Who are the 7 Pakistani startups headed to World Economic Forum?

The Pathfinder CITADEL DAVOS Challenge has selected seven Pakistani startups to pitch on the global stage at the Pakistan Pavillion on the sidelines of the Annual Meeting 2026 of the World Economic Forum in Davos in January next year.

The startups selected are:

• Edversity

Edversity builds tech talent pipelines for emerging markets and trains youth in AI, blockchain, and cybersecurity through localized, AI-personalized learning.

The startup has 12,000+ graduates, 68% placed, powering a sustainable talent engine for the digital economy.

• Vector AI

Founded in July 2023, Vector AI builds specialized AI solutions and Software as a Service (SaaS). The startup builds foundational models, enterprise Agentic AI systems, and production-ready voice AI.

According to their website, their work serves telecommunications, education, insurance, non-profits with a focus on localization & customization.

• Swich

Swich, headquartered in Karachi, is a digital payments platform. It started off in 2023 as a payment aggregator and now says it plays an active role in the fintech eco system by deploying a gateway offering innovative solutions to collect and disburse funds across Pakistan.

Shah Aun Hussain, co-founder of Swich, noted that it is “always inspiring to showcase the impact we’re creating and the change we aim to bring to Pakistan’s fintech ecosystem”.

• EKKO

EKKO is an innovative portable device for home-based speech therapy. The healthtech startup targets millions of children worldwide suffering from speech disorders.

It uses safe vibrational wave stimulation with app and cloud support, and makes therapy affordable and accessible.

• Ai team force

The startup provides an AI-powered sales outreach tool that gives small and mid-sized companies the capabilities of a full-time Sales Development Representative for only $497/month. It has reached $60,000 in annual recurring revenue, serve 19 customers (including Vodafone Germany), keep 95% of clients, and grow 20% each month.

It is targeting a large, underserved market of over 10 million SMEs worth $16.8 billion in the EU and US.

• Edkasa

Edkasa’s mission is to help students of Matric and FSc get top marks in their board exams by providing them with an online learning experience via the Edkasa App.

Accoring to co-founder Annum Sadiq: “Edkasa is proud to be selected to attend Davos in 2026 as part of the Pakistan delegation, championing equitable learning opportunities and the future of education for millions of students.”

• AiBL

AiBL develops AI-integrated bionic prosthetics that restore natural mobility and independence for amputees.

‘A rigorous selection process’

Aligning with Pakistan’s Vision 2030 and Digital Pakistan initiative, the CITADEL DAVOS Startup Challenge aims to bridge the gap between Pakistani talent and global capital.

“By taking our best founders to Davos, we are providing escape velocity access to mentorship, international markets, investors, and the global visibility that can redefine a startup’s trajectory,” said the organizers.

The nationwide competition followed a rigorous three-stage process to identify market-ready innovators. From 200 applicants, 60 were shortlisted, 40 pitched in the second round, and 20 advanced to the finals, where the top 7 startups were selected for Davos. All evaluations were conducted by external experts from industry, academia, and investment communities to ensure transparency, merit, and global-standard selection.

Winners will gain visibility with global leaders and investors, international media exposure, and access to Pathfinder CITADEL’s acceleration, mentorship, and corporate linkages—creating a clear pathway from Pakistan’s innovation ecosystem to global markets, the website stated.

Pathfinder CITADEL is a Pakistani initiative by the Pathfinder Group (a large conglomerate) and the Pakistan IT Industry Association (P@SHA) to boost local tech innovation.