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Startup funding in Pakistan: incubators, accelerators and investors in 2026

Editorial

By TrustList Editorial

The National Incubation Centers, Plan9, LUMS programmes, i2iScale and local VC funds: what each offers Pakistani founders in 2026, and which details we could not confirm.

About Startup funding in Pakistan: incubators, accelerators and investors in 2026

Startup funding in Pakistan: incubators, accelerators and investors in 2026

Most early-stage support for Pakistani founders does not arrive as a large cheque. It comes as free workspace, training, mentoring, grants and introductions to investors, often without taking any equity. Venture capital usually comes later.

That makes incubators and accelerators the first stop for many founders. It also means you need to track them carefully. The government-funded National Incubation Centers have changed operators, university programmes have been restructured, and several websites show old dates or conflicting details.

This guide is written for founders in Pakistan, including those who come from software services or freelance work and want to build a product. It covers the National Incubation Centers, Plan9, the LUMS Centre for Entrepreneurship, independent accelerators, venture capital funds, and how Pakistan's tech talent connects to funding. Where something is unclear, it says so.

Every amount, date and count here comes from the organisation's own website, listed under Sources. Terms and deadlines change often. Treat every figure as correct at the time of writing (September 2026), and check the official page before you apply. This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice.

How startup support in Pakistan is organised

There are five main kinds of support:

  • National Incubation Centers (NICs). Funded through Ignite, the National Technology Fund under the Ministry of IT and Telecom, and managed by separate operators.
  • Provincial programmes. Plan9 in Lahore is run by the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) and funded by the Government of the Punjab.
  • University programmes. The LUMS Centre for Entrepreneurship runs its own incubator and accelerator.
  • Independent accelerators. Organisations such as Invest2Innovate (i2i) and Katalyst Labs run their own programmes.
  • Venture capital. Local funds such as i2i Ventures and Sarmayacar, plus regional investors.

Several public programmes say they take no equity, but they differ in stage. Some want an idea and a committed team, others want revenue. Read the eligibility rules before anything else.

The National Incubation Centers

When Ignite signed a new operator for NIC Islamabad in February 2024, its chief executive said the nationwide network of National Incubation Centers had incubated more than 1,480 startups. The centres share a name and a funder, but each is run separately, with its own terms, timetable and operator. That is why it pays to check who runs a centre today.

NIC Islamabad

In February 2024, Ignite announced an agreement with a consortium led by Pakistan Services Limited (PSL) and the Hashoo Group to manage NIC Islamabad for the next five years.

At the time of writing (September 2026), its website describes:

  • a 14-week Launch Track, followed by a Growth Track, for 28 weeks in total
  • office space at the centre for selected startups
  • equity-free grants of up to PKR 5M in non-dilutive capital, linked to milestone validation stages
  • a national accelerator that selects five startups a year from incubation alumni across all NICs

The recruitment window for Cohort 6 opened on 3 August 2026, and the published deadline for completed applications is 21 September 2026. The site does not say whether incubation itself involves equity, so ask before you sign.

NIC Lahore

The original NIC Lahore was hosted at LUMS and funded by the Ministry of IT and Telecom through Ignite. According to LUMS, it concluded on 19 December 2023 after six years of operation.

The centre now runs as NIC Lahore, led by NetSol Technologies with a consortium of partners, and is no longer a LUMS programme. We could not find the date of the handover on an official page. Its website describes:

  • Incubation: an 8-month programme, with 2 cohorts a year
  • Acceleration: a 4-month programme, run once a year, where the top 10 startups from the incubation cohort and external applicants receive PKR 5 million in funding (another line says up to PKR 5 million), with mentoring and investor connections

The site does not state what form the PKR 5 million takes or whether equity is involved. It invites founders to apply to its next cohort, but we could not confirm when applications next open.

NIC Karachi

NIC Karachi was established in 2018 at NED University. It is funded by Ignite and operated by LMKT and Lucky Landmark, in partnership with Orbit Startups. Its FAQ says it does not take equity from startups.

  • Incubation lasts 12 months.
  • Acceleration is a 3-month programme powered by Orbit Ventures, for 10 startups a year, five per batch. Each startup selected receives a grant of up to PKR 5 million from Ignite, disbursed against key milestones.

The timetable needs checking. The FAQ says new cohorts start in October and April and that applications are accepted on an ongoing basis, while the apply page says Cohort 16 applications are closed. Check the apply page for the next intake.

