i2i Ventures Launches and Announces First Investment in Pakistan
i2i Ventures, an early-stage investment fund with a focus on Pakistan-based technology enabled companies, is announcing the launch of a new $15 million fund and their first investment in Pakistani startup Mauqa Online. i2i Ventures builds on the experience of Invest2Innovate, an accelerator which has worked in the startup ecosystem in Pakistan since 2011, and operates with a similar vision, to unleash the potential of innovative entrepreneurs in frontier markets.
Co-founded by Pakistani-American social entrepreneur, Kalsoom Lakhani and fintech and impact investing professional, Misbah Naqvi, i2i Ventures is the first female-founded institutional fund to invest exclusively in Pakistani entrepreneurs. i2i Ventures sets out to challenge the traditional power dynamics of a fund, taking an impact and gender-lens approach to investing and allowing for its portfolio founders to have as much power at the negotiating table as the investor.
As its first investment, i2i Ventures is leading a six-figure (USD) seed round in Mauqa Online, an Islamabad-based startup providing an on-demand digital platform for domestic services. Other investors in the round include UAE-based Karavan Partners. Mauqa Online is co-founded by husband-wife duo, Muhammad Mustafa and Suniya Saadullah who are passionate about leveraging technology to create long-lasting social impact in Pakistan.
The first phase of the fund is supported by the The Dutch Good Growth Fund "Investment Fund Local SMEs" (DGGF), a Dutch government fund-of-funds supporting frontier markets such as South Sudan, Nepal and Afghanistan. i2i Ventures is also supported by high net-worth individuals from across the United States, East Asia and the Middle East.
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About i2i Ventures
i2i Ventures is a $15m early-stage investment fund which invests in Pakistani startups leveraging technology to unlock the potential of the fifth largest market in the world. i2i Ventures believes in investing in dynamic founders at the seed, post-seed and Series A stage and partnering with them for scale.
About Mauqa Online
Mauqa Online provides on-demand domestic helpers through the tap of a button.
About The Dutch Good Growth Fund
The Dutch Good Growth Fund (DGGF) Financing Local SMEs is an initiative of the Dutch government to stimulate entrepreneurship and create jobs in frontier markets. It is part of a larger initiative commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs as part of its Aid and Trade agenda. DGGF Financing Local SMEs is managed by a consortium consisting of Triple Jump B.V. and PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory N.V. (PwC).
Press Contacts
Kalsoom Lakhani / Misbah Naqvi
press@invest2innovate.com