Call for Startups: NICAT Incubation Program – Pakistan

The Incubation Program is One Year, starting with six months of accelerated development followed by six months of strategic development.

First six months incubatees will participate in training with subject and field experts, mentoring sessions with industry leaders, fireside chats with established business persons, network with relevant stakeholders, and build your reputation and promote yourself through participating in NICAT and other events within the ecosystem strategically. Through this they develop entrepreneurial skills and their startup.  While having office space at NICAT during these six months they build they take their startup to the next stage, business and technology-wise. The in-house makers lab, HPU lab and access to the partners’ state-of-the-art research, development and testing facilities take enable one of a kind development.

The second half/six months are focused towards accelerated growth hacking through networking, prospecting and going to market activities. They help you to place yourself in the right place and put your business out there to find its feet and trot. The in-house team, experts on panel, strategic partners and industry linkages will give you the path to success. Weekly meetups, reporting and follow ups help keep steer startups pace and direction to success.

Program Features

• Mentoring
  • Mentorship is the most crucial part of the development program. Startups identify and tackle challenges with the help of the pool of mentors. If a company is going through some important development phase (legal issues, raising capital, launching the product etc.) they are there for as long as required.
  • Dedicated Startup Success Managers are also there to help startups track their development, and especially to connect with potential partners and clients.
• Advising
  • Business advisors help with market research and analysis, modeling, marketing strategy and tools, as well as other things businesses may need ranging from general and talent management, accounts and financials to legal.
  • If a problem requires a specialist in a particular area, they help to identify, analyze and articulate your challenges, and act as a bridge with experts and mentors.
• Events and Opportunities
  • Throughout the year startups participate in NICAT event as well as they recommend and help with local and international activities.  These may be guest speaker sessions, talks, meetups, visits, seminars, trainings, symposiums, hackathons, competitions, conferences and other events within the domestic and international eco-systems.
  • NICAT itself hosts a number of events including Aerohacks, Aero-symposium, Research showcases, Industrial Galas, regular speaker sessions and fireside chats, and industrial visit as well as hosting visitors from industry, academia, government, defense, as well as local and foreign delegation.
  • By participating in them startups also get tremendous learning opportunities, exposure for their self and startup, and get that critical feedback, insights and wisdoms that can set the course of all the future.
• Networking
  • All the activities are also an opportunity to Network.  Networking is critical for startups, to enable them to connect with other entrepreneurs, potential customers, investors, mentors, and partners. Through networking, they gain access to funding opportunities such as venture capital, angel investors, and crowdfunding platforms. Building relationships with investors can help startups increase their chances of securing funding to grow their businesses. Networking can also help to connect with potential customers and partners, providing them with opportunities to grow business and expand market reach. By building a strong network, they gain valuable insights and advice from experienced entrepreneurs and industry experts, and access new business opportunities that they may not have been aware of otherwise.
  • Events are a great way for startups to make the most of networking opportunities. Attending events such as conferences, trade shows, and networking events will provides them with exposure to a wide range of potential contacts and resources.
• Training and Development
  • Different startups and entrepreneur need specific skills in addition to understanding and abilities.
  • The training program is meant to help them develop specifically: entrepreneurial mind to think like an innovator, business tools to understand, build, test, track and grow startups, technology skills as required for the solutions they are building, and also soft skills, such as leadership, emotional intelligence, networking, social and other skills.
• Demo-Day
  • Demo-day is the highlight of the program. It is an opportunity for startups to connect with potential investors, customers, partners and the wider business community to share their vision, work and journey.  Startups mature through the incubation cycle and one of the primary aims is to make them profitable or investment ready.
  • In summary, demo day is a critical event for startups participating in an incubator program. They also help to prepare for this throughout the program, to prepare a compelling pitch, practice your presentation, focus on your visuals and body language, public speaking and arguing skills, to be confident and engaging, be prepared to answer questions from investors and more.

Facilities

• 24-hour access Co-working space
• Aerospace Design and Makers Lab
• High Performance Computing Lab
• Metaverse Lab
• 3d Printing
• Electronics Lab
• Breakaway Rooms
• Training Room
• Conference Room
• Lockers
• Play Area
• Podcast Room
• Facilitated access to R&D labs and projects at NASTP, Air University and PAC Kamra
• Laptops

For more information, visit NICAT.