ISLAMABAD: The International Financing Corporation (IFC) has invested $3 million in Pakistan’s first women-led venture capital fund, i2i Ventures, under its Startup Catalyst Programme that supports innovative early-stage startups, the global development institution said recently.
The IFC focuses on the private sector in developing countries by advancing economic development, creating jobs and improving the lives of people, according to its website. The fund aims to back founders by investing in pre-seed and seed-stage startups.
On the other hand, i2i Ventures is a startup accelerator and a venture capital firm based in Pakistan that focuses on supporting and investing in early-stage startups and entrepreneurs in the region.
The IFC said its catalyst program invests in incubators and accelerators supporting startups in underserved markets and i2i Ventures was extending extensive support for early-stage startups in Pakistan.
“The financing comprises up to $2 million from IFC’s account and up to $1 million from the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi), which supports women-owned and led firms and builds the capacity of women entrepreneurs to run high-growth businesses,” the IFC said in a statement.
i2i Ventures, set up by Kalsoom Lakhani and Misbah Naqvi in 2019, provides crucial early-stage financing for startups and backs founders by providing them with hands-on support.
“We saw firsthand both how hard it was to build businesses in Pakistan, and how resilient Pakistani founders were as a result,” Naqvi said. “i2i Ventures was born from that experience of seeing up close the potential of startups in the market, and the need for founder-centric investors who understood business and market challenges and could support their growth at the early stage.”
Zeeshan Sheikh, IFC country manager for Pakistan and Afghanistan, said his corporation aimed to ensure startups continue to access crucial funding and support.
“There is tremendous potential in Pakistan for startups to develop and scale up new technologies and tech-enabled business models that address issues such as climate change or help increase access to quality education, health care, and financial services, among others,” he said.
“But early-stage entrepreneurs, and particularly women, face significant challenges in accessing the resources they need to launch and grow their businesses. Tackling this is critical to build ecosystems that boost innovation and entrepreneurship.”
IFC’s Startup Catalyst Program, launched in 2016, has supported 22 accelerators and seed funds that have invested in over 1,180 startups in 24 emerging markets so far, according to corporation.
Earlier this month, DealCart, a Pakistani e-commerce startup focused on transforming the way consumers access essential goods, successfully raised $3 million in a funding round led by leading Middle East investment fund, Shorooq Partners.
IFC invests $3 million in Pakistan’s first women-led venture capital fund
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IFC invests $3 million in Pakistan’s first women-led venture capital fund
- Pakistan’s i2i Ventures accelerator provides early-stage funding to startups
- The venture capital fund backs founders by providing them hands-on support
China condemns Islamabad suicide blast, pledges support for Pakistan
- Suicide blast targeting imambargah in Pakistan’s capital this week killed at least 32, injured 150
- Chinese foreign ministry says Beijing supports Pakistan in safeguarding its national security, people
ISLAMABAD: China’s foreign ministry spokesperson on Sunday condemned the Islamabad suicide bombing this week that killed 32 people and injured several others, expressing support for Pakistan in safeguarding its national security and protecting its people.
Officials confirmed at least 32 people were killed and 150 injured on Friday when a suicide blast targeted the Qasr-e-Khadijatul Kubra mosque and imambargah in the Tarlai Kallan area located on Islamabad’s outskirts.
The blast occurred during Friday prayers, when mosques around the country are filled with worshippers. A regional Daesh affiliate said one of its members had targeted the mosque by detonating an explosive vest.
“China is deeply shocked by the deadly explosion in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad and the heavy casualties it has inflicted,” the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson’s statement said.
“China strongly condemns the attack, opposes any form of terrorism and firmly supports the Pakistani government in safeguarding national security and stability and protecting the safety of the people.”
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Saturday that law enforcement agencies carried out raids in the northwestern cities of Peshawar and Nowshera after the bombing. He said four of the facilitators of the attack were subsequently arrested.
“The main mastermind is related to Daesh, and he is now under our custody,” the minister said. “All the planning and training of this incident had been done by Daesh inside Afghanistan.”
Friday’s mosque blast was the deadliest in Islamabad since a 2008 suicide bombing at the Marriott Hotel that killed 63 people and wounded more than 250.
In November 2025, a suicide bomber struck outside a court in the capital, killing 12 people.
Pakistan’s military and civilian government have long accused the Afghan Taliban government of sheltering militants on Afghan soil. Islamabad says these militants launch attacks from sanctuaries in Afghanistan against Pakistan.
Afghanistan has repeatedly rejected these allegations, accusing Islamabad of blaming Kabul for its security failings.
Pakistan also blames India for funding and supporting militants who launch these attacks against it. New Delhi has rejected these allegations from Islamabad.
