NIC Faisalabad’s Agri-Tech and Textile-Tech Incubator – Cohort 4 (Pakistan)

The curriculum and methodology have been meticulously crafted based on global best practices and local needs.

The National Incubation Centre, Faisalabad is Pakistan’s first agri-tech startup incubator funded by the Ignite National Technology Fund and the Ministry of IT & Telecom. Managed by Fauji Fertilizer Limited in partnership with Change Mechanics and CyberVision International, and in collaboration with Founder Institute and GroundUp.

The NICF incubation programme is fully funded by Ignite and all the offerings are completely free for incubated startups.

The Programme Includes

• Opportunity to pitch to national and international investors
• Access to global networks and linkages
• Specialized training
• Dedicated coaches for each startup
• Mentorship from industry experts
• Globally acclaimed founder institute curriculum
• Participation in grants and competitions
• Free co-working space

The Three Tracks

• Hatchery
  • Hatchery (First 2 months of Incubation with FI Curriculum) The goal of the hatchery phase is to prepare the startups to fully benefit from the NIC experience. In this phase, the startups will learn about the basic attributes and mindset required to be successful founders. This would also be an opportunity for entrepreneurs to network and find partners/co-founders. Incubatees will spend 8 Weeks and will familiarize themselves with the “Silicon Valley” style incubation process and what it takes to succeed. The hatchery phase will include a number of knowledge sessions, idea/opportunity development, and design thinking workshops and will include the Founder Institute Curriculum. Once the ideas have been tested the founders will then be ready to move to the incubation phase.
• Incubation
  • A key determinant of the unprecedented success of accelerator-incubators like Y Combinator, Founder Institute, 500Startups and TechStars is that they realize, based on the Lean Startup Model (LSM), that successful companies must pass through some sequenced steps of learning: Idea formulation (problem-solution fit, size of market, barriers to entry), Company formulation (team and advisors, legal and IPR), Product Development, Business Development (PR, Events, marketing, sales, branding), and Funding and Bootstrapping (how to accomplish a lot with a shoestring budget, how to prepare pitch decks, how to pitch to investors, prepare for due diligence, negotiate shareholder agreements, report in Board meetings.)
• Plus
  • The NICF PLUS program is a specialized support program that will be offered to:
    • NICF Incubated startups on completing their 4-month incubation and
    • Advanced entrepreneurs who do not require participation in incubation or hatchery programs.
  • The primary offerings of PLUS, in addition to those offered by the incubator as a whole, would be assistance in accessing the best-available vertical-specific content, and networking with investors and advisors. Advisors would comprise accomplished individuals who are considered leaders in verticals or technologies or who can provide market advice, technology advice, and connectivity with customers, suppliers, and partners in particular verticals. Advanced entrepreneurs who do not require participation in the acceleration program will be given a time frame of 6 months in PLUS, comprehensive evaluation will determine the possibility of their further stay at PLUS provided they have made considerable progress.

Eligibility Criteria

• Must have an innovative/unique idea with a scalable business model.
• Startup must have an idea/prototype/MVP/marketable product/-service.
• Founding members must commit their full-time to the startup at NIC Faisalabad.
• The idea/proposal cannot be for a research project, lobbying activi-ties, or a not-for-profit organization.
• NIC Faisalabad does not select ventures that rely on donations and grants as their main source of revenue.
• Applications must be complete to qualify for the selection process.

For more information, visit NICF.