21 delegates to represent Pakistan at 2016 Global Entrepreneurship Summit

As many as 21 delegates will represent Pakistan at the 7th Annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES), which will take place June 22-24 in Palo Alto, California. The delegates will be joining more than 700 entrepreneurs from around the world along with investors and business leaders to exchange ideas and best practices for how to start and grow their businesses.

Two of the entrepreneurs, Saima Hanif and Waqas Muhammad, are finalists in the Global Innovation through Science and Technology (GIST) Tech-I competition, and will compete for seed funding and mentorship opportunities at the Summit. Additionally, three members of the delegation, Hira Batool Rizvi, founder of She’Kab; Shamir Khan, founder of Travly and Mavra Bari, Director of Islamabad’s WECREATE Center, will attend GES+, a special one-day seminar that will focus on emerging youth and women entrepreneurs. The White House also invited Karachi-based Jehan Ara, P@SHA President and director of the Nest I/O, to share her expertise with entrepreneurs from around the world as a panelist.

These entrepreneurs will be joined by high-level US government officials, including President Barack Obama, Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, Administrator of the Small Business Administration Maria Contreras-Sweet, Administrator of USAID Gayle Smith, Ambassador at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Catherine Russell and Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Richard Stengel.

“I have been impressed and inspired by the entrepreneurship spirit here,” said American Ambassador to Pakistan David Hale, who met with many of the members of the delegation before they left for the United States. “Pakistan will send the largest international delegation in the world to GES, which is indicative not only of the talent that exists here, but also of the strong ties that exist between America and Pakistan.”

First held in Washington, DC in 2010, the Summit has since been hosted by Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Morocco, and Kenya. GES showcases inspiring entrepreneurs and investors from around the world and creates new opportunities for investment, partnership, and collaboration.