IBA's Centre for Entrepreneurial Development

Ideas don't fail because they're weak. They fail because no one shows the founder the way.

Two out of every three Pakistanis are under 30, and the ideas are already here. What founders need is guidance.

That was the spirit at IBA CED as we brought together our newest wave of ambitious founders and distinguished industry leaders for our Mentor-Mentee Kickoff Session.

In his opening remarks, Muhammad Hassan Khan, Associate Director IBA CED, made the case plainly. Startups with strong mentorship are roughly twice as likely to survive their first five years. That is the gap this program exists to close. Following an insightful program overview by Dr. Kanza Sohail, Incubation Lead, the event moved into dynamic 1-on-1 sessions where founders and seasoned experts tackled real challenges and mapped out growth strategies.

Cohort 2 brings together 20 founders building real solutions across AI-driven healthcare, fintech, agritech, and sustainable manufacturing, each matched 1-on-1 with the right mentor.

This is how we drive entrepreneurial success. Looking forward to the milestones this cohort will achieve.

Ranked Among Pakistan's Top 8 Incubation Centres. In Year One.

IBA CED’s I-Incubate Program has been awarded the top ‘W’ category rating in the HEC Annual BIC Self-Assessment Scorecard FY 2024–25, the highest performance tier, achieved by only 8 out of 40 BICs nationwide.

What makes this achievement even more significant: as a newly established BIC, participation was voluntary for us. We chose to step forward, be evaluated, and emerge among the country’s top-performing incubation centres.

A proud moment for IBA CED, and every individual whose efforts made this possible.

This Saturday at IBA CED is all about the strategies behind growth.

Whether it’s scaling startups, driving digital growth, building operational efficiency, or making smarter business decisions, these sessions bring together leaders who’ve done it at the highest level.

Meet the Expert Trainers:
Faiz Mehmood, CFA, Senior Director of Strategy, Bazaar Technologies
Nooruddin Abbas Ali, Founder & CEO, The Remote Reps
Rameez Khalid, PhD Khalid, Associate Professor, Institute of Business Administration

📅 Saturday, May 23 | IBA City Campus

Great ideas need the right mentorship to grow into successful startups.

Meet the powerhouse mentors of I-INCUBATE Cohort 2, industry leaders, founders, and experts dedicated to guiding the next generation of entrepreneurs at IBA CED.

Through expert guidance, real-world insights, and meaningful mentorship, they are helping aspiring entrepreneurs innovate, scale, and create lasting impact.

Here’s to empowering ideas, building startups, and shaping the founders of tomorrow.

Most startups don’t fail because of bad ideas. They fail because of bad decisions.

Last weekend, we went deep on the two things that actually separate startups that survive from those that scale, financial discipline and the people you build with.

Fatiq Bin Khursheed stripped back the noise around fundraising and revenue to ask a harder question: are you actually building wealth, or just building numbers? From personal finance and venture economics to unit economics and startup sustainability, founders were challenged to trade short term thinking for long term financial clarity.

Saad Afridi made it undeniable, your startup will never outgrow your team. Hiring, compensation, culture, ownership. The systems you build today determine whether your people scale with your venture.

The best founders aren’t just visionaries.

They’re disciplined operators who build the right systems, and surround themselves with the right people.

That’s what sustainable looks like.

Big ideas. Bold founders. Game-changing innovation.
The future of Pakistan’s startup ecosystem starts here.

What happens when vision meets opportunity?

You get founders who dare to solve real problems, challenge industries, and build for impact.

Meet the startups of the Sindh Acceleration Program, a powerful community of innovators transforming AI, clean energy, logistics, edtech, e-commerce, agritech, and beyond.

These are not just startups.

They are the next wave of builders, disruptors, and changemakers shaping Pakistan’s future.

Welcome to , where traction turns vision into scale.

Which startup are you rooting for?

What does it actually take to build wealth in Pakistan's evolving financial landscape?

This Saturday at IBA CED, explore venture economics, investment fundamentals, and the future of finance with someone who's built it from the ground up.

Meet your Expert Trainer:
Fatiq Bin Khursheed | CEO, Finqalab | Ex-CEO, VLEKTRA

A seasoned investment professional, Fatiq led Finqalab, Pakistan's first retail focused stock trading platform, from launch to sustainability. Before fintech, he co-founded VLEKTRA, introducing Pakistan's first lithium battery based electric motorcycle and putting the country on the map for electric mobility innovation.

📅 Saturday, May 16 | 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
📍 IBA City Campus

Three sessions. Three perspectives. One unforgettable day at IBA CED.

Atif Sami reminded us that technology isn't the goal, outcomes are. Build systems that run without you, because a business that depends on your presence has a ceiling you built yourself.

Nooruddin Abbas Ali flipped the script on how we think about growth, stop guessing what the market wants and go ask it. Real traction comes from validated pain points, not polished pitch decks.

Hira Farid made one thing crystal clear, you don't hire for convenience, you hire for culture. Define the role, protect the values, and delegate like your scale depends on it, because it does.

If you weren't in that room, you missed something that doesn't show up in a textbook.

A look back at IBA CED’s I-Venture VIII, a dynamic showcase where IBA’s startups took center stage.

With 20+ ventures spanning food and tech, students pitched their ideas, showcased their progress, and gained valuable insights to grow their startups. The presence of IBA community added immense value, offering thoughtful feedback to help refine and strengthen each venture.

More than just an event, I-Venture VIII was a testament to IBA students turning ideas into action.

This Mother’s Day, we celebrate the women who don’t just nurture families, they build businesses, create opportunities, and transform economies.

The KHADIJAH Women Entrepreneurship Program, hosted by PSW-Pakistan Single Window & IBA CED, brought together driven women founders and aspiring entrepreneurs for a day focused on innovation, export readiness, digital growth, and business expansion beyond borders.

More than just an event, this may well be the blueprint for next year. A powerful movement empowering women to reshape Pakistan's entrepreneurial landscape with innovation, resilience, and leadership.

Dr. Lalarukh Ejaz opened the session with a vision that set the tone for everything that followed.

Maria Gulzar demystified AI & automation, turning complex digital tools into practical business strategy.

Faisal Butt mapped out cross-border e-commerce and B2B export pathways for businesses ready to scale.

Rizwan Samad placed live trade intelligence directly into the hands of aspiring exporters.

Sukaina Abbas unpacked the financial frameworks that separate businesses that survive from those that scale.

Azra Maqsood shared strategies for transforming local potential into a global presence.

Dr. Kanza Sohail brought entrepreneurial insights every founder in the room needed to hear, all masterfully moderated by Tahleel Mumtaz.

And every participant walked away with a complimentary PSW subscription, because when the right women are equipped with the right tools, entire industries evolve.

From thoughtfully curating the program to bringing together the right experts, participants, and conversations, Tahleel Mumtaz Malik your efforts played a key role in making this initiative engaging, impactful, and truly meaningful for everyone involved.