Most startups don’t fail because their ideas aren’t strong.

They fail because they don’t have the right ecosystem behind them.

That’s where National Incubation Center Islamabad provides the foundation startups need to truly scale.

Funded by Ignite National Technology Fund, under the Ministry of IT & Telecommunications, NIC Islamabad supports founders building in AI, Deep-Tech, HealthTech, Climate-Tech, FinTech, and other emerging sectors helping them move from early traction to companies ready for serious growth.

Pakistan’s AI momentum is accelerating, and NIC Islamabad’s startups are emerging at the forefront of this shift.

At the Indus AI Week Competition 2026, NIC Islamabad startups emerged among the national winners in the Enterprise Operations AI category. Axon Whale secured 1st place, while SafetyX Pro was named 2nd Runner-Up, placing NIC startups among the top performers out of 183 applications nationwide.

In the finals of the URAAN AI Techathon 1.0, Pakistan’s first national AI-focused innovation competition, organized by the Ministry of Planning, Development & Special Initiatives (MoPDSI), NIC startup Strydex Robotics emerged as the Gold Champion.

At the World Startup Championship (WSC), under the SEE Pakistan platform, organized by the Association of Private Sector Universities of Pakistan (APSUP) NIC Islamabad Startup EKKO emerged as the overall champion in the growth stage and Strydex Robotics as the champion in the Ideas Stage.

These wins are important, because they showcase the quality and value of the incubated startups, but this is only a small part of a bigger journey building startups that can scale, attract investment, and grow globally.

NIC startups are now representing Pakistan on global platforms such as GITEX Global and Citadel at World Economic Forum Davos, where 3 out of the 8 Pakistani startups selected Edversity, EKKO, and AI Team Force came from NIC Islamabad.

This journey from proving themselves nationally to stepping onto global platforms doesn’t happen by chance. It happens when startups are in the right ecosystem with the right support behind them.

At NIC Islamabad, the focus isn’t just on exposure, it’s on building real companies. Through hands-on mentorship, access to global experts, and the internationally recognized Founder Institute curriculum, founders gain the structure and guidance needed to scale. In the first 3 cohorts, NIC Islamabad has incubated 89 startups out of which 10 have raised funding of over 2.5 million USD and 60% (54 startups) are already in the market selling their products and services.

This is how real transformation takes shape at National Incubation Center Islamabad.

Startups like Regen are redefining how people upgrade devices by enabling instant trade-ins and securing partnerships with global brands like Samsung. Najoomi is helping businesses scale customer engagement through AI-powered automation, representing Pakistan on global platforms like LEAP KSA and GITEX. In healthcare, EMRChains is improving how hospitals connect with patients using AI-driven communication tools, while EKKO is making speech therapy more accessible for children through intelligent, scalable solutions.

These startups didn’t just gain exposure they gained the ecosystem, mentorship, and support needed to grow beyond borders and become globally competitive companies.

NIC operates on a 0% equity model, founders keep full ownership while gaining access to mentorship, investor networks, and a growth-focused environment.

The goal is to help founders build companies strong enough to scale, attract investment, and grow beyond borders.

If you’re building across AI, Deep-Tech, HealthTech, Climate-Tech, FinTech, AgriTech, Cybersecurity, SaaS, or any tech-driven sector, and ready to take your startup further, this is where the right ecosystem meets your ambition.

Cohort 5 applications close on 20 February.

Apply now: https://nicislamabad.com/