Empowering Investors, Showcasing Startups: Highlights from InvestLab & KPIS
Invest Lab 2025: Building the Future of Startup Investment in KP, One Angel at a Time
Something powerful happened in Peshawar this April. In a city known more for its culture and resilience than its capital markets, a quiet revolution began—one that could change the way startups in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa access funding, mentorship, and opportunity.
Over the course of three high-energy days, NIC Peshawar, in collaboration with Invest2Innovate (i2i), brought together 22 passionate individuals from across KP for the first-ever Invest Lab—an investor education workshop aimed at cultivating the region’s future angels.
But this wasn’t just about PowerPoints and financial jargon. It was about people. About doctors, industrialists, tech professionals, and educators—all coming together to learn how to spot promising ideas, back bold founders, and help shape the next generation of innovation in their own backyard.
Learning from the Best to Invest in the Bold
Leading this immersive workshop were Maria Carolina Romero, a global investment trainer, and Mubariz Siddiqui, one of Pakistan’s top legal minds on startup financing. From demystifying term sheets to decoding startup due diligence, the sessions were practical, intense, and eye-opening.
There were also moments of inspiration. Industry leaders like Misbah Naqvi (i2i Ventures) and Shehryar Hydri (Endeavor Pakistan) joined to offer unfiltered insights on Pakistan’s venture capital landscape, reminding participants that the real power of investing lies not just in capital—but in conviction.
Two Major Firsts for KP’s Startup Ecosystem
What emerged from this workshop wasn’t just newfound knowledge. It was action.
✅ The formation of KP’s first Angel Syndicate—a group of local investors now pooling capital, sharing deal flow, and jointly evaluating startups.
✅ The launch of the province’s first Business Angel Network—a platform to host quarterly deal-sharing sessions, peer-driven due diligence, and ongoing learning.
These milestones were announced by Illum Khan, COO of Evamp & Saanga and Chairman of NIC Peshawar’s Strategic Council, who called them “a small but significant step in the right direction.” His message was simple but clear: KP is ready to invest in its own.
A Movement Begins
For many of the attendees, this was more than a workshop—it was a mindset shift.
“This is a strategic leap forward,” said Asim Ishaq Khan, Director NIC Peshawar. “By mobilizing local capital for local innovation, we’re laying the foundation for a self-sustaining ecosystem.”
Maria Carolina Romero echoed this sentiment, saying: “The passion in the room was electric. The fact that a syndicate and network have emerged right out of the workshop shows how real the commitment is.”
And from i2i’s CEO Sarah Munir: “With these new structures in place, startups in KP have a much stronger support system to scale their ideas—not just locally, but globally.”
What’s Next?
The launch of these two structures marks just the beginning. NIC Peshawar, supported by Ignite and operated by LMKT, is committed to deepening investment readiness—not just for startups, but for the people behind them: the mentors, the backers, the believers.
In a province often underrepresented in Pakistan’s startup narrative, Invest Lab has sent a powerful message: KP doesn’t just have potential—it has people willing to bet on it.
And now, it has angels.