'Invest in Pakistan' tech summit concludes in Silicon Valley

WASHINGTON: A tech summit titled ‘Invest in Pakistan’ concluded in San Jose, Silicon Valley on Saturday.

In his welcome address, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US Dr. Asad M Khan thanked the audience from Pakistan and across the United States, including US government officials, for their participation in the event.

Briefing the audience on the investment landscape in Pakistan, he highlighted reforms introduced by the government to improve ease of doing business as acknowledged by the World Bank’s Doing Business report listing Pakistan among top 20 reformers in ease of doing business.

The ambassador noted the recent approval of first-ever E-Commerce Policy Framework by the federal cabinet will give further boost to investment opportunities in IT & Tech sector, including for women entrepreneurs.

Fiona Ma, California State Treasurer, in her remarks, welcomed the initiative, promoting win-win opportunities for entrepreneurs in both countries.

The discussions in the six session of the summit —microelectronics, software development, gaming, artificial intelligence, venture capitalism and medical innovation — produced workable recommendations for both the investors and the government going forward.

The summit was attended by more than 250 participants including 13 Pakistani leading Startups — HospitAll, OTOZ Mobility, GharPar Technologies, Airlift, Mauqa, Cheetay, Byonyks, Bykea, Dawaai, Foree, Khareed, Sehat Kahani, & Eat Mubarak — US venture capitalists, and IT companies.

The participants expressed keen interest in investment opportunities in Pakistan’s IT & Tech sector.

The tech summit showcased human resource and tech potential of Pakistan in Silicon Valley; promoted better awareness about recent improvements in Pakistan’s investment climate; and put Pakistan back on the investment map in Silicon Valley.