Once known mainly for its serene hills and diplomatic circles, Islamabad is quietly emerging as an unexpected player in the global startup arena. While Silicon Valley still dominates headlines, there’s a compelling case for why the next billion-dollar startup, a true unicorn, could, and perhaps should, rise from Pakistan’s capital.
Islamabad boasts a high literacy rate, a growing tech-savvy youth population, and one of the largest pools of software engineers in South Asia. The city is home to prestigious universities like FAST-NUCES, NUST, and COMSATS, all producing thousands of capable developers and entrepreneurs every year. Costs are low, talent is high, and the hunger to build is unmatched.
Thanks to the rise of remote work and global platforms like Amazon, Upwork, and Shopify, entrepreneurs in Islamabad are no longer limited by borders. Pakistani freelancers ranked 4th globally for revenue earned on freelance platforms in 2023, according to Payoneer.
The government’s recent Startup Pakistan initiative and tax incentives for IT exports have further fueled the scene. While success stories like Airlift, Bazaar, and SadaPay have shown that investors are watching.
Unlike the over-saturated and costly Silicon Valley ecosystem, Islamabad offers founders a chance to build lean, fast, and global-first from day one.
In a world where talent is everywhere but opportunity isn’t, Islamabad is starting to change the narrative. And the next unicorn? It might just come from a co-working space tucked between the Margalla Hills.
