Pakistan has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with Silicon Valley-based Plug and Play Tech Center, a leading global startup innovation platform, in a move aimed at strengthening the country’s startup ecosystem and supporting innovation-driven growth.
The agreement was reached during a meeting between Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal and Plug and Play Founder and CEO Saeed Amidi. According to an official statement, the discussions focused on expanding opportunities for Pakistani entrepreneurs and linking them with international innovation networks.
As part of the proposed collaboration, Plug and Play has expressed interest in helping accelerate up to 300 startups from Pakistan’s leading universities. The company also plans to connect local entrepreneurs with its network of more than 600 global corporate partners, while supporting startups in achieving product-market fit, securing investment, and expanding into international markets without relocating their core operations from Pakistan.
The signed LoI provides the framework for Plug and Play Tech Center to establish a presence in Pakistan, with proposed offices in Islamabad and Karachi. The company also shared its experience of implementing similar partnership models in TĂĽrkiye, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Germany and several other countries.
According to the statement, the collaboration is expected to enable Pakistani startups to participate in global acceleration programmes while encouraging innovation, entrepreneurship and AI-driven growth. It will also open up opportunities for investment, mentorship and international market access through Plug and Play’s worldwide network.
“This landmark collaboration reflects the Government’s commitment to empowering young innovators, attracting global technology investment, and positioning Pakistan as a competitive, knowledge-driven and innovation-led economy,” read the statement.
During the meeting, Ahsan Iqbal highlighted Pakistan’s strengths, including its large youth population, cost-effective engineering talent and continued government investment in digital and IT skills development.
He said that with strong international partnerships, Pakistan’s expanding startup ecosystem has the potential to develop into a leading regional innovation hub.
