Shujauddin Qureshi

Karachi is fast becoming Pakistan’s top IT hub thanks to the growth of startups, fintech, e-commerce companies and the use of artificial intelligence, attracting a steady stream of investments from both Pakistanis and foreigners, creating jobs and having a big impact on the country’s GDP growth.

Public institutions like National Incubation Centre at NED University are providing opportunities to youth to initiate their startups and attract investment. Meanwhile, many welfare organisations have initiated their own programmes to train youth on IT skills. These incubators and accelerators help entrepreneurs turn their ideas into real businesses by giving them important advice, office space, and seed money.

There are a lot of reasons why Karachi is now a tech hub. Over two dozen universities and technical institutions in the city have helped make a large, skilled workforce, especially in engineering, data science, and software development. Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori has also launched an IT training programme at the Governor’s House in Karachi, which aims to train 500,000 young individuals in 2025.

Besides, several private organisations are also making significant strides in youth empowerment through imparting them technology education. Notably, JDC Foundation, and Al-Khidmat Foundation’s Bano Qabil programme offer 100% free, certified IT courses in areas such as web development, digital marketing, and graphic design, aiming to upskill thousands of young people across Karachi and beyond.

Similarly, another welfare organisation – Saylani Welfare Association – has initiated comparable training initiatives to equip youth with the latest digital skills. These programmes play a vital role in addressing unemployment, fostering self-reliance, and preparing the younger generation to thrive in Pakistan’s rapidly evolving digital economy.

“We have already trained over 50,000 youth on the latest IT skills, and our target is to train 200,000 youth,” said Salman Sheikh, the founder and head of Bano Qabil programme. “We are offering three-month short courses to train youth on IT skills, and these centres are now being opened in other parts of the country,” Sheikh told WealthPK.

Fintech companies are using innovative technologies to improve and automate the delivery and use of financial services, filling important gaps in digital payments. Companies like Bykea have changed how people get around. “The local talent pool – both homegrown and returning diaspora – has enabled us build world-class business-to-business (B2B) financial infrastructure in Karachi,” said Naeem Zamindar, Partner at Neem.io, a fintech company.

In an interview with WealthPK, he said, “Despite capital scarcity, we’ve seen fintech build credible, scalable solutions — and Karachi’s diversity, dynamism, and commercial scale make it a fertile ground for B2B innovation.” Zamindar said, “Most of our team is based in Karachi, including engineering, operations, and product, and we’ve seen high-quality talent emerge from the city’s maturing startup ecosystem.

Through solutions like ‘Neem Paymenow’, we’re not just growing Neem; we’re enabling our B2B partners, employers, platforms, and institutions to extend inclusive financial services to their employees, customers, and value chains, creating ripple effects in job creation and financial access.” What is fuelling Karachi's tech explosion is a significant rise in investment.

In the first four months of the fiscal year 2024-25, Pakistani entrepreneurs raised S$32 million. At the Digital Foreign Direct Investment conference held in late April 2025, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that Pakistan had secured around $700 million in foreign investment pledges for its IT sector.

Credit: INP-WealthPk