Want to listen to Pakistani podcasts from the startup world but not sure where to look? Or maybe you’re sick of switching between radio channels and want some engaging content to listen to on a long commute. Well, we did some digging so you wouldn’t have to!
We’ve curated a list of some hidden (and some not-so-hidden) gems about all things business, tech, and startup related in Pakistan and couldn’t resist sharing them!
The Not-So-Hidden Gems
These are the ones you’ve probably heard of; however, these are such rich sources of information and entertainment around the ecosystem that we HAD to mention them!
1. How Does It Work?
ProPakistani may already be your go-to source for business, tech and entrepreneurial news – but did you know they have a podcast?
Hosted by Shayan Mahmud (Forbes’ 30 under 30), the podcast picks the brains of industry experts, thinkers, and influencers. Additionally, notable guests in the past include the likes of Truck It In’s Sarmad Farooq and ezBike’s Mohammad Hadi.
How Does It Work? aims to be the ultimate guide on how things work. The podcast includes tips on improving communication skills, raising funding, and discussions on the climate crisis!
P.s: There is a new episode bi-weekly!
2. Happy Chirp
The brainchild of lifestyle blogger and entrepreneur, Humna Raza, Happy Chirp is a female-centric podcast. It is currently on its fourth season and isn’t known to shy away from difficult conversations.
This podcast tackles taboos, challenges stereotypes, and also focuses on female entrepreneurship.
Their segments include conversations on workplace harassment, freelancing, personal branding, maintaining a work-life balance, building a business from scratch and lots more. The goal is to build a network where women can inspire, uplift, and celebrate one another.
Furthermore, catering to a broad audience ranging from college students, career-driven women, and mothers as well as an older demographic – Happy Chirp has something for everyone. Their hashtag #WhereWomenDoTheTalking sums it up perfectly!
3. Pakistonomy
An initiative powered by Tabadlab and hosted by Uzair Younus, Pakistonomy focuses on breaking down economic trends in Pakistan. This discusses the nexus of economy, people, and politics in a way very few Pakistani podcasts accomplish!
With up to 125 episodes to date, Pakistonomy simplifies topics like crypto, investigates Pakistan’s startup ecosystem and also conducts sessions on global affairs.
4. Thought Behind Things
Airing thrice a week, Muzamil Hasan’s Thoughts Behind Things covers conversations on Art, Culture, and Tech in Pakistan.
With over 200 conversations so far, TBT covers everything from interviews with successful CEOs to questions on class, economy, and social issues. Muzamil probes topics such as Edtech, Fintech, Gaming, Agritech, Sustainability, Public Policy and much more!
5. The Pakistan Pivot
Pakistan Now’s podcast series hosts experts, entrepreneurs, politicians and government officials. It poses insightful questions regarding Pakistan’s current challenges as well as what the future holds for us.
The budding Pakistani podcast series includes topics on trade & investment, emerging tech and insightful conversations regarding climate change.
Furthermore, the way the Pivot is curated, listeners/viewers find it quite easy to be hooked – jumping from episode to episode!
The Hidden Gems
Moving on to some of the relatively little-known Pakistani podcasts, we’ve collected some of the most enthralling platforms. Taking the best of what the others offer, we predict these shows to also create a much bigger splash on our screens and in our earphones, very soon!
6. Misaal Podcast
This is an initiative by Techshaw – a digital media outlet specifically focused on Pakistan’s startup economy. Their aim is to investigate Pakistan’s startup ecosystem.
Misaal is hosted by Zahid Lilani attempts to discover the recipes to success by interviewing notable founders, VCs, entrepreneurs and content creators.
While still in its early stages, the podcast shines the spotlight on seasoned and budding entrepreneurs alike! Their guests include Shehryar Hydri of Deosai Ventures, i2i Ventures’ Kalsoom Lakhani, Metric’s Meenah Tariq and many other prominent figures from the ecosystem who will also be joining us in the KHI Edition of +92Disrupt , happening on the 22nd and 23rd of October 2022!
7. IPRI’s Policy Beats
The Islamabad Policy Research Institute has a promising new podcast series, titled Policy Beats, with discussions led by Usama Nizamani on the Pakistani startup ecosystem.
The content is engaging and insightful. The series’ guests so far include SadaPay’s Brandon Timinsky on startup success in Pakistan and Ariba Shahid with a journalist’s perspective on the current investment landscape.
It also includes some foreign perspectives on policy such as Elizabeth Threkeld discussing what competitive advantage Pakistan has to offer to American businesses!
Pakistani Podcasts From the Startup World
Some of Pakistan’s established startups have also setup thought-provoking podcasts covering the ecosystem, tech, climate, and a host of other important topics!
Here are some of the ones we liked:
8. Jugnu Junction
Sharoon Saleem, Co-Founder and CEO of Jugnu, has launched a podcast bringing together the best minds from across the ecosystem.
These bite-sized podcasts are perfect to stream on the go. Jugnu Junction has so far covered the evolving retail landscape of Pakistan and tech in e-commerce as well as a segment on Jugnu’s very own origin story.
We only wish there were more episodes because we cannot get enough of this podcast (disclaimer: their last upload was 5 months ago!)
9. The SimplySada Series
SadaPay’s weekly series is not a podcast in the conventional sense but features an array of insightful discussions with talented individuals. From conversations on women in Fintech to spilling secrets on finding product market fit, customer experience and design – this series has something for everyone!
The series format of live sessions on SadaPay’s Facebook page allows an element of greater interactivity for listeners as you can send in your questions. The sessions are also recorded which makes it easy to catch up on any missed discussions.
Gone But Not Forgotten:
10. Mosiki
Mosiki’s last entry was over two years ago, but its content still offers an enlightening discussion over a variety of topics. From interviews with artists on how to better leverage Patreon to the potential benefits of the KPOP frenzy in Pakistan, the Mosiki podcast has something for everybody.
Although it hasn’t been updated and probably will not be in the near future, their serialized podcasts and interviews showcase a deep understanding of the complex social and political issues in Pakistan. They may serve as a window to the recent past on views surrounding various social issues while seeing how far we’ve come.
Looking for tips and trips on Hiring in Pakistan? Read all about it in our last blog post.
