Startup Grind Lahore in collaboration with Transforming Hub is organising BusinessNet 2022: Glamorising Pakistan Startups and Corporate Innovation in association OZI Group powered by PSO at President House, Islamabad.
The main objective of this gathering is to provide networking opportunities to the startup founders with corporate executives to explore avenues of collaboration and work.
This is the first time in Pakistan history that a large number of corporate executives are attending such kind of an activity with startup founders.
This event is supported with Popcorn Studios, CEO Club Worldwide USA, Daftarkhawan, TEC (Training Events & Consultancy, Ministry of Commerce, Government of Pakistan and President House.
Islamic Republic of Pakistan
President of Pakistan
Ministry of Commerce, Govt of Pakistan
Advisor to the Prime Minister for Investments & Commerce
Startup Grind Lahore
Director
Jolta Electric Pvt Ltd
CEO
Abdul Razak Dawood was the Founder of Descon, which is involved in Engineering and Construction, Chemicals, Power and Inspection. He graduated in Mining Engineering from Newcastle University UK and in 1968 obtained his Master degree in Business Administration from Columbia University, NYC, USA.
He started his career in the family business at Lawrencepur Woolen and Textile Mills in 1968 and was then transferred to Dawood Hercules Chemical Limited and became the Managing Director from 1973 till 1981. In 1981 he moved to Descon Engineering (Pvt.) Limited, as its founder and till date has been associated with Descon in the capacity of Managing Director and now as the Chairman.
Descon Engineering is perhaps the first Pakistani multinational company which is operating in six countries, and having four overseas manufacturing units and more than 30,000 employees. Descon’s employees include over 30 nationalities working in Pakistan and The Middle East.
Razak Dawood oversaw the expansion of Descon from Engineering and Construction to Chemicals and Power businesses and now Descon is a recognized brand. He is a former Federal Minister and held the portfolio of Commerce, Industries & Production from November 1999 till November 2002 and also is a former Director of the State Bank of Pakistan.
Razak has been deeply involved in education for many years. His interest in education started when he became a visiting faculty member at the newly established MBA Programme at the University of Punjab. He taught from 1975 till 1981. His interest increased when he became one the founders of Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and has been the Rector of the University from its inception. Currently he is Chairman of the Managing Committee of the University.
Recently he has joined the Board of Namal College to become an affiliate college of University of Bradford, UK and has joined the challenge to create a centre of excellence in a very backward area of Pakistan.
He became a trustee of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital at its inception and remained with the hospital for 10 years. He was one of the founders and first Chairman of the Pakistan Business Council, a new forum on economic policies.
Iftikhar Hussain is an ecosystem builder, consultant, and entrepreneur. He has closely worked with private and public institutions promoting the use of social media to further causes like entrepreneurship, gender rights, women's economic empowerment, and violence against women.
He was the Founder/ VP Business & Strategy at TEC, which is a leading conference management firm in Pakistan, launched DIGIMARK, Pakistan's most premium conference on Digital, and founder of DIGITALK, a monthly digital forum to strengthen the digital ecosystem in Pakistan.
Iftikhar holds a graduate degree in Computer Sciences from University of Central Punjab. He is an IVLP (International Visitor Leadership Program) Alumnus, which is US Department of State’s premier professional exchange program on the theme Social Media Activism. Mr. Hussain is a certified trainer as well as a facilitator from British Council. His signature program "Turning Contacts into References” is one of the most vibrant sessions in universities and incubators throughout the country.
He is the founder of Transforming Hub aiming to bridge the industry-academia gap in a unique way through industry problems paving the way for entrepreneurship. Iftikhar has 14 years of work experience and worked with Ufone, UBL, CodeWeek Magazine, Punjab Commission on the Status of Women, Women Development Department & Niu Media Productions.
It’s not very common in our country to have technological excellence celebrated at the very highest level, we are more known for our hard work, hospitality and resilience; in such times very recently we saw the National Launch of Pakistan’s Very First Indigenous Electric Bike by Prime Minister Imran Khan in an event in Islamabad.
Taking a step away from the norm Usman also is an example of someone who didn’t take the conventional route of building a career; he broke the chains of tradition at the very early stage and took initiative from a very humble beginning without any investment or other financial support. This decade long journey of organic growth and hard work can only be made possible from a position of Faith on a larger than life Vision.
Being Pioneers of an industry is not something that is unfamiliar for Usman Sheikh’s OZI and AUJ Group; Usman was the person who foresaw the boom of mobile development in terms of Gaming and Apps and 12 years ago OZI Technology was the first to take up Mobile Gaming as a product based industry; it revolutionized the Mobile Development landscape of Pakistan; and in 11 years OZI Technology transformed into OZI Group encompassing over 20 Global Brands bringing in millions of dollars of foreign exchange in our country.
