The annual two-day event, billed as Pakistan’s largest technology and startup conference is renowned for being the single-largest platform in Pakistan to bring together startups, investors, technologists, industry luminaries, experts and large corporate as well as tech heavyweights.
This year Ignite showcased its SEED funding, national network of incubators, DigiSkills.pk and grassroots research initiative and five startups; Mera Sabaq Learning Systems, BaseH Technologies, Aqua Agro, Aprus Technologies, WonderTree and White Coal Machine to entrepreneurs and investors at Momentum.
The conference’s agenda comprised a Startup and Technology Expo designed to showcase concepts and ideas on the future of cutting-edge technology.
The conference also featured a line-up of speaker sessions, panel discussions, workshops and a plethora of networking opportunities for young entrepreneurs to interact with mentors, potential investors and discuss new avenues of business and the ways forward for scalability and nationwide economic growth.
“The Momentum Tech Conference is conceived of as a platform that understands the Pakistani market and has the capacity to revolutionise the eco-system to support Pakistani entrepreneurs.
To support this vision, professionals from diverse backgrounds and with decades of experience have come together under the Momentum umbrella to share their knowledge and help map out a path to a better tomorrow.
This year conference saw the launch of the “Startup 100 Competition”. Ignite National Technology Fund, Virtual Force X+, a New York-based technology acceleration platform which helps create next generation software products, has partnered with Momentum to facilitate the competition. Startup 100 is a unique launch pad for young entrepreneurs who have been waiting for that first big opportunity.
The final three were awarded cash prizes of $8,000, $3,500, and $1,500 respectively — sums that can serve as seed capital for these companies. In addition, the inducted startups got the opportunity to showcase their products or services on the Momentum 2019 exhibition floor.
Joan Wagner, US Counsel General USAID recognised Ignite for its contribution in innovation and startups ecosystem at Momentum 2019 Karachi.
The Momentum Technology Conference is also tapping into a “currently red-hot area of development with its Fintech Hackathon. Developers, designers, and entrepreneurs came together to create new customer experiences and revenue models by leveraging Pakistan’s digital payment ecosystem.
The Fintech Hackathon provided startups an opportunity to devise innovative products and services for payments, e-commerce, bookings, and digital mapping.
Meanwhile, the speaker line-up and partners for Momentum 2019 not only included big names from Pakistan’s tech and corporate industries such as Careem, Jazz, Ignite National Technology Fund and the Hashoo Group, but also featured names from international giants such as Microsoft, IBM, Google, Amazon Web Services, and Facebook.
Furthermore, the conference also provided an opportunity to connect potential employees with employers through its Career Expo, where Pakistan’s best corporates met students seeking to work with top-ranked tech companies.
