About Daftarkhwan: Founded in 2016 as an experimental 20-people co-working facility, Daftarkhwan has swiftly grown to a spectacular 125,000+ square feet with 7 unique sites across Lahore, Islamabad and Rawalpindi.Speaking with Propergaanda, Team Daftarkhwan says that they provided flexible office spaces to over 2500+ members and 200 companies, varying from ambitious startups such as ‘Out-Class’ and ‘Jugnu’ to renowned enterprises such as ‘Careem’ and ‘Unifonic.’ Details: Daftarkhwan forges an inclusive super community that provides entrepreneurs with a synergistic network and the infrastructure they need to scale in the current economic status quo, and beyond. Daftarkhwan is now launching its 8th site, Daftarkhwan | Alpha, in Rawalpindi. The project is in collaboration with Aviation City Pakistan, a project spearheaded by the Pakistan Air Force. It is set to launch this December at the National Aerospace and Technology Park, an ecosystem of deep technology. Why it matters: Daftarkhwan is currently the fastest growing network of co-working spaces in Pakistan. Co-founder and CEO, Saad Idrees says, “We wanted to facilitate active disruption, by creating agile workspaces for the startup ecosystem, ensuring they can focus on their work and nurture their ambition, without being hampered by administrative inconveniences.”
Member insights: According to Naima Ahmed, Legal Expert for the World Bank funded PRIDE (Punjab Resource Improvement & Digital Effectiveness Program) project, you get to meet a variety of people, especially the youth, “It’s a great platform for youth to explore and discover their entrepreneurial skills. It’s a collaborative space where you can really think outside of the box. For both genders it’s a great place to interact and the safety maintained at Daftarkhwan is applaudable,” she added.
“The energy is palpable,” states Ali Nomani, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Outclass, “We see a lot of people hustling. Walking in the hall, at the tea station, you get lots of opportunities to chat with different people. Once we saw the vibe, the amenities, the community and culture at Daftarkhwan, it was a no-brainer. It freed up thinking space for the founding team to focus on building our product.”
How Daftarkhwan is redefining entrepreneurship in Pakistan: Aligned with this vision, Daftarkhwan strives to not just provide startups with a vibrant and productive space but also enables the entrepreneurial ecosystem through its various partnerships, events and initiatives. In light of the global recession, Daftarkhwan exclusively partnered up with ‘Abhi’ to provide its community members with financial wellness solutions such as Early Wage Access. Additionally, Daftarkhwan also hosts frequent VC Exchange programs, enabling startups with the priceless opportunity to raise funds by pitching their business to interested angel investors and venture capitalists. The investors: Through their VC Exchange program, Daftarkhwan has hosted 28+ investors such as Shorooq Partners, SOSV, Zayn Capital, Wavemaker, Indus Valley Capital, GGV Capital and Walled City Co. while engaging over 500 startups such as Savvy Technologies, Bookme, Rider and FindMyAdventure. What you need to know: By hosting events such as P@SHA Elections, Invest2Innovate’s accelerator and their consulting projects like WeRaise, a World Bank Group program that aims to move the needle on the number of deals closed by women CEOs of Pakistan by providing investment readiness, bespoke capital raising coaching and support, Daftarkhwan facilitates the development of the entire ecosystem. In August, 2022, Daftarkhwan helped bring a conference like +92Disrupt, an initiative led by Katalyst Labs to bridge the gap between the local and global startup, to Islamabad for the first time ever.