LAHORE: Google Developer Group (GDG) Lahore – a Google developers group in Pakistan – in collaboration with Google Cloud, hosted a dinner last week that brought several VCs and startup CEOs together to mark the launch of Google Cloud services in the country.
The dinner was attended by more than 130 people, which included five venture capitalists and 50+ startups.
The event started with the opening remarks from App Growth Manager at Google Saad Hamid while founder of Indus Valley Capital Aatif Awan delivered a compelling keynote address, stressing Google’s extensive reach and comprehensive ecosystem with more than one billion users across nine products. This keynote underlined Google’s commitment to empowering startups by increasing the Google Cloud Platform capabilities to drive innovation and growth within the local tech landscape.
He also highlighted the resilient spirit of startups in Pakistan during economic and other challenges. His speech discussed the fundraising climate as well as underlined Google’s enthusiasm for promoting Pakistani startups and expediting their growth.
The Community Manager of South Asia Frontier Region for Google Huzaifa Habib appreciated the remarkable impact of Google Developer Groups, Google Developer Experts, and Women Techmakers in Pakistan.
Manager at GDG Lahore Haris Nadeem said that the success of the VC and Startup Ecosystem Dinner highlights their commitment to empowering the startup ecosystem in Pakistan.
He thanked Google Cloud and Google for Developers for their support and collaboration in bringing te event to fruition.
He said that this event marks the start of an exciting journey that would nurture the tech ecosystem in the region.
The collaboration between Google Cloud and GDG Lahore marks the introduction of the Google for Startups Cloud Program in the country. This initiative enables small and medium-sized businesses, startups, and local enterprises to apply for free credits, with potential benefits of up to 350,000 dollars for AI-driven startups, to harness the power of the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) for innovation and their growth.
