Adil Najam
Sofizar, which works on “click fraud” and “web analytics Solutions” (maybe we at ATP should be talking to them!) describes itself as “a Carlsbad, CA based internet marketing company with development and operations based out of Lahore” won the 2007 MITCEF-OPEN Business Acceleration Plan (BAP).
Zafar Khan, the CEO of Sofizar, along with others from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Organization of Pakistani Entrepreneurs of North America (OPEN) will speak at an event on “Pakistan: The Untold Story of Entrepreneurship and Technology” on February 2 at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts; the event is co-sponsored by the New England Chapter of OPEN.
The contest, which its organizers hope will become a yearly event, focuses on existing Pakistani technology companies (instead of start-ups) who are asked to prepare plans for how they intend for their business to “accelerate” towards future growth and expansion. The idea for the contest came from OPEN and the MIT Club of Pakistan Enterprise Forum (MITCEF) and was co-sponsored by P@SHA (PASHA: The Pakistan Software Houses Association) and the Pakistan Software Export Board (PESB). The MIT Entrepreneurship Development Program was actively involved in the contest including in the judging.
According to the contest’s original explanation:
BAP aims to help accelerate some of the participating IT/ITES companies to the next level by putting these companies through a mentoring/coaching program. The final outcome of the program would be a Business Acceleration Plan (BP) which would be ranked by experts. Two members of the top team would be sponsored to attend the MIT EDP (Entrepreneurship Development Program) at MIT in Cambridge, USA. The top ranking BPs would also be presented to VCs who may offer “Term Sheets” to these companies. OPEN members offer to be on the BOD of the top companies. The top teams would also be given shields. Certificates will be provided to all participating companies.
Now that I have that alphabet soup of acronyms out of the way, it strikes me that this is very useful way of identifying and supporting emerging Pakistani talent. We have written before about the talent and achievements of Pakistanis in the technology space (here, here, here, etc.) and finding concrete and real ways of encouraging the entrepreneurial and innovative spirit is an idea that needs to be supported.
Reports of the contest (here and here) suggest that there was a level of enthusiasm amongst all - this is not surprising and, for exactly that reason, it is an enthusiasm that should be encouraged to spread. The runner-up in the contest, for example, is a company called Alchemy which describes itself as “a boutique actuarial, risk management and human capital solutions firm working with customers in Asia and the Middle East.” The other three finalists were Autosoft, Softech and Tohfay (one of our regular advertisers here at ATP).
While I am always intrigued by the names of IT companies - where else would you name your enterprise “small and weak”; as an Microsoft - the point here is really about ways to encourage the entrepreneurial spirit. Not only for economic growth or for “image building” but as a real and honest desire to create peace and harmony through prosperity. Enterprise and homegrown initiative does many things for a society that go well beyond just economic growth and pride of ownership; they provide constructive distraction to the energies of the young away from the more violent and destructive acts that we, unfortunately, write about on this blog so often. They encourage not just role models but constructive competition and the sense that “if they can do this, then so can I.” Nurturing such a spirit has, therefore, far greater benefits for society as a whole.
I hope the event this week will also explore these and such dimensions, even as it celebrates the achievement of Sofizar. The speakers list is an enticing one and includes: Ken Morse, MD of the MIT Entrepreneurial Center; Bill Aulet, Entrepreneur in Residence, MIT; Arthur Anderson, Fish and Richardson; Imran Sayeed, Keane; and Zafar Khan, Sofizar.
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I just wanted to say that I really loved your header photo today, of the female student reading by candlelight. Great picture. I have been long wishing for more photos of women and girls (although the others are also very good).
Many Pakistanis (and not just chinotis and memon/gujratis) have the innate entrepreneurial talent and lot of potential that is yet to be fully extracted.
But we need to get our act together and provide the assistance and resources – like SBA (Small Business Administration) and other tools of finance/credit co-signed by either the governmental or large private entities. Such opportunities must be provided to those talented young entrepreneurs who may be held up due to economic disadvantage. But most of all, as an South Korean entrepreneur who is operating an small manufacturing unit in Pakistan told me on a flight from Karachi to Seoul: “You people have great talents, your labor is hard-working, you have good natural resources – if only you had good and visionary leadership, you could even beat South Korea.” And I am told that South Korea had fully utilized Dr. Mahbub ul Haq’s blueprint for Economic Planning and Development!!
“Pakistan is like India without the advertising,” says Anthony Mitchell of InternationalStaff.net, which places outsourcing programs for U.S. clients with both Indian and Pakistani firms.
It is time that we encourage and nurture the vast potentials of Pakistan’s untapped talent.
AOA to alls
Good post in this site and I agree to that encouragements and your’s entrepreneurs and it is a greate idea in your life. This idea have many and more benefits our society.
Very interesting post and a good change of subjects.
I visited the website of the winner, not sure there was much terribly new there but I wish them well.
The idea of competitions is a good one and competition not only gives these young companies confidence and exposure but it also prepares them well for the real world which is all about competition. So, yes, a good idea.
I don’t think Bill Gates thought he was naming his organisation “small and weak”. He might even have had a rethink if this had been pointed out to him at the time. It’s more likely he just combined and shortened the common terms “microcomputers” and “software”.
Good post. It’s great that these organizations exist; now all I need is for my thesis research to produce something marketable…hmmm…
Adil-I gave a talk this morning to Bill Aulet’s class on Entrepreneurship at MIT. There was a fascinating discussion afterwards. One of the questions I was asked was precisely around how Pakistani entrepreneurs were receiving guidance (or lack there of). How is one to learn to get over the intimidation of starting a company from scratch and building it up step by step, taking it through growth phases where they can truly compete internationally. It is very encouraging to see people like Bill, Imran and others reach out into Pakistan - not the hip destination for non-Pakistanis these days - find these entrepreneurs and bring them to the forefront. Anything we can do to support them is worth our time and money.
Good point. I agree that encouraging your entrepreneurs is a great idea. As you say it has many other positive benefits to society including giving people role models and a sense of possibility for their own future.