NIC Peshawar

NIC Peshawar's partners page names LMKT as managing the centre. A post dated 12 March 2026 announced that Cohort 15 applications were live, and the site also has a page profiling Cohort 15 startups. Its "what we offer" page describes coaching, mentoring and workshops, with a pre-acceleration programme starting in the ninth month of the incubation cycle. We found no published funding amounts or equity terms, so ask the centre directly.

NIC Quetta: status unconfirmed

NIC Quetta was established in 2018. Its FAQ says incubation, training, mentoring and workspace are free of cost under the government's innovation programme, and its incubation page says seed grants are awarded when startups graduate. The grant amounts are not published.

Several details conflict. The incubation page gives a length of 4 to 6 months, and the FAQ says 6 months. The site describes the centre's backers in different ways on different pages, naming BUITEMS, LUMS, Ignite and LMKT in different combinations, and its team page shows placeholder contact details. We could not confirm who operates it now or whether an intake is open. Contact the centre before you apply.

Plan9: Punjab's tech incubator

Plan9 was founded in August 2012 and sits on the 9th floor of the Arfa Software Technology Park in Lahore. It is part of PITB and funded by the Government of the Punjab.

Its published terms are straightforward:

  • it takes no equity
  • it provides free office space, legal advice, marketing support and a monthly stipend for each team member (the stipend amount is not published)
  • each incubation cycle lasts six months, and teams are inducted twice a year
  • applications open one month before each cycle starts

Its FAQ sets out who can apply. You must be a Pakistani citizen over 18, with a team of 2 to 5 people that includes at least a CEO and a CTO. Founders should not be employed elsewhere, so they can commit to the six months. Plan9 is for product businesses with a technology component.

One caution. The most recent dated Plan9 intake announcements we found on PITB's website were from 2019 and 2020. Plan9 is still presented as part of PITB's incubation work, but check that a cycle is open before you plan around it.

LUMS Centre for Entrepreneurship: Idea Launch and Slingshot

After the LUMS-hosted NIC closed, the LUMS Centre for Entrepreneurship (LCE) started its own programmes. Both are described in LUMS news posts. LCE's own programme site did not load when we checked.

Idea Launch is a six-month incubation programme for early-stage founders turning ideas into ventures. Its 2026 call described workshops on business strategy, branding and marketing, finance, product development and pitching, along with mentoring and an Investor Summit where graduating startups present. It welcomed creative economy, environmental, edtech, fintech, health tech and other technology-driven ideas. Applications for the third cohort closed on 31 May 2026.

Slingshot is an acceleration programme for revenue-generating startups ready to scale. Founders are matched with mentors for their specific challenges and attend workshops on financial requirements, valuation, investor relations, fundraising, legal issues and pitching. The programme ends with an Investor Summit. The latest call, posted on 13 August 2026, closed on 31 August 2026.

Neither post publishes equity or fee terms. Ask LCE before you accept a place.

Independent accelerators: i2iScale and Katalyst Labs

i2iScale

Invest2Innovate (i2i) says it has supported startups through accelerator programmes since 2011. Its current programme, i2iScale, is a 12-week online accelerator for post-revenue startups, with three tracks:

  • Growth: product-market fit and revenue growth in Pakistan
  • Fundraise: investment readiness and introductions to investors
  • Scale: market research, market entry and soft-landing support in Saudi Arabia, with experts based in the Kingdom

At the time of writing (September 2026), the page says applications are open on a rolling basis. No fees or equity terms are published, and i2i's programmes page lists i2iScale under a "What We Did?" heading, so confirm the current edition before you apply.

Katalyst Labs: status unconfirmed

Katalyst Labs describes its acceleration programme as equity-free, with no fee to join, and says cohorts last 3 to 6 months. It lists fintech, agritech, m-commerce, health tech and edtech among its focus areas.

We could not confirm a current intake. The programmes page in its site navigation still shows a 2021 deadline, newer programme pages are not linked from the navigation, and the site's own counts of past cohorts do not agree. Contact Katalyst Labs before you apply.

Venture capital in Pakistan

When you need more than a grant, you will be talking to venture capital funds. Two local funds are described below, alphabetically. The order is not a ranking or a recommendation, and each description is based on what the fund publishes on its own website.

