Invest2Innovate

What Invest2Innovate does

Invest2Innovate (i2i) is a Pakistan-headquartered entrepreneurship ecosystem builder founded in 2011, operating as a non-equity platform-plus-programs organization. It serves four interconnected stakeholder groups — early and growth-stage startup founders, angel investors, ecosystem support organizations (ESOs), and policymakers — through a portfolio of strategic programs including the i2iScale 12-week accelerator (with Growth, Fundraise, and KSA Market Entry tracks), WeRaise and VentureSpark4Her (women-led startup fundraise readiness, with regional delivery in Lebanon and Iraq), InvestLab (angel investor training), Beyond 2021 (cross-border gender-lens angel investing), Skills of the Future (AI and digital upskilling), and InnovateLab (AI workshops for founders).

Its core technology layer consists of two proprietary data products: the Deal Flow Tracker, Pakistan's most comprehensive startup funding database tracking disclosed deals since 2015, and the Investor-Founder Discovery Platform (IFDP), a digital matching tool bridging startups, investors, and ecosystem actors. These are complemented by downloadable toolkits (AI Starter Kit, Scale-to-KSA Toolkit, Pakistan Startup Toolkit, i2i Investor Toolkit, Scaling Readiness Toolkit). Policy advocacy is delivered through data-backed briefs co-developed with partners including STZA, Telenor, and Ignite.

Revenue is generated primarily through institutional donor and grant funding — most notably a $500,000 commitment from Visa Foundation for the i2i Ecosystem Project — alongside co-funded programs with the World Bank Group, IFC, We-Fi, and corporate partners such as Telenor. Programs are largely offered at low or no cost to participants, and the Deal Flow Tracker and IFDP are accessible as web-based tools. The organization operates with a lean 1-10 person team from offices in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, and is led by Founder Kalsoom Lakhani and CEO Sarah Munir. Sister entity i2i Ventures provides equity investment in pre-seed and seed-stage startups.

Name

Invest2Innovate

Legal name

Invest2Innovate

Website

https://invest2innovate.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Invest2Innovate is a Pakistan-based entrepreneurship ecosystem builder founded in 2011, operating accelerator programs (i2iScale, WeRaise, InvestLab), proprietary data platforms (Deal Flow Tracker, IFDP), and policy advocacy — serving startup founders, angel investors, ecosystem organizations, and policymakers with donor-funded revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ecosystem Development Services

NAICS

Miscellaneous Intermediation (52391)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Leadership, Management & Teamwork for Business (EDAMAHAI)

Keywords

• Startup accelerator programs
• Ecosystem intelligence platforms
• Angel investor training
• Women entrepreneur support
• Policy advocacy research

Headquarters

HQ city

Islamabad

HQ country

Pakistan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donor & Grant Funding: Primary revenue from institutional donors and grant-making organizations (e.g., Visa Foundation committed $500,000; World Bank Group supported research). Programs are co-created and funded with partners.
2. Ecosystem Intelligence & Research: i2i publishes ecosystem reports, quarterly deal flow updates, and briefings. Revenue may be generated through report sales, partnerships, or sponsored research.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Invest2Innovate (i2i) builds resilient entrepreneurship ecosystems in growth markets by delivering strategic programs co-created with institutional partners to strengthen entrepreneurs, investors, angels, and ecosystem enablers. Its core offerings include a 12-week online accelerator (i2iScale) with Growth, Fundraise, and KSA-Market-Entry tracks; investment-readiness programs for women founders (WeRaise, VentureSpark4Her); angel-investor training (InvestLab, Beyond 2021); AI and future-skills programs (InnovateLab, Skills of the Future); proprietary digital tools (Deal Flow Tracker database and Investor-Founder Discovery Platform); downloadable toolkits; and data-backed policy advocacy.

Product overview

Invest2Innovate operates as a platform-plus-programs organization offering digital tools and ecosystem-building services for Pakistan's startup ecosystem. The core digital products include the Deal Flow Tracker (startup funding database), Investor-Founder Discovery Platform (IFDP) for investor-startup matching, and Toolkits & Resources (AI Starter Kit, Scale to KSA Toolkit, Pakistan Startup Toolkit, i2i Investor Toolkit, Scaling Readiness Toolkit). These are complemented by acceleration programs (i2iScale 12-week accelerator), investment readiness programs (WeRaise for women founders, VentureSpark4Her for MENA), angel investing training (InvestLab, Beyond 2021), workshops (InnovateLab AI workshop), and skills development programs (Skills of the Future). The organization also provides community events and policy advocacy services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• i2iScale: A bespoke, execution-focused, 12-week online accelerator designed for post-revenue startups ready to grow, fundraise, or scale, with tracks for Growth, Fundraising, and KSA Market Entry.
• Investor-Founder Discovery Platform (IFDP)
• i2i Ecosystem Project
• Deal Flow Tracker
• WeRaise
• VentureSpark4Her
• InvestLab
• Beyond 2021
• Skills of the Future
• InnovateLab

