Pakistani startups on radar in 2022

The startups survived the pandemic and are making it big in an era of great innovation. Pakistan‘s embryonic startup landscape is witnessing an unprecedented boom with the former year marking millions of dollars of international funding in some of the most innovative ideas.

Last year alone, the industry raised $373 million in investments, attracting the attention of venture capitalists from the US, China, the UAE and Singapore. This colossal amount is almost five times higher than the $77 million accumulated in 2020.

These startups fought through the lockdown and survived the pandemic with great resilience, gaining momentum with their right business idea.

Hundreds of startups are launching every month in Pakistan, so much so that our startup ecosystem has taken off with such velocity that it now ranks at the second place in the South Asian region, while it occupies the 75th spot in the global ranking.

We have rounded up some of the promising fast-growing startups that turned things around for themselves and are worth keeping on our radar in 2022. Note: This article is not an inclusive list of startup companies in Pakistan nor places any startup in ranking order.

Scaryammi

A fierce blogging startup of like-minded moms, ‘Scaryammi’ is all about making motherhood easier for desi mamas.

Founded by Ayesha Nasir, the platform empowers mothers to be the best version of themselves, while addressing issues like pregnancy, breastfeeding, parenting, nutrition, wellness and even choosing the ideal school for children.

From hundreds of nationwide awareness sessions to entertaining danceathons for desi mommies; Scaryammi is doing it all to help mothers find a support system in each other.

Not your typical mom blogger, Scaryammi is all set to grow from a bustling Facebook community of more than 150,000 members to Pakistan’s first-ever digital one-stop-shop and solution for ‘ammas’ via an e-commerce platform that provides all the mom and baby care products.

Talking about her 2022 plans, Ayesha Nasir said: “Scaryammi plans to grow aggressively, rapidly and consistently in 2022. In the first quarter of this year, our e-commerce will be launched. The second quarter will see the launch of our own digital community, while by the end of 2022, we plan to double our community size.”

TAG

Like all booming startups, TAG came into inception after its founders, Talal Ahmad Gondal, Ahsan Khan and Alexander Lukianchuk observed a troublesome gap in the market. Realising that Pakistan has the third-highest population of unbanked citizens in the world, the trio laid the foundation of their fintech startup ‘TAG’ to build the first digital retail bank of Pakistan.

Already receiving a nod from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) as an authorised Electronic Money Institution (EMI); TAG promises its users the opening of their digital bank account in a span of three minutes. Through its mobile wallet, the users will be able to transfer funds and withdraw money from the automated teller machines (ATMs), pay bills, receive payments, and even execute Point of Sale (POS) transactions via their free VISA debit card.

Back in September 2021, it had raised colossal funding of $12 million in the largest seed financing round in the South Asian market and marked TAG’s value at $100 million.

Oztech

Aiming to normalise disruptive technologies in Pakistan’s advertising sphere, Oztech is an explosive ‘Martech’ startup that is determined to revolutionise how brands advertise themselves in the country and beyond. Its team of trailblazing men is poised to merge the ‘physical’ and ‘digital’ realms of marketing with larger-than-life outdoor campaigns, activation and retail marketing nationwide. And how are they doing so?

Oztech has deployed high-end projection bombing, hologram technologies, augmented reality, virtual reality and mixed-reality solutions for some of the biggest brands in Pakistan. Recently, it launched Pakistan’s first 3D anamorphic campaign for a leading online payment app.

Unleashing strategies so extraordinary for all its campaigns, the startup has been quick to garner the spotlight by the global marketing veterans. The international acknowledgement has motivated Oztech to be even more unstoppable with its plans in 2022.

Oztech CEO and Co-founder Usman Siddiqui said: “Our 2022 goal is to increase the frequency and improve the quality of executions in our OOH arena, and induction of further new-age technologies. We also plan to establish and expand our activation and retail divisions, develop an international market, pivotal to South Asian and Middle-Eastern markets.”

Abshaar

Pakistan ranks third in the world among countries suffering from acute water shortage. Climate change also drastically causes an adverse impact on water sources. So much so, it is estimated that by 2025, the country might even run out of water. To battle this water challenge, Founder Ali Khursheed launched a social impact startup ‘Abshaar’ in Pakistan.

He himself had been a victim of water scarcity and consequently, suffered from liver damage. Since his recovery, he made his mission to help the country conserve water through his innovative solution called the “Water Optimiser”. It is an add-on device, installed with taps to control up to 98 per cent of water wastage. This smart water management solution also promises to reduce the cost of electricity used through water motors by up to 40 per cent. Already, the startup claims to have conserved 60 million litres of water and saved 45 thousand lives. Abshaar has proudly represented Pakistan in Canada, India, the US, Thailand, Italy and also at the much-recent Dubai Expo.

Boltay Huroof

They say that necessity is the mother of invention; Lahore-based startup Boltay Huroof is leading the charge of producing Braille books in Pakistan for schools, colleges and universities. The team behind the startup realised how the visually impaired community is far behind in education. This is due to the lack of compatible software that could effectively translate Urdu and other languages into Braille for those not blessed with sight.

After extensive research and teaming up with the visually disabled, Boltay Huroof launched a software that had the power to convert images and Urdu, English and Sindhi characters into ready-for-printing Braille. The team made the books even more inclusive by publishing them in both Braille and in ink for the sighted individuals such as teachers and family to help educate the blind.

The team has raised the bar in its aim to empower the visually impaired by even working on Braille documents like restaurant menus and bank documents for them to operate independently.

Inclusivity seems to be their ultimate global aim in 2022.

Boltay Huroof Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Umer Farooq said: “The startup aims at making an inclusive society for the visually impaired community for them to gain social and financial independence. We would like to make a revolution in the education of visually impaired children by providing inclusive Braille books with tactile graphics.”