Experience, Lessons Learnt and Beyond\u201d at AmaaniBagh
\n Islamabad
\nPathfinder Group convened senior policymakers, diplomats, industry leaders, and entrepreneurs at AmaaniBagh for a high-level FORUM titled \u201cPakistan Pavilion DAVOS 2026: Experience, Lessons Learnt and Beyond.\u201d Hosted by Ikram Sehgal, Co-Chairman, Pathfinder Group, the FORUM reflected on Pakistan Pavilion DAVOS 2026 and outlined a practical pathway to translate global exposure into measurable national outcomes\u2014through innovation diplomacy, startup internationalization, and expanded programming under Pathfinder CITADEL.
\nThePakistan Pavilion DAVOS 2026 was inaugurated on 21st January 2026 inDAVOS Switzerland, by the Prime Minister of Pakistan, HE Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, alongside. Pakistan\u2019s Deputy Prime Minister & Foreign Minister, HE Senator Ishaq Dar. the Pathfinder CITADEL Startup Showcase at the Pakistan Pavilion during #WEF26, spotlighted Pakistan\u2019s globally ambitious founders across AI, fintech, health, climate and education.\u201cPathfinder CITADEL is our escape-velocity engine\u2014designed to defy economic gravity by transforming talent into jobs, startups into scale, and innovation into growth,\u201d said Ikram Sehgal, Co-Chairman, Pathfinder Group.
\nThe FIRST SESSION opened with background remarks by DrSalma Malik, followed by opening remarks from AVM (Retd) Asad Ikram, President, Pathfinder CITADEL, emphasizing the importance of converting international visibility into tangible progress in digital exports, partnerships, and ecosystem development.
\nA DAVOS experience panel brought together participating startups alongside Pathfinder CITADEL leadership, including Air Cdre (Retd) Khalid Banuri (Principal Advisor), Air Cdre (Retd) Farhan Ahmed (Project Director), and Imran Jattala (Vice President). Founders shared outcomes and lessons from DAVOS\u2014global exposure, investor engagement, partnerships development, and the amazing networking opportunities provided by Pathfinder Group.
\nThe SESSION\u2019s chief guest, HE Georg Steiner, Ambassador of Switzerland to Pakistan, praised Pakistan\u2019s evolving innovation footprint: \u201cThis event reflects Pakistan\u2019s growing role in the global innovation landscape and celebrates the country\u2019s brightest minds driving technological progress.\u201d
\nThe SECONDSESSION introduced the CITADEL JEDDAH STARTUP CHALLENGE 2026, being organized by Pathfinder CITADEL in partnership with OIC-COMSTECH, and to be held at Pakistan Pavilion JEDDAH during the World Economic Forum (WEF) Spring SESSION in JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (22\u201323 April 2026).
\nPathfinder CITADEL reported strong demand for the JEDDAH CHALLENGE, receiving 337 startup applications, including 56 applications from 16 countries\u2014an indicator, organizers said, of Pakistan\u2019s rising profile in innovation diplomacy and cross-border startup collaboration.
\nA central highlight of the Islamabad FORUM was a live pitching segment featuring startups from OIC countries alongside Pakistani ventures. OIC startups included Waychit (Gambia), Arogga (Bangladesh), Bytecorp (Saudi Arabia), ReNile (Egypt), and Digital360 Sdn Bhd (Malaysia). Pakistani startups featured Nerdflow, Exambites (Netflix for Education), Digital Chotu, EcoGen, and LeObran Ltd (WeatherSense).
\nConcluding the SESSION, HE Prof DrM Iqbal Choudhary, HI, SI, TI, Coordinator General, OIC-COMSTECH, emphasized the strategic value of science, technology and entrepreneurship to deepen intra-OIC cooperation and accelerate shared development. He said, \u201cBy connecting innovators, industry and policymakers across OIC member states, we can turn scientific capability into scalable enterprises\u2014strengthening cooperation and delivering real economic impact.\u201d
\nIn closing remarks, IkramSehgal reaffirmed Pathfinder Group\u2019s commitment to sustaining a results-driven bridge between DAVOS, JEDDAH and future international FORUMs, advancing partnerships that move beyond visibility to outcomes\u2014market access, investment pathways, and cross-border collaboration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Experience, Lessons Learnt and Beyond\u201d at AmaaniBagh Islamabad Pathfinder Group convened senior policymakers, diplomats, industry leaders, and entrepreneurs at AmaaniBagh for a high-level FORUM titled \u201cPakistan Pavilion DAVOS 2026: Experience, Lessons Learnt and Beyond.\u201d Hosted by Ikram Sehgal, Co-Chairman, Pathfinder Group, the FORUM reflected on Pakistan Pavilion DAVOS 2026 and outlined a practical pathway to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":531676,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-531772","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business"},"yoast_head":"\n