Previously located in Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), National Incubation Center (NIC) Lahore is moving to Daftarkhwan | Vogue, MM Alam Road, Lahore. Since 2016, Ignite National Technology Fund, a company under the Ministry of IT and Telecommunications, has established 8 NICs across Pakistan, incubating 1400+ startups and creating over 120,000 jobs.
Adeel Aijaz Shaikh, CEO of Ignite stated, “We are thrilled to back the National Incubation Center Lahore as it enters an exciting new stage of growth and innovation. We are confident that the center will remain a catalyst for economic development, job creation, and pioneering technological advancements with wide-ranging influence.”
The NIC Lahore will be operated by a Netsol-led consortium that includes Habib Bank Limited, Beaconhouse National University (BNU), PlugNPlay Tech Center, Daftarkhwan, Accelerate Prosperity, University of Engineering Technology (UET) Lahore, and Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WCCI) Lahore. This consortium aims to empower startups focused on AI, IoT, ICT, cleantech and climate tech, serving as a gateway to sustainable development, global impact, and inclusive growth.
Salim Ghauri, Founder and CEO of Netsol Technologies, affirmed, “This initiative is a testament to our dedication to empowering the youth to drive innovation in high-tech fields and AI. By providing the necessary support and infrastructure, we aim to cultivate a new generation of tech leaders.”
The NIC Lahore will host 50 startups in its incubation program, 25% of which will be women-led, and 10 startups in its acceleration program annually. Each startup in the acceleration program will receive PKR 5 million in funding from the Ignite National Technology Fund.
Now in Daftarkhwan | Vogue, the startups at NIC Lahore will have easy access to Daftarkhwan’s agile infrastructure and coworking space. With magnified exposure to Daftarkhwan’s supercommunity of founders, investors and industry leaders, the startups at NIC Lahore will have the opportunity to forge priceless networks and synergistic partnerships.
On the day of the signing, Salim Ghauri shared in his speech, "As I walked into this space, I realized this is on par with international facilities. Daftarkhwan is a workspace that can home and nurture unicorns. Pakistan is prime and ready for that now, we have the basis."
Rapidly growing and learning, these startups will have the space to easily scale their operations with the 10 state-of-the-art Daftarkhwan sites operating nationwide.
Saad Idrees, Co-founder and CEO of Daftarkhwan commented, “Hosting the National Incubation Center Lahore is a privilege that resonates with Daftarkhwan’s enduring vision of creating spaces and communities that help startups set up and scale their businesses. The NIC legacy, combined with the power of the consortium behind NICL, promises to take Pakistan’s entrepreneurial ecosystem to a whole new dimension of success. We couldn’t be more excited to contribute to this revolution!”
This initiative further strengthens the startup ecosystem in Pakistan, with a particular focus on nurturing technology startups that can elevate the country’s GDP and create employment opportunities for its youth.
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