The Thriving Startups Culture of Pakistani IT Industry

As the world is moving towards smart cities and Internet of Things, smartphones have become the most powerful and trend setting gadget among all the developments and advancements. With the success of smartphones, mobile application development has also become one of the fastest growing industry in the world. It is because of these interesting and customized applications that have provided the basis for smarter and more connected societies.

Like rest of the world, Pakistan’s IT industry and mobile application sector is thriving with creative and interesting mobile applications developed for local and international market. Be it for Google Play, Apple App Store, Windows Phone Store, BlackBerry App World or Nokia Store, Pakistani app developers have developed wide variety of high-rank apps for all platforms. Pakistani App developers have created some amazing apps for national and international market, including Ninja Fruit Bash, TenPearls, Groopic, Clean Lahore App, Duddoo Aur Dhobi, Olaround, application for Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital etc. The number of apps created by Pakistani developers is overwhelming but it is about time that transitional step from quantity to quality is taken, because only then we will be able to achieve the top app makers position in the international arena. Private and governmental organizations can play a vital role in highlighting the true potential of Pakistani app development industry and luckily both sectors have recognized their responsibility and taken up actions for the progression in the said field.

Pakistani App developers have created some amazing apps for national and international market, including Ninja Fruit Bash, TenPearls, Groopic, Clean Lahore App, Duddoo Aur Dhobi, Olaround, application for Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital etc.

A latest trend that has taken the world by storm is the startup culture as the focus has been shifted from brick and mortar enterprises to idea-based digital economies.  This startup trend has also hit the world of technology and the concept especially became popularized in Pakistani where unemployment is soaring with one of the highest percentage of youth around the world. A Healthy start up culture is what is needed right now to give a socio-economic hope to the people as it is a good way for self-empowerment and betterment of the society. The most evolved startup culture can be seen in the IT industry and more specifically in mobile app development where the potential is immense and quite impressive. 3G/4G has most certainly opened new doors to progress, according to PTA’s latest data the number of mobile broadband users of 3G and 4G have reached 12 million at the end of March, 2015. This growth in 3G/4G subscribers also indicate increased level of awareness among Pakistani people regarding smartphone functionalities and applications and many individuals and companies entered app development world.

The most evolved startup culture can be seen in the IT industry and more specifically in mobile app development where the potential is immense and quite impressive.

It is a very healthy sign that both government and private organizations are showing their commitment towards this booming industry. In order to show support and encourage individuals and startups who are engaged in the creative process of app development, Telecommunication Authority (PTA) took up an initiative by launching a competition “Pakistan Mobile App Awards 2015″ in partnership with all mobile operators, Internet Society (ISOC) Asia-Pacific Bureau and Samsung. The purpose of this competition was to provide a platform for inventive youth of the country and to boost mobile app development industry. Plan 9 is another notable initiative that is taken by the Punjab Information Technology Board and since its conception, Plan9 has incubated over 60 startups. On the other hand, private startups and incubation centers have also made their mark in app development industry. P@SHA, Peshawar2.0, invest2innovate, PurePush, LUMS Center for Entrepreneurship, and Code for Pakistan are among the prominent entrepreneurial organizations that are promoting and supporting app development in Pakistan.

We have the resources and the talent all we need is some support that can take us to the right direction. This is the right time to make the strike; with all the talent, budding startup culture, tech-savvy populace and facilities, we can become the largest mobile application developers in the world.

P@SHA, Peshawar2.0, invest2innovate, PurePush, LUMS Center for Entrepreneurship, and Code for Pakistan are among the prominent entrepreneurial organizations that are promoting app development in Pakistan.