Carrying on the mission to elevate the youth and economy of Pakistan Usman had the courage to leave the ecstasy of success and dive into the next big wave of Green Energy with EV and Energy Storage through Jolta Electric and Zoxcell.
This phenomenal success has not been the result of any outside support but is based on a Vision of Growth and a Business Model of Collaboration.
Let’s all join hands to celebrate the success of made in Pakistan by Pakistan through the life story and experiences of Mr. Usman Sheikh and also have a sneak peek into the future of EV in Pakistan.
Before founding OZi Technology, Usman Worked at Techlogix, NADRA and then moved to China to work at ENMAC Engineering China as HEAD Research & Development Department. Usman did Bachelors in Computer Sciences from UET Lahore and joined Lums for MBA but dropped out after 2 months to purse his career as an entrepreneur.
Startup Grind Lahore
Director
See Bio
Co-wired
CEO
See Bio
Startup Grind Lahore
Coordinator
Geeks TechHub
CEO
Iftikhar Hussain is an ecosystem builder, consultant, and entrepreneur. He has closely worked with private and public institutions promoting the use of social media to further causes like entrepreneurship, gender rights, women's economic empowerment, and violence against women.
He was the Founder/ VP Business & Strategy at TEC, which is a leading conference management firm in Pakistan, launched DIGIMARK, Pakistan's most premium conference on Digital, and founder of DIGITALK, a monthly digital forum to strengthen the digital ecosystem in Pakistan.
Iftikhar holds a graduate degree in Computer Sciences from University of Central Punjab. He is an IVLP (International Visitor Leadership Program) Alumnus, which is US Department of State’s premier professional exchange program on the theme Social Media Activism. Mr. Hussain is a certified trainer as well as a facilitator from British Council. His signature program "Turning Contacts into References” is one of the most vibrant sessions in universities and incubators throughout the country.
He is the founder of Transforming Hub aiming to bridge the industry-academia gap in a unique way through industry problems paving the way for entrepreneurship. Iftikhar has 14 years of work experience and worked with Ufone, UBL, CodeWeek Magazine, Punjab Commission on the Status of Women, Women Development Department & Niu Media Productions.
Mahrukh Qadeer is the founder and CEO of communal workspace, Co-Wired. Qadeer started her multifaceted professional career after receiving an M.S. in Computer Science. Having 12+ years of experience working for several multi-national organizations and social gaming giants like DeNA, she developed expertise in designing mobile applications and app monetization frameworks for smart devices. Qadeer is also a visiting faculty member of a national university. She works as a consultant to a number of organizations as well as engages in a myriad of public speaking opportunities including Global Entrepreneurship Week 2016, Berlin where she was invited as a speaker and also moderated a panel discussion.
Previously, she has served as CEO at Mahir Online that connects people with local eateries. This versatile experience led her to start Co-Wired in April, 2017. The ideology of Co-Wired lies in its slogan – Create, Communicate, Collaborate. She laid down the foundation of Co-Wired on philosophy of supporting the entrepreneurial ecosystem by conducting training programs and connecting its members to resources, support networks, and mentors. This co-working space acts as starting point for entrepreneurs to lay the first brick of their idea. Currently, a number of startups, multinational offshore companies and other corporates are also utilizing Co-Wired as a workspace along with other small-scale businesses. The flexible packages complemented by state-of-the-art working facilities cater to all types of requirements. For example, Mompreneur package is designed specifically for working mothers of school going kids, looking to work in dynamic environment to maintain discipline in their workflow.
Co-Wired also led into unprecedented collaborations of businesses leading to better work opportunities. Several focused workshops and vocational trainings are conducted on topics like Growth Hacking, Website development, Videography, Design Thinking and Social Media Marketing Certification. Hosting entrepreneurship-related discussion sessions is also a regular practice at Co-Wired where various professions like healthcare, finance, music and media are discussed in the context of technology and consumer behavior.
She is a Facilitator for British Council's DICE Fellowship Program. DICE is a pilot program that takes a holistic approach to address entrenched issues of economic and social exclusion. DICE takes an 'ecosystem' approach to nurture economic inclusion, with a focus on women and girls, young people, disabled people and other often excluded groups. DICE is delivered by an interdisciplinary and inspired group of colleagues and change-makers in Pakistan, Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, South Africa and UK.
Startup Grind
Chapter Director
View Profile
Startup Grind
Marketing Executive
View Profile
Startup Grind
Event Manager
View Profile
Startup Grind
Coordinator Lahore Chapter
View Profile
Startup Grind Lahore
Marketing Executive
View Profile
Startup grind
Team Member
View Profile
Community Manager
View Profile
Ideas Animation Pvt. Ltd.
Head of Operations
View Profile