Careem has accelerated plans to build its engineering capacity in the region through the establishment of a new tech hub in Pakistan, in addition to the engineering pool working in UAE and Germany. Establishment of a new tech hub will help bring Careem one step closer to their vision of developing a Super App in the region, combining all aspects of a consumer’s world from transport, deliveries, and payments on a single app.
With a strong brand identity and a large customer base in Pakistan, developing engineering talent witthin the country can help focus on providing solutions to local problems. Careem has close to 400 engineers working on the platform in their headquarters in Dubai, and across R&D centers located in Berlin and Karachi. The target for the next 12-18 months is to staff up to 100 new engineers primarily in Karachi and Lahore in an effort to create an internationally recognized tech hub in Pakistan.
With the first lines of Careem code written in Karachi, Pakistan has always been a key hub for Careem’s tech talent. Careem will continue to invest in the country to attract premium engineering talent that can help to make their Super App vision a reality.
Mudassir Sheikha, co-founder, and CEO of Careem commented: “Pakistan holds a special significance for Careem – it’s where our first engineers were based and where the first line of code for our platform was written. Together with our hubs in Berlin and Dubai, it is now one of our three main homes for tech. The talent on the ground in Pakistan is plentiful and with our new tech hub in Lahore, we welcome budding engineers to come and help us problem-solve for the region.”
Pakistan has long been an exporter of engineering talent in Careem and other tech players, not just in the region but globally. With Pakistani talent, finding a home in organizations like Careem, it is time that Pakistan becomes recognized as a country that can host the best engineers the world has to offer.
Capacity building of engineering talent in Pakistan will commence on November 1, 2019, with a new tech site being established in Lahore and talent from across the world joining the Careem family in both Karachi and Lahore. Tafseer-ul-Islam Siddiqui, Head of Engineering in Karachi will be focusing on efforts to increase engineering capacity.
Establishment and strengthening of its tech centres in Berlin, Dubai, and Pakistan are important steps in cementing Careem’s position as a tech organization, focused on changing the way people use the internet in the region.