On 18th January, 2022 Katalyst Labs, in collaboration with Stonks, hosted the first of its kind Demo Day in Pakistan. Stonks is a US based platform that allows startups to raise investment on the go. The platform is also a great way for startups to network with investors from around the world.
The work for the Demo Day started weeks prior to the event itself. We started with opening applications for the Demo Day. The criteria identified by Stonks for the kind of startups that can apply was that the startups had to be a registered company, had gained initial traction and had to be operational for at least 6 months. We got a plethora of applications from startups all across Pakistan.
The next part of the process was shortlisting applications and inviting the shortlisted startups for a virtual pitch. The final pool was a diverse set of 9 startups:
- Tello Talk is Pakistan’s only indigenous social messaging platform. Their mission is to improve the lives of citizens through digitization and aggregation of local content, commerce and services on their platform.
- Modulus Tech builds self-sustaining communities for the most underserved segments of society, providing not just homes but better health, stability, and economic opportunities.
- MedAngle makes medical school simpler for future doctors. MedAngle provides an immersive digital experience for students to learn, practice, and review the things they’ll encounter in medical school.
- Find My Doctor is the utmost solution for people to acquire primary healthcare services at home, ranging from Covid tests to doctor visits
- Bechlo is a social marketplace connecting thousands of home based female sellers and resellers to customers across Pakistan, providing them the online platform, tools and training to increase their sales and earn a sustained income from home.
- Social Champ helps make companies’ social media presence strong by helping them schedule, post, repeat and generate content.
- ConnectHear works for sign language accessibility and deaf inclusion in Pakistan. They provide virtual and in-person sign language interpretation services, teach sign language, and collaborate with corporate events to ensure accessibility.
- Investors Lounge is a stock market education & intelligence platform that generates powerful insights for retail investors and investment professionals.
- WonderTree is a tech-startup that designs and develops interactive games using Augmented Reality for the rehabilitation and cognitive development of children with special needs.
These startups were raising investment for either Seed or Series A funding. In the days leading up to the event the startups worked with our team to work on their pitch to ensure they were seamless on the day of the event.
The virtual event was attended by 40+ investors from around the world. The event resulted in commits of more than USD 450,000, introductions and investment interest of more than USD 2.2 million. The startups are now in discussions to convert these into firm commitments.
The success of the event made all the work worthwhile and we look forward to hosting many such events in the future!
