Islamabad, October 28, 2019: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) in its endeavour to provide support to startups incubated at National Incubation Center (NIC) Peshawar, participated in a graduation ceremony for their first and second cohort of startups.

Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecom, was the guest of honour at the graduation ceremony. The event was also attended by Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui, Federal Secretary, IT & Telecom, Syed Shahzad Shah, Executive Vice President, Marketing & Corporate Communication, PTCL, Yusuf Hussain, CEO, Ignite, Atif Rais Khan, CEO, LMKT, senior members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government, as well as prominent leaders from Pakistan’s startups ecosystem.

Operated by LMKT in collaboration with PTCL, NIC Peshawar is an initiative funded by Ignite and Ministry of IT and Telecom. NIC Peshawar is a platform to support technology driven disruptive startups and entrepreneurs in the field of health, AR/VR, gaming, education, transportation, etc. in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The 14 graduating startups have created more than 470 direct and 1900 indirect jobs, raised over PKR 192 Million in investment and increased their revenue exponentially to more than PKR 120 Million.

On the occasion, Murtaza Zaidi, Director, NIC Peshawar, said, “I would like to congratulate the graduating startups, who have played a monumental role in the development of KP’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. We are happy to have partners like PTCL, who have supported us throughout our journey. Moreover, I am proud to be part of NIC Peshawar that has added significant value to the province’s economy by enhancing the growth potential of the region’s local businesses and entrepreneurs.”

On the occasion, Syed Shahzad Shah, Executive Vice President, Marketing & Corporate Communication, PTCL, said, “It is an honour to be part of this event, where we have seen the making of the future leaders of Pakistan. On behalf of PTCL, I would like to congratulate the graduating startups and the management of NIC Peshawar, LMKT and Ignite. The potential displayed by these young entrepreneurs incubated at NIC Peshawar is truly outstanding. I believe that these local startups will take the country to the next level of economic growth and prosperity.”

PTCL believes in providing an enabling environment to youth and developing their talents for the future of Pakistan. Ends