The caretaker Minister for Information Technology and Telecom, Dr. Umar Saif, announced that the government has approved BridgeStart, a program designed to fund 100 startups annually for incubation or acceleration at any of the top 40 incubators and accelerators worldwide.
“Great news for Pakistani startups with global ambitions. We have approved a new program called BridgeStart, which will fund 100 startups each year to be incubated or accelerated in any of the top 40 incubators or accelerators worldwide,” Dr. Saif stated in a social media post on platform X.
Drawing on experiences from Plan9 and the Eight National Incubation Centers (NIC), Dr. Saif noted that startups gaining access to renowned incubators like YCombinator, Capital Factory, and 500 Global (formerly 500 Startups) experienced rapid growth by tapping into more developed ecosystems and funding sources.
However, he acknowledged that many startups were unable to participate in such programs due to a lack of resources for travel, lodging, and other expenses associated with programs abroad.
Through BridgeStart, Dr. Saif explained, the government will provide up to Rs 5 million to startups that qualify for these top 40 international programs, offering a significant boost to their global ambitions.
