Silicon Valley-based Plug and Play plans Islamabad, Karachi offices to accelerate up to 300 Pakistani startups

Silicon Valley-based Plug and Play Tech Centre has expressed interest in opening offices in Islamabad and Karachi and accelerating up to 300 startups from Pakistan’s leading universities.

The proposal was discussed during a meeting between Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal and Plug and Play Founder and Chief Executive Officer Saeed Amidi in Northern California.

Under the proposed collaboration, Plug and Play would connect Pakistani entrepreneurs with more than 600 global corporate partners and help them improve product-market fit, raise investment and expand internationally while keeping their core operations in Pakistan.

The company also offered to issue a Letter of Intent for establishing offices in Islamabad and Karachi. It shared partnership models used in Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Germany and other countries.

Ahsan Iqbal accepted the proposal in principle and invited Plug and Play to submit the Letter of Intent along with its suggested areas of cooperation. He said the government would then facilitate a high-level visit by the company’s delegation to Pakistan.

The minister said Pakistan’s young workforce, relatively low-cost engineering talent and continued public investment in digital and information technology skills could support the expansion of its startup ecosystem.

He added that international partnerships could help Pakistan develop into a regional innovation hub.

During the same visit, Ahsan Iqbal also addressed a breakfast reception attended by members of the Pakistani community and called on overseas Pakistanis to support investment, technology transfer, entrepreneurship and international business linkages.

He said the United States remained Pakistan’s largest export market and that the Pakistani-American community could play a greater role in expanding bilateral trade and investment.

The minister said the government’s URAAN Pakistan initiative aimed to transform the country into a knowledge-based and technology-driven economy, with targets of reaching a $1 trillion economy by 2035 and increasing exports beyond $100 billion.

He also described E-Pakistan as a national priority and said the government was establishing National Centres of Excellence in artificial intelligence, cyber security, big data, robotics, genomics and quantum computing.

Participants proposed turning Pakistani consulates into centres for export promotion, technology cooperation and investment facilitation. They also suggested creating advisory groups of Pakistani experts in Silicon Valley, linking professionals with National Innovation Centres and encouraging global technology companies to establish research and development facilities in Pakistan.

Ahsan Iqbal also participated in discussions with Silicon Valley professionals on artificial intelligence, innovation, entrepreneurship, investment and technology transfer. Members of the Pakistani-American community said they would support Pakistan’s economic agenda through investment, knowledge sharing and technology collaboration.