Plan9: incubating passion

Q. What does a university dropout from Okara and a team of developers working on cutting edge "computer vision" technologies for mobile devices have in common?
A. An entrepreneurial streak and the countrys first technology incubator that brought them together under one roof in a bid to help them get off the ground successfully.
Enter Plan9, a programme administered by the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB), designed to help young entrepreneurs find their footings in the cut-throat world of technology start-ups.
Amongst the first ventures of its kind in a country where entrepreneurship remains a quasi-realized dream, the programme sets out to guide young entrepreneurs through the complex and difficult terrain that a start-up typically goes through, providing the chosen teams with free of cost office space, uninterrupted power supplies, legal advice and mentorship through industry veterans the likes of Badar Khushnood (Googles Country Consultant for Pakistan) and Jehan Ara (President P@SHA).
Additionally, the incubated businesses are also eligible for financial support, which is paid out to each member of the start-up venture in the form of a monthly stipend of up to Rs 20,000 for the six month incubation period.
Helping the start-ups refine their business models and make their way through the launch stages, plan9 mentors also guide the young entrepreneurs connect with and make successful pitches to venture capital funds and both local and foreign angel investors.
Headed by Nabeel A Qadeer, a successful tech entrepreneur himself, the incubator has thus far managed to help some really exciting ideas see the light of day.
Amongst the most popular include GoGhoom, a website that will act as the countrys first tourism platform connecting businesses and providing information and travel booking services domestically and internationally, as well as Eyedeus Labs, a venture led by a team of young computer grads who have already successfully designed and launched an app called Groopic, available in app stores in America, Canada, Netherlands and Singapore.
Yet another business that got a kick-start off the back of PITBs venture is Hometown, the only e-commerce start-up that got chosen by the government-funded incubator on the basis of their business ideology which combines craftsmanship and technology to build a niche business.
Designing, marketing and selling hand crafted bespoke leather shoes to over 17 countries, Hometown works very closely with a group of master leather craftsman from a rural area near Lahore, helping their products gain access to markets they could only have dreamed of.
Talking to BR Research, Mohammad Waqas, the founder and CEO of Hometown explained the impact that PITBs launch pad had on his business and on the livelihoods of the craftsmen he works with. "We used to work out of the KFC nearest to our hostel before we got selected on the first plan9 programme" he says, but six months on, Hometown is in the position to rent a small office in the same building where we first found shelter.
"Not only did PITB, gave us a roof over our head, they provided us with mentorship we could only ever dream about. They helped us tell the story behind our shoes to the world. And today, I get queries from people all over the world, people who are interested in investing in our business and help us scale. This is the kind of impact even the smallest of guiding hands can have on the countrys entrepreneurial spirit", he says.