KARACHI: Pathfinder Group convened senior policymakers, diplomats, industry leaders, and entrepreneurs at AmaaniBagh for a high-level FORUM titled “Pakistan Pavilion DAVOS 2026: Experience, Lessons Learnt and Beyond.” Hosted by Ikram Sehgal, Co-Chairman, Pathfinder Group, the FORUM reflected on Pakistan Pavilion DAVOS 2026 and outlined a practical pathway to translate global exposure into measurable national outcomes—through innovation diplomacy, startup internationalization, and expanded programming under Pathfinder CITADEL.
The Pakistan Pavilion DAVOS 2026 was inaugurated on 21st January 2026 in DAVOS Switzerland, by the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, alongside. Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister & Foreign Minister, HE Senator Ishaq Dar.
The Pathfinder CITADEL Startup Showcase at the Pakistan Pavilion during #WEF26, spotlighted Pakistan’s globally ambitious founders across AI, fintech, health, climate and education. “Pathfinder CITADEL is our escape-velocity engine—designed to defy economic gravity by transforming talent into jobs, startups into scale, and innovation into growth,” said Ikram Sehgal, Co-Chairman, Pathfinder Group.
The FIRST SESSION opened with background remarks by Dr Salma Malik, followed by opening remarks from AVM Asad Ikram (Retd), President, Pathfinder CITADEL, emphasizing the importance of converting international visibility into tangible progress in digital exports, partnerships, and ecosystem development.
A DAVOS experience panel brought together participating startups alongside Pathfinder CITADEL leadership, including Air Cdre Khalid Banuri (Retd) (Principal Advisor), Air Cdre Farhan Ahmed (Retd) (Project Director), and Imran Jattala (Vice President). Founders shared outcomes and lessons from DAVOS—global exposure, investor engagement, partnerships development, and the amazing networking opportunities provided by Pathfinder Group.
The SESSION’s chief guest, HE Georg Steiner, Ambassador of Switzerland to Pakistan, praised Pakistan’s evolving innovation footprint: “This event reflects Pakistan’s growing role in the global innovation landscape and celebrates the country’s brightest minds driving technological progress.”
The SECOND SESSION introduced the CITADEL JEDDAH STARTUP CHALLENGE 2026, being organized by Pathfinder CITADEL in partnership with OIC-COMSTECH, and to be held at Pakistan Pavilion JEDDAH during the World Economic Forum (WEF) Spring SESSION in JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (22–23 April 2026).
Pathfinder CITADEL reported strong demand for the JEDDAH CHALLENGE, receiving 337 startup applications, including 56 applications from 16 countries—an indicator, organizers said, of Pakistan’s rising profile in innovation diplomacy and cross-border startup collaboration.
A central highlight of the Islamabad FORUM was a live pitching segment featuring startups from OIC countries alongside Pakistani ventures. OIC startups included Waychit (Gambia), Arogga (Bangladesh), Bytecorp (Saudi Arabia), ReNile (Egypt), and Digital360 Sdn Bhd (Malaysia). Pakistani startups featured Nerdflow, Exambites (Netflix for Education), Digital Chotu, EcoGen, and LeObran Ltd (WeatherSense).
Concluding the session, Prof Dr M Iqbal Choudhary, HI, SI, TI, Coordinator General, OIC-COMSTECH, emphasised the strategic value of science, technology and entrepreneurship to deepen intra-OIC cooperation and accelerate shared development. He said, “By connecting innovators, industry and policymakers across OIC member states, we can turn scientific capability into scalable enterprises—strengthening cooperation and delivering real economic impact.”
In closing remarks, Ikram Sehgal reaffirmed Pathfinder Group’s commitment to sustaining a results-driven bridge between DAVOS, JEDDAH and future international FORUMs, advancing partnerships that move beyond visibility to outcomes—market access, investment pathways, and cross-border collaboration.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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