What started back in 2012 with a handful team of six people has now become a leading trendsetter in the entrepreneurial ecosystem of Pakistan. It is an attempt to fill the void that has long disappointed and haunted many great minds. In merely 16 months, the startup culture of Pakistan has taken a steady rise. It is true that there were startups emerging out of this part of world before as well but what Plan9 has managed to achieve in such a short span of time is worth a case study for sure.
Like any exciting new venture, the need was identified and that is of the amount of insurmountable and untapped talent that exists in our country. The stress on entrepreneurship or the value of running your business is usually brushed away because of various factors. Lack of resources, dearth of business acumen, shyness towards innovation, fear of pivoting, financial constraints, zero guidance, investment battles and the cut throat competition are few of the reasons people tend to go for working for MNCs or large organizations where theycan be in a somewhat comfortable environment as compared to starting out something totally new and that too on your own.
Keeping in mind all these aspects, Dr. Umar Saif came up with a solution that is not a novel idea but its timely execution is definitely a far sighted move. Being himself a serial entrepreneur and a tech enthusiast, he meticulously carved out a niche for a world-class tech/business incubator in Pakistan and formed a team which could execute his dream. From there onwards, it has been an eventful yet rewarding journey which keeps proving to be a great learning curve for everyone.
Today, Plan9 is a platform for young, aspiring entrepreneurs who want to play with their creative chaos, are eager to modernize and do not hesitate to take the plunge. It’s a place which provides you with an environment to chase your goals. It has completed two cycles taking about 15-16 startups per cycle, starting its 3rd cycle from 9th December this year and has incubated 30 tech startups from all over Pakistan so far. Backed by the Punjab government, the incubation center is situated on the 9th floor of Arfa Software Technology Park in Lahore and accepts application for the new cycle after every 6 months. After a competitive application and screening process, pitching ideas to a panel of judges, the shortlisted startups then secure a spot in Plan9. Once incubated, they are free to avail all the facilities free of cost. They do not worry about paying their office rent, furniture, laptops or even the legal matters. Plan9 takes care of all their hassles. On top of that, they get access to top notch mentoring and funding channels.
Here are brief blurbs of what the currently incubated startups are working on:
Virtual Proz:Developing location based applications for smartphones including ‘LocPro’ that sends location based reminders to users.
Black Gold:Developing a device to tackle fuel corruption, including add-ons likeGSM module notifying the owner the amount of fuel entered and used from the system.
TechnoLabz:‘Shopanova’, its first product, focuses on reviving the true shopping experience in product discovery. It shows users shopping recommendations considering the combination of user’s location, likes, friends and followers. Additionally, it lets a user share a shopping find to his followers and friends in just 3 steps.
I-Trak:Working on emerging design methodologies in human computer interaction. Like eye tracking based interfaces that have the potential to replace mouse, gesture recognition for various hardware platforms. Their main goal towards developing these applications is to provide software interface solutions that are fast, intuitive and make the user more productive and efficient.The first product is an eye mouse for physically challenged people, which enables them to use computers like other people. They will be able to browse the internet, write e-mails and play simple games, all with the movement of their eyes.
Pantera Engineering:Developing a restaurant management system to automate the process of food ordering, billing and feedback using android tablets.
Teratech Studios:Specializes in developing business automation and intelligence solutions. Their first product is an FMCG distribution automation system which is aimed at making FMCG distribution efficient and error free.
Technolsys: A software solutions company for mobile, web & desktopapplications.All Secure, its first product, is a mobile and web based application for the security of smart phones and tablets. It provides mobile phone users with the freedom to phone data against loss or theft.
Idea Centricity:The company works on bringing innovative ideas to life that have a significant social impact especially with respect to improving livelihood of people at the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid. The first product ‘Odd Jobbers’ introduces an IT platform to connect low income level, skilledworkers including rickshaw/taxi drivers, domestic workers, electricians, construction workers, housekeepers, electricians with ideal appropriate employers.
Ingentive Lab: ‘YourBrand’, its first product, is a one stop solution for all the things you can imagine to kick off a successful online store or take care of customer needs offline. Make a smart website or Facebook page using YourBrand.pk and connect with clients via your smartphone instantly. It also helps brands in getting feedback from customers easily so that brands can shape their future decisions accordingly.
Epic Sol: It provides intelligent smart phone apps for vehicle users at high quality and affordable rates. ‘Drive Pal’, its first smart phone application automatically detects accidents pertaining to road vehicles (cars in particular) and responds promptly by alarming relatives and emergency services such as an ambulance and traffic police.
Fictive Lab : eModCons, theirfirst product is a complete automation system which can be installed in homes, and small and large scale businesses.
Rocket Engineering Solutions:Haryali, their first productprovides solutions based on renewable energy resources in Pakistan. They provide an integrated smart agro-irrigation system to farmers which can help them to increase their yield.
At Plan9, these startups have worked on their ideas from scratch, some of the have pivoted, some of them got stuck while some of them keep getting ready to face any sorts of challenges. They have gone through lots of rigorous and fast paced trainings during the last 6 months from local and international entrepreneurs. They have met and interacted with scores of people, received feedback, gotten criticized, worked 24/7, build teams, been mentored, been rejected, been appreciated but the best thing about them they are never willing to give up. They are all fighters who keep trying and they put in all their heart and soul in what they are trying to build. They are trying to find solutions locally but the impact of their products is undeniably destined to make waves globally.
For more information, please visit the website: http://plan9.pitb.gov.pk/
