#7 Pakistan Rising
Today we'll learn how new tech companies are transforming Pakistan. A young, vibrant, but often misunderstood country, Pakistan has been named one of Asia's fastest-growing economies. While the tech-startup scene is small, it's growing fast, with a 97% increase in funding between 2019 and 2020.
Our guest today is Sardar Ahmed Durrani, who we all affectionately call Durrani. Born and raised in Pakistan, Durrani is today partner at the Osiris Group, a PE firm based in Hong Kong, where he's the tech and consumer sector head for Asia and the country lead for Pakistan.
In his role, he oversees impact investments the firm makes in the frontier markets of Asia. Osiris invests in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.
Before joining Osiris, Durrani had worked in investment banking in Asia, with various senior roles at Deutsche Bank, at RBS, and ABM Amro Bank.
Companies and entities mentioned:
Osiris Group, private equity and venture capital fund focused on emerging markets in Asia: https://www.the-osiris-group.org
Careem, ride-hailing platform: https://www.careem.com
K Trade, stock trading platform: https://kasb.com/#/home
Maya, building accessible healthcare: MayaDigitalHealth.com
Nadra - Pakistan's national ID program: https://www.nadra.gov.pk
Truck It In - B2B road freight company: https://www.keeptruckin.com
Zameen.com: Real estate platform, unicorn: https://www.zameen.com
Durrani on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sardar-ahmed-durrani-022a309/
Hosted by Arshad Chowdhury
Twitter: @arshadgc
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arshadgc/
