Pakistan's State Minister for Information and Technology Anusha Rehman Khan recently launched the country's first-ever StartUp Cup competition--with the winner being crowned in November during Global Entrepreneurship Week.
Pakistan is one of more than 20 countries that have StartUp Cups planned as a part of their Global Entrepreneurship Week celebrations.
In discussing the importance of the competition, Khan said there had been enough brain drain from Pakistan to the United States and that the country needed home-grown entrepreneurs to drive economic growth. She also called on IT experts in the Pakistani diaspora to aid the government in developing a technology park as part of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's plan to turn the country into an "Asian tiger."
U.S. Deputy Ambassador Richard Hoagland echoed the importance of young entrepreneurs for the future of Pakistan and pledged to continue U.S. support and encouragement toward their development.
The Pakistan StartUp Cup is sponsored by The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) and is a 19-week contest that includes coaching and mentoring sessions. Judges review business models and those selected to enter the competition are required to attend a `Build a Business Workshop’ in either Islamabad,Lahore or Karachi.
Other StartUp Cup locations include: Alexandria, Armenia, Bader Lebanon, Cairo, Georgia, Ghana, Lima, Macedonia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Palestine, Paraguay, Rio, Rwanda, San Luis Potosi, Silicon Valley, Singapore, St. Petersburg, Uganda, Yangon and Zambia.