  • i2i Ventures launched in August 2019 as an early-stage fund. It is a sister entity of Invest2Innovate but a separate fund. It invests in pre-seed and seed-stage startups, with initial cheques of $250K to $500K. It says it is sector agnostic but most interested in large market opportunities in Pakistan, that it leads deals and co-invests, and that it helps with fundraising, strategy, hiring and user research. The page's copyright line reads 2022, so confirm the details are current.
  • Sarmayacar describes itself as a sector-agnostic fund investing in startups operating in Pakistan. It invests in pre-revenue companies through its operator angel programme and writes larger cheques for later-stage companies through its main fund. Its timeline says its first fund closed at $25m and that it has expanded into Karachi, alongside its Lahore office.

TrustList's ranking of venture capital firms in Pakistan lists more investors.

Pakistani startups can also look at programmes in the Gulf. In Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Venture Capital Company's direct investments are open to companies expanding to the Kingdom, and the TAQADAM accelerator accepts international startups with a plan to expand there within a year of the programme start. In the UAE, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation Fund accepts companies planning to set up in the country. Each comes with local obligations, so read the terms closely.

How to approach an investor

  • Check fit first. Read what stage, sectors and cheque sizes each fund publishes, and whether it leads rounds.
  • Use programmes as a bridge. Investor summits at NICs and LCE, and i2iScale's fundraise track, exist to introduce founders to investors.
  • Know your numbers. Separate product revenue from any services or freelance income, and be ready to explain both.
  • Ask about structure early. Some investors prefer a particular company structure. Take legal and tax advice before you change yours.
  • Speak to founders the fund has backed before you sign a term sheet.

Tech talent, freelancing and funding

Pakistan has a large IT services industry and a large freelance community. Our guide to staff augmentation in Pakistan sets out the official figures on IT exports and freelance earnings, and what they do and do not show.

For founders, that talent base matters in three ways.

Many founders start in services or freelancing. Client work teaches you how overseas customers buy, how to deliver remotely and how to handle contracts and payments. In May 2026, NIC Peshawar published an article arguing that freelancing is often an early stage of a startup ecosystem, because freelancers see clients' problems every day. That experience is an asset when you apply.

Programmes and investors look for a product. Plan9 asks for a product business with a technology component. i2iScale and Slingshot want revenue. Investors will want to see how much of your income comes from the product and how much from services. Using services income to fund product work can make sense, but be clear about the split.

Hiring is part of the plan. i2i Ventures says talent is one of the biggest challenges for startups in Pakistan, and offers its portfolio companies help with sourcing and hiring. Before you raise, work out which roles you will hire directly, which you can fill with freelancers, and which could be covered by a staff augmentation firm while you grow.

There is also a Gulf connection. Some Pakistani developers and firms serve clients in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and i2iScale's Scale track is built around entering the Saudi market. If your first customers are in the Gulf, the Saudi and UAE programmes above may be worth a look.

How to use TrustList's funder rankings

TrustList's ranking of startup funding programmes in Pakistan lists incubators, accelerators and schemes, and the Pakistan venture capital ranking lists investors. Know how they are built:

  • They are based on what funders publish. TrustList's investor rankings draw on what funders say on their own websites, such as the stages and sectors they invest in and where their offices are. They are not based on investment performance or returns, so a higher position does not mean a better investor for you.
  • Nothing paid counts. Sponsored placements are labelled and never add to a position. Our trust and methodology page explains how TrustList keeps rankings independent.
  • They are a starting point. Use them to build a list, then check each programme's current terms, operator and deadlines on its own website.

Every investor and programme profile on TrustList also has a form to request an introduction. The TrustList team reads each request and passes on only those that fit the funder's stage and focus, with your pitch and contact details. It costs nothing, and a funder is not obliged to reply.

TrustList does not give legal, tax or financial advice. Before you sign an incubation agreement, a grant agreement or a term sheet, take advice from qualified professionals.

A checklist before you apply

  • Check who operates the centre or programme today.
  • Confirm that an intake is open, and note the deadline.
  • Read the eligibility rules: stage, team size, citizenship and whether you can keep another job.
  • Ask whether any equity, fee or revenue share is involved, even when a programme says it is free.
  • Ask how grants are paid, for example against milestones.
  • Treat programmes whose status is unconfirmed, such as NIC Quetta and Katalyst Labs, as unverified until you hear back.
  • Separate product revenue from services income in your numbers.
  • Take legal, tax and financial advice before you sign.

Sources

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