A visit to Plan9 Incubator on Demo Day

Plan9 Incubator, a government startup initiative has been making the right kind of stirs in the social media, gaining the attention of people from all walks of life. Plan9 recently hosted a Demo Day at the Arfa Software Technology Park so that the startups could present their ideas to the general public and potential clients. The AppJuice team was invited to cover the event.

It turned out to be an inspiring Saturday, punctuated by pouring rain and a lovely weather. Plan9 has been helping out various startups in Pakistan, providing the selected teams with a substantial stipend, an official workspace and all the facilities that are required by the teams to bring forth a worthy startup. One major facility, as almost all the startups pointed out to The AppJuice Team, was the uninterrupted supply of electricity that helped them go a long way.

We loved the whole setup. Floor9 had been decorated, with various startups setup in different rooms. As people started coming in, Plan9 assembled the participants in the activity room where we waited for the first honored guest of the day, Maria Umar to give an inspirational talk.

Maria heads Digital Women League, a social enterprise with the main aim of providing work to women in Pakistan who, despite their talent and ability, can’t go out of the house to work for family reasons. Maria told the audience that despite a conservative background, she had learnt to work around the constraints rather than rebelling against them. Now, Maria provides work to a lot of talented people, including those in far flung areas such as Hunza, allowing them to work from the comfort of their house while she single handedly manages the whole enterprise. Maria gave valuable tips and stressed on recognizing the importance of the team in a startup.

After the inspiring session The AppJuice Team made their way to the Demo rooms where several teams had set up stalls with prototypes. These products were versatile, covering many different needs of everyday life. A team of members which have recently graduated from U.E.T. presented Black Gold Solutions, a small, inexpensive device that will allow large companies to get rid of fuel thefts.

Komal Nadeem, a young and bright member of the team explained to The AppJuice

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Several other teams with members from many Universities including Fast, LUMS and BNU presented some great prototypes ranging from computerized menus for restaurant customers using iPads to business solutions for distributors. eModCons had come up with a Home Automation solution that allowed users to switch appliances on and off with a single tap on their smart phones. Another startup that we really loved was AllSecure, a holistic security solution allowing you to ring your mobile using the web if you misplace it and locate it in case it gets stolen. The cross platform application had a great interface and appeared to be user friendly.  Honorable mentions include startups that featured safety solutions while driving and better irrigation management through technology.

The startup teams received an enthusiastic response from visitors who appreciated their efforts. With more young people coming up with great ideas, startup incubators like Plan9 are more important than ever as they can help with accelerated startup growth, business management, mentorship as well as support and encouragement. Polishing the young talent can fetch great rewards as well as a name in the international society and these young entrepreneurs can work in order to make Pakistan proud. We at The AppJuice look forward to such events in the future and would like to wish Plan9 and all the startup teams very best of luck with their endeavors.

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