Founder and Managing Partner of Indus Valley Capital, a Pakistan-focused early stage VC fund. He led the first investment round for Atoms, Airlift, AimFit and Bazaar and is a Board Director for all of them. Aatif is also a member of First Round Capital’s Angel Track and OnDeck’s Angel Fellowship.
Previously, Aatif was VP Growth & International at LinkedIn and built the team that grew the network by half a billion members. Aatif also led the product integrations between LinkedIn and Microsoft after the $26B acquisition.
SABA GUL, Founder & CEO, Popinjay
Saba Gul is an MIT-educated engineer turned entrepreneur. Most recently, she was Director of Product at VentureDive, a technology studio in Karachi. Previously Saba was the Founder & CEO of Popinjay, an ethical e-commerce retailer with a supply chain spanning Pakistan, Vietnam and China.
Saba is an advisor to several startups, and an Investment Committee Member of i2i Ventures, a seed fund for early-stage Pakistani enterprises. She has lived and worked across the world – from Silicon Valley to France, Sri Lanka and Ethiopia, and brings her global experience to her work. Saba was raised in Lahore, Pakistan and holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence from MIT.
HAMZA IQBAL, Founder & CEO, Healthwire
Hamza Iqbal is the Founder & CEO of Healthwire, a health-tech startup focused on aggregating all stakeholders of the healthcare ecosystem on its platform and providing a seamless digital healthcare experience to patients.
Healthwire is a graduate of NIC LUMS (formerly LCE) and has raised $700,000 from 47 Ventures, a Pakistan focused venture capital fund.
JUNAID IQBAL, former Managing Director, Careem Pakistan and Careem Pay
Junaid Iqbal is former Managing Director of Careem Pakistan and Careem Pay. He’s an investor and partner at Mentors Fund, and Chairman of Salt Arts, a music, art and entertainment agency. Previously, her served as CEO of Elixir Securities.
With a background in economics and financial leadership, Junaid is a results-oriented, entrepreneurial and people-focused senior management professional with a consistently strong record of accomplishment in leading turnaround and growth strategies.
MUNEEB MAAYR, Founder, Bykea
Muneeb Maayr is Founder at Bykea, the largest network of motorbikes serving on-demand transport, logistics and payment services in Pakistan. Muneeb graduated from the University of Virginia to work in investment banking at Bear Stearns in New York City right after college. He then led a 600 person back office for SNL Financial in Islamabad, a business acquired by Standard & Poors.
Prior to Bykea, Muneeb was Co-Founder and CEO at Daraz.pk, Pakistan’s leading ecommerce platform, acquired by Alibaba Group.
ALI MUKHTAR, Founder & General Partner, Fatima Gobi Ventures
Ali Mukhtar is the founder and CEO of Fatima ventures and General Partner at Fatima Gobi Ventures (FGV), a technology venture fund co-managed by Fatima Ventures and China head quartered Gobi Partners.
Under Ali’s leadership FGV has already invested in high growth companies including Airlift, Tajir and Sasta Ticket and will continue to support the most promising tech entrepreneurs in the country.
Ali also serves as a Director at Fatima Group, one of Pakistan’s leading conglomerates, where he advises the group on strategy and investments.
Ali is a member of various global organizations including The Owners Forum and is a graduate of UPENN.
QASIF SHAHID, Co-Founder & CEO, Finja
Qasif Shahid is CEO and Co-Founder of Finja, a fintech start-up with a mission to transform how people relate to money and make payments.
Qasif has over 25 years of multi country experience in building, managing and growing digital financial services, products and businesses. He also founded FinSurgents; a financial services startup consultancy, which specializes in re-tooling analogue business cases to digital.
Qasif previously served as head of digital banking for MCB, one of the largest banks in Pakistan and earlier on, as head of marketing and digital channels for ABN AMRO bank Singapore. Before joining MCB, Qasif worked at Standard Chartered Pakistan as head of digital banking.