Products and services

• Deal Flow Tracker Pakistan's most comprehensive and reliable startup funding database that tracks deal flow and investment activity in the ecosystem, providing disclosed-deal history from 2015 to present.
• Investor-Founder Discovery Platform (IFDP) A digital matching tool that bridges startups, investors, and ecosystem actors with reliable data and curated connections to facilitate investment deals.
• i2iScale A bespoke, execution-focused 12-week online accelerator for post-revenue startups ready to grow, fundraise, or scale. Offers three tracks: Growth (product-market fit), Fundraise (investment readiness), and Scale (KSA market entry). Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and delivery wraps each cohort in 1:1 coaching, expert consults, and direct investor connections.
• WeRaise Program A self-paced, fundraise-readiness coaching program designed to help women founders close deals with confidence, clarity, and connections, implemented in partnership with the World Bank and We-Fi.
• VentureSpark4Her A dual-track initiative equipping women-led startups and ecosystem support organizations with investment readiness, delivered in partnership with IFC and the World Bank under the Mashreq Gender Facility for entrepreneurs in Lebanon and Iraq.
• InvestLab A hands-on angel-investing training workshop equipping attendees with tools to evaluate deals, understand legal frameworks, and build conviction to back founders in underserved regions such as KP.
• Beyond 2021 A first-of-its-kind cross-border angel-investment training focused on gender-lens investing, bringing together investors from Pakistan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, and Canada.
• Skills of the Future A program empowering youth, professionals, and businesses with future-ready skills from digital literacy to AI, including a workforce stream (AI training for professionals) and a business stream (helping companies adopt AI).
• InnovateLab A 6-day hands-on group workshop for early-stage founders to embed AI into sales, marketing, and finance operations, enabling faster decisions and a future-ready business foundation.
• Policy Advocacy A data-backed policy reform initiative to strengthen Pakistan's entrepreneurial landscape through research, convenings, and engagement with government and regulators.
• Community & Events Founder, investor, and partner engagement through curated events including conferences, workshops, roundtables, and advocacy gatherings across the entrepreneurship community.
• AI Starter Kit A practical downloadable toolkit that helps founders adopt and integrate AI into sales, marketing, and finance workflows.
• Scale to KSA Toolkit A downloadable resource guide for startups looking to enter the Saudi Arabian market, providing market-entry insights and guidance.
• Pakistan Startup Toolkit A downloadable toolkit covering foundational guidance for launching and operating startups in Pakistan.
• i2i Investor Toolkit A downloadable resource equipping investors with tools and frameworks for evaluating and supporting startup investments.
• Scaling Readiness Toolkit A downloadable toolkit focused on preparing startups for scaling operations and achieving growth milestones.

Quantifiable outcome

• $16.77M in capital raised by businesses in the i2i network
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• NIC PeshawarminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 May 2025i2i and NIC Peshawar launched KP's first Angel Investor Network and Syndicate through the InvestLab program, catalyzing a region-driven investment ecosystem.
• TelenorcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Telenor collaborated with i2i and STZA to develop a Policy Brief addressing Pakistan's startup funding gap. Also partnered on the STZA initiative for regulatory reform.
• STZA (Sofia Tech & Zone Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025STZA co-developed the Pakistan Startup Policy Brief with i2i and Telenor to outline actionable reforms for unlocking local and foreign capital for startups.
• Ignite (National Technology Fund)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIgnite supported the development of the Pakistan Startup Policy Brief as part of the multi-stakeholder initiative to bridge funding gaps.
• Telenor VelocityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTelenor Velocity contributed to the Pakistan Startup Policy Brief initiative as a supporting partner in the effort to strengthen Pakistan's startup ecosystem.
• Spring ActivatorminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSpring Activator co-implemented the WeRaise program alongside i2i, efino, and World Bank, delivering fundraise-readiness coaching to women-led startups in Pakistan.
• efinominorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partnerefino co-implemented the WeRaise program alongside i2i, Spring Activator, and World Bank as a founder readiness and coaching partner.
• National Incubation Center for Aerospace Technologies (NIC)minorStrategic or Co-development Partneri2i joined hands with NIC for Aerospace Technologies to help startups access incubation support and ecosystem connections through collaborative programming.
• i2i Ventures (Sister Entity)coreOthersi2i Ventures is Invest2Innovate's sister entity that invests in pre-seed and seed-stage startups and provides hands-on support. The i2i Ventures team