A moment of pride as the nation witnessed two startup Pakistanis in Forbes. NayaPay and DealCart were recently spotted in the Forbes Asia “100 to Watch” list. It is not the first time, Pakistanis have made it to the American Business Magazine, there exists a proud past. So, today, we will quickly recap Pakistan’s Forbes achievements. 

Pakistanis in Forbes 2017: Asia’s 200 Best Under A Billion

In 2017, 5 Pakistani companies were able to dazzle Forbes and successfully made their footprints in the world’s top magazine. Forbes counted only those companies with an annual revenue between $5 million and $ 1 billion. Asia’s 200 Best Under A Billion evaluation criterion was significant, with 13 countries applying for the title, including China (70 entries), Japan (38) India (3), and Pakistan (5). 

Agriauto Industries, Cherat Packaging, Ferozsons Laboratories, Gandhara Industries, and Searle Company were recognized among Asia’s 200 Best Under a Billion Companies with record sales and revenue. Ferozsons experienced remarkable growth of 93% in 2016 and was proudly enlisted for the second time in Forbes magazine. The facts were encouraging as they highlighted Pakistani businesses and industries’ potential for growth and revenues. 

Pakistanis in Forbes Asia 2024: 30 Under 30 

The year 2024 unfurled good fortune for Pakistan in business and tech growth, as out of Asia’s 300 entrepreneurs, 7 were Pakistanis spotted in the limelight of the Forbes 30 under 30 list. These gifted enterprisers made their footmarks in education, tech, and logistics.

Sarkhair Shahid Bawany, the owner of the fintech company “Abhi”. It is a platform that allows individuals to withdraw a certain amount of their salary before they get the paycheque. 

Adeel Abid, Aizaz Nayyer, and Ali Raza, the three young stars co-founded a platform called Linkstar that allows freelancers to create a portfolio website 

Aleena Nadeem, the founder of a Lahore-based company took a magnificent initiative of funding education. Aleena established EduFi which operates on the motto of Study Now, Pay Later. By partnering with 27 colleges, the company allows students access to education by paying their tuition fee, the students can return afterward as a monthly loan. 

Kassra Zunnaiyyer established a logistic management company called Trukkr in Karachi. The company acts as a platform to provide fleet tracking, financing, and customer compliance. 

Bushra Sultan is a multi-talented digital artist, with expertise in film-making, designing, and creative directions. 

Pakistanis in Forbes Asia 2024: 2 Startups in “100 to Watch List”

In these pressing economic times, it’s hard for entrepreneurs to cement ideas with execution, especially in countries like Pakistan. However, the true enterpriser is the one who finds his way to materialize innovation and fill the gaps in the market. Such two innovators DealCart and NayaPay landed on Forbes Asia’s 100 to Watch List, a category that counts the high potential small businesses in this region. 

DealCart is an online grocery site founded in 2022 that offers the middle-class fresh fruits, vegetables, and other items right on their doorstep. NayaPay is a fintech startup founded in 2016 that operates with the vision to empower small businesses and underserved consumers with efficient financial services. This online payment processing platform offers e-valet, virtual debit cards, and online payments. 

Pakistanis in Forbes Asia 2024: 100 Most Powerful Businesswomen List

Pakistani women are equally remarkable in every field. Although, according to a survey, they hold a mere 5.7% of managerial positions, however when it comes to a walk of their own, women can establish giant businesses. And Forbes’ latest list of 100 Most Powerful BusinessWomen proved it significantly. Shazia Syed, a former CEO of Unilever Pakistan, and Shaista Asif, the co-founder of PureHealth are enlisted by Forbes as one of the 100 Most Powerful BusinessWomen in Asia region. 

From a Management Trainee in 1989 to a CEO in 1015 and General Manager of Operations (North Africa, Iraq, Arabia) in 2024, Shazia has had a remarkable journey with Unilever Pakistan, well-acclaimed by Forbes. Whereas, Shahista Asif has built a giant healthcare network in UAE, integrating hospitals, clinics, diagnostics, insurance, health tech, insurance, and procurement.

Forbes Billionnairs 2024: Shahid Khan Among the 200 Richest 

The Pakistani origin Automotive tycoon Shahid Khan ranks 162th on the list of 200 billionaires with a net worth of $12.2billion. He is the owner of Flex-N-Gate and the richest Pakistani-American. Others included in the list are

Bernard Arnault – Loisue Voitten 

Elon Musk – Tesla

Jeff Bezos – Amazon

Mark Zuckerberg – Facebook

Larry Elisson – Oracle

Warren Buffet – Oracle of Omaha

Bill Gates – Microsoft

Steve Balmer – Microsoft

Mukesh Ambani – Reliance Industries

Larry Page – Google

Pakistan possesses volcanos of talent in tech, gaming, agriculture, media, HR, healthcare, fashion, business, science, commerce, finance, energy, or any other industry name that strikes the mind. Many times in the past, Forbes has acknowledged talented individuals and companies in the country. However, the government’s supportive and collaborative initiatives can help industries endure remarkable growth in the global arena. Stay updated about the latest happenings with MGC Blogs.