Inside PakLaunch: How a WhatsApp Group Grew Into Pakistan’s Premier Startup Platform

PakLaunch is Pakistan’s most influential startup ecosystem connector, facilitating over $120 million in funding and building a community of 400,000 members across 550 global events since its founding in April 2020.

Aly Fahd, Founder PakLaunch

What makes PakLaunch unique is its UNconference format, a participant-driven model where attendees collectively shape the agenda and guide the direction of dialogue. Sessions emerge through collaborative proposal and are centered on discussion, knowledge exchange, and shared problem-solving. The format cultivates collective intelligence, active engagement, and organic learning within a flexible and adaptive structure, with no spectators allowed, only participants.

Since launching its first UNconference in Palo Alto in June 2022, the platform has hosted events in Dubai in January 2023, London in September 2023, Riyadh in March 2024 and November 2025, and Palo Alto again in October 2024. The most recent edition, UNconference’25.2 in Riyadh, brought together over 40 Pakistani startups and more than 80 venture capital firms to strengthen cross-border tech and investment ties. The Riyadh event featured high-profile industry leaders including Dubizzle Group’s Imran Ali Khan, US Mobile’s Ahmed Khattak, and Jazz CEO Aamir Ibrahim, with founders valuing the depth of investor engagement while investors appreciated the preparedness and credibility of startups backed by PakLaunch’s ecosystem and its $120 million funding track record.

The platform is returning with UNconference 2026 at Islamabad powered by Bank Islami on 29-30 April, at Serena Hotel, Islamabad. The event will offer a curated environment where attendees will connect directly with leading investors, founders, and industry experts. It will be designed to foster strategic partnerships, including co-investment opportunities and business collaborations, while also providing valuable insights into emerging sectors and Pakistan’s growth landscape. With its invite-only format, the focus will remain on meaningful, time-efficient interactions rather than large-scale networking.

PakLaunch operates on a simple but powerful principle, empowerment through connection. The platform helps Pakistani entrepreneurs through advisory services, training, and fundraising assistance while facilitating networking and collaboration through group discussions and virtual and in-person events. The community has grown from 300,000 members in late 2022 to over 400,000 members today, demonstrating what community-driven ecosystems can achieve.

Each edition builds on the last, creating credibility, access, and long-term impact rather than just visibility. The platform continues to demonstrate that Pakistani talent can connect with investors and raise funds not just locally but internationally, with the right support enabling startups to achieve listings on foreign stock exchanges and elevate Pakistan’s startup ecosystem on the global stage.

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