Pakistan Tech Sector Races Ahead of Global Emerging Tech Hubs
By Ahmad Parvez.
Pakistan is emerging as one of the most promising “new frontier” tech ecosystems globally, with recent growth second only to the Bay Area, according to a new report by startup intelligence platform Dealroom and global mobility company inDrive.
The report, The Rapid Rise of Pakistan Tech, shows that Pakistan’s startup enterprise value has grown more than 3.6x since 2020, putting it ahead of the likes of India, New York and London.
The report is the first in a new research series examining high-potential tech ecosystems outside traditional global hubs. Pakistan was selected as the inaugural market due to its strong underlying fundamentals, accelerating digital adoption and growing relevance within inDrive’s core operation footprint.
It shows that Pakistan has built a strong foundation of more than 170 VC-backed startups with a combined enterprise value exceeding $4 billion, which, despite being smaller overall, is catching the Bay Area and has grown at a faster rate than India and other leading tech hubs since 2020. In fact, among Pakistan’s younger startup cohorts the momentum is even stronger – VC-backed companies back since 2015 have grown 11.3x since 2020, which outpaces all major tech hubs, including the Bay Area.
This includes two scaleups (over $100m in funding), grocery platform Bazaar and Telenor Microfinance Bank, the latter of which received more than $185 million in investment from Ant Group in 2025. In addition, Pakistan is now home to 13 Colts – companies with revenues between $25m and $100 million. Among its startup landscape, fintech, transportation, marketing and food are the biggest sectors. In 2025, fintech Haball secured a $52 million funding round, while healthtech company MedIQ secured a $6 million round. Pakistani founders are raising money from beyond local sources too, with the United States ($797m) and the UAE ($545m) identified as substantial sources of investor capital.
More generally, the country’s GDP growth rose to 3% in FY2024-25, up from 2.6% the previous year, highlighting a gradual macroeconomic recovery. However, the ecosystem remains significantly underfunded at every stage of growth and has yet to produce a unicorn or $100m-revenue technology company.
Pakistan Tech Report 2026
