2. 2 PAKATHON
"Pakathon hastouched
thelivesof manyat
Malakandover the
weekend,andit won?t
stophere."
-PAKATHONMALAKAND
Malakand is a district that is adjacent to the
insurgency hit tribal regions of Pakistan. We
shared this story because we want to show
that despite all the challenges, there is so
much talent in Pakistan ? it just needs to be
given a platform to prove itself.Read the
testimonial here
*Br ainDr ain:
Missedeconomic oppor t unit y duet of l ight of
tal ent f r omdevel opingt odevel opedcount r ies
Around 36,000 professionals, including
doctors, engineers and teachers, have
migrated to other countries from
Pakistan over the past 30 years (~$2
billion annual net loss).
Instead of stopping people from finding
better opportunities abroad, we must
focus on and help those who want to
move back and make a difference in
their country of origin.
Our research shows that expats have a
strong desire to move back to do
impactful work but require engagement
and support.
PAKATHONREVERSINGTHEBRAINDRAIN
3. 3PAKATHON
1000+
GLOBAL
PARTICIPANTS
15
HOST CITIES
5
HOST
COUNTRIES
We are a 501c3 non-profit seed fund that mentors and invests in Pakistani
expats moving back to launch for-profit social ventures. We get referrals for the
best candidates through our volunteer chapters around the world that engage
with the Pakistani diaspora through social entrepreneurship workshops. Our
flagship workshop is a global hackathon held simultaneously across our
chapters that connects participants to domain experts and investors.
Launched in 2013, Pakat hon is a global organizat ion wit h 85+ volunt eers
organized around 8 volunt eer chapt ers in t he US, Canada, Middle East and
Aust ralia. By host ing event s in cit ies abroad we connect t he Pakist ani
diaspora t o issues in Pakist an and scout for pot ent ial ?Ret urners??
individuals who want t o move back t o Pakist an and do impact ful work.
WHOWEARE
4. YEARROUNDEVENTS
Each city chapter organizes
2-3 mini events focused on a
particular subject matter
and/or bringing the community
together. These range from
mango lassi coding sessions
to conversations with mentors,
investors and entrepreneurs.
PAKATHON 4
SEPTEMBER17
ERNESTYOUNG
MEETTHE
CHANGEMAKERS
5. PAKATHON5
ANNUALHACKATHONOur flagship event is a
hackathon that takes place
across all our chapters and
university locations across the
world, at the same time! A
hackathon is an event where
individuals from different
backgrounds ranging from
software to business and
design intensively collaborate to
launch a venture.
SAVETHEDATE
OCTOBER15- 16
6. PAKATHON 6
GLOBALFINALS
NOVEMBER19| WASHINGTOND.C
The winner from each city or university will be invited to participate in
global judging and compete. Winning teams have the option to pitch in
person or send a video for our judges. Our all star judging panel is a mix
of VCs, investors and entrepreneurs and they will pick the global winners
that will be awarded prize money. This year the global finals will be held
on November 19th in Washington D.C.
7. SUCCESS
STORIES
PAKATHON7
- Saim, an expat from Canada pitched the idea of
Procheck at our Boston hackathon in 2013: An
effective solution to identify fake medicine by
texting a serial number to authenticate.
- We subsequently invested and he was able to
secure a contract with Ferozsons and hire 2
people. According to WHO 40% of all medicines
manufactured in Pakistan are contraband.
SAIMSIDDIQUI
Our f ir st invest ee,Pr ocheck isimpact ing50Kfamil ies
HISSOLUTION
AUTHENTICATES
30mil l ion
medicines
8. PAKATHON8
MANDVIEXPRESSJehanzebChaudhary
- Jehanzeb graduated from the Lake Forest College and moved back to Pakistan after
graduating
- After moving back to Pakistan he joined as a volunteer for Pakathon and was able to
connect with important stakeholders in the Pakistan ecosystem
- He launched Mandi Express to connect fresh produce from small farmers directly to
restaurants in Pakistan. Their seed round put them at a pre-money valuat ion of
$600K
9. PAKATHON 9
SHEKAB
atransportationservicefor workingwomeninpakistan
HiraBatool Rizvi
- Hira Batool Rizvi, a student at Georgia Tech university
came to our Atlanta hackathon in 2014 and worked
on an idea for transport in Pakistan.
- After completing her degree, she moved to Pakistan
and launched She?Kab, a company that provides
reliable transport for women. In a video testimonial
Hira credits coming up with the initial idea to her
experience at the Pakathon event.
- By 2015, she had launched in two cities with 800
clients
?Some of my most
fant ast ic experiences
[at Georgia Tech
included]...a
hackat hon for
Pakist an?
