30 startups graduate from NIC Karachi as part of 12th Cohort

The National Incubation Center Karachi (NIC Karachi) announced the graduation of 30 startups from its 12th Cohort. The startups were from a variety of industries, including e-commerce, AI, fintech, cyber security, edtech, proptech and industrial automation.

Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Federal Minister for IT & Telecom, was chief guest of the event.

“The graduation of startups from NIC Karachi demonstrates the remarkable entrepreneurial talent and resilience of Pakistan’s youth. These young innovators are not only creating jobs but also reshaping industries and showcasing Pakistan’s potential on the global stage,” she said.

According to a press release issued by NIC Karachi, an Ignite initiative under the Ministry of IT & Telecom, the graduating startups are now poised to scale their solutions across local and international markets.

One of the graduating startups is Mergn, which describes itself on LinkedIn as a “customer engagement platform which enables brands to build incredible affinity with their customers”. It was founded by Nauman Sikander Mirza, former CEO of foodpanda Pakistan.

Another is Auto Auditor, an AI-powered ISO 27001 internal auditor that performs auditing process independently, providing quick and accurate evaluations of compliance without the need for a human auditor, according to information provided by NIC to Business Recorder.

One of the graduates was Atfaal, a children clothing brand that empowers underprivileged women through skills training, access to dignified work and sustainable textile production. It was also a finalist in the recently concluded Standard Chartered Pakistan’s Women in Tech Accelerator Programme.

Enerlytics, which hopes to revolutionize the energy sector by unlocking efficiency, sustainability, and cost savings through advanced analytics, Routify, which tackles logistics challenges by optimizing delivery operations, and SuperButler.AI, which has created an AI-powered digital concierge SaaS solution tailored for the hotel and hospitality industry were just some of the many other startups that have graduated.

Alumni success stories were shared at the event as examples of how NIC Karachi’s support translates into job creation, revenue generation and industry disruption.

Asim Ishaq Khan, Vice President LMKT, said: “Together with our partners Yunus Brothers Group and Orbit Startups, we are building a robust pipeline of scalable businesses. The achievements of Cohort 12 are proof that with the right ecosystem, mentorship, and investor access, Pakistani startups can achieve global competitiveness.”

NIC Karachi recently closed applications for its 14 Cohort, which included a special induction drive for female-led startups.