The National Science & Technology Park (NSTP), in partnership with the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, hosted the grand finale of the Rising Stars Startup Competition (RSSC) at NUST in Islamabad. This competition aims to support women and minority entrepreneurs in Pakistan.
NSTP & U.S. Embassy’s Rising Stars Startup Competition
The final event featured 26 outstanding teams, chosen from over 300 applicants across Pakistan after a thorough selection process. These teams presented their innovative ideas and entrepreneurial skills during the Grand Finale. Additionally, an expo was held, giving participants a platform to display their projects and solutions.
The competition offered a prize pool exceeding PKR 6 million, which included seed funding and laptops. Awards were given to 4 national winners, 6 regional winners, and one special performer.
The finalists included 23 women, two men, and one transgender participant, representing a variety of religious and ethnic backgrounds.
The Guest of Honor, Andrew Schofer, Deputy Chief of Mission to Pakistan, highlighted in his opening remarks, “The U.S. Mission to Pakistan is proud to contribute to fostering a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem in Pakistan and empowering young people to dream big, take risks, and become the job creators and change-makers the country needs.” Since 2012, the U.S. Embassy has supported 181 entrepreneurship initiatives in Pakistan, worth $14.7 million.
Dr. Rizwan Riaz, Pro-Rector of NUST, acknowledged the U.S. government’s support in promoting entrepreneurship in Pakistan. He expressed gratitude for the continued collaboration between the U.S. Embassy and NUST in promoting diversity, inclusion, and leadership in Pakistan’s entrepreneurial sector, contributing to the country’s long-term economic growth.
The “Rising Stars of Pakistan” initiative, sponsored by the U.S. Embassy Islamabad, is a joint effort between NSTP and Draper University in California, with Pakistani-American experts from Silicon Valley mentoring emerging Pakistani entrepreneurs. Pak Mission Society acted as the outreach partner for the program.
#RSSC #DefiningInnovation #NSTP #NUST #AgayBahrnaHai #IamReadyToRise
