The first Startups Insiders session was amazing – thanks to the 75-90 brilliant people who showed up
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Something pretty fascinating happened today.
In Silicon Valley, when people started events like Startup Insiders, 30-50 odd people showed up on the first one.
When TechCrunch hosted their first annual party, 50 people came.
Today, P@SHA and Green & White and PixSense hosted their first Startup Insiders session in Karachi — half the world away from silicon valley — and a whopping 75 people showed up, including 4 angel investors, 12-15 odd CEOs and Mentors, and 65-70 (!) odd brilliant people who were all probably too smart for the jobs they were in.
I’m humbled, because I thought I would be happy if 20 or so came.
What followed was an amazing coffee session – I learned more through the eyes and thoughts of others and through the success and failure stories from them than they probably learned from my brief rants in between.
There was no formality of a business event in the air – people spoke their minds, opened their hearts and spilled out their entire passion to the audience.
I heard some of the kindest words about Green & White I’ve heard all year from Reba, the editor of Spider.
I heard some of the most apt and inspiring life lessons I’ve heard from Faisal Qureshi
I saw some of the most passionate CEOs I’ve seen in terms of their willingness to help others.
And we all smiled.
Thanks to PixSense, PASHA, the panel, the people, and everyone who made this session memorable – more details about this session soon after people send me their videos and photos (there are some already up here). Look at the PASHA Blog for the latest and best video clips from the event.
Lahore and Islamabad — you’re not going to let Karachi win the biggest turnout award right? We can get 100+ from there, yes? Cool, lets do that soon.
Update 1: Adnan (PixSense) has his photo and video stash here.
Update 2: Jawwad (Alchemya) has a must-read writeup of the event here.
Update 3: Jehan Ara (President, PASHA) has a lot more details and pictures up here.
Update 4: “…history in the making in the dining room of PixSense…” – PakMarkaz
Update 5: “We need more of these” – nPost Startup Blog
Update 6: The conversation continues…
Update 7: “Startup Meetup in Karachi” – Aleem Bawani
Update 8: “I can simply say one word… ‘awesome’ … Startup Insiders is just the beginning of a new kind of Social Network in Pakistan” – Ali Raza Shaikh
Update 9: The Video, and the theme song…
Update 10: “Meeting Place for Pakistani Entrepreneurs” – Chowrangi.com
Update 11: “…a very commendable effort…” – Pak Spectator
10:38 am
that was really nice session especially the guys in the panel they share their success their failures their good and bad experiences overall it was really nice session. in future i love to participate these kind of sessions.
10:43 am
wow,
It sounds like a really exciting and energetic session.
I am already thrilled about the session in Lahore. Lets raise the bar to 100
Adil Saleem
CTO 2s Complement
11:40 am
yup;
I am also waiting for session in Lahore, when and where?
3:24 pm
Gloria jeans would be a nice venue
8:30 pm
Hi Congratulations on the success.well deserved
the encouragement of startups is the real key to PK progressing..
Green and white will hopefully continue to have an important role..
Thank you Osama it was from GW..that gave me a very important contact…
This Asian startup appears to be taking off
and might give starters some traffic…
humbird.qassia.com It’s in private beta at the moment…..
Please have a convention mid Pkistan in June
i may well be able to come and launch TMI !!
Regards ian
10:07 pm
Here is our part of the great experience:
http://www.pakmarkaz.net/beta/city/karachi/80.html
Hats off to the organizers!
8:07 pm
Great work! The numbers are amazing! I’m sure we can gather as many or more in Lahore and Islamabad. Saturday would be ideal IMHO. And as someone suggested, Gloria Jeans (Lahore) would be nice, although expensive.
6:02 pm
Programmers + Entrepreneurs in Karachi requiring:
• Chai & Paratha (desi equivalent of coffee and pizza)
• Office space, chairs, bandwidth – essentially a garage
• Access to some great ideas and experience of 2 successful PK start-ups (I worked at both as an employee)
• Tons of whiteboard space, live Chundrigar road view (and associated traffic)
Please contact me via email: farzal@ and then yahoo.com
12:26 pm
@farzal, thats a very generous offer!!
all you budding entrepreneurs who have been sitting on their idea just because you needed space to test it our you don’t get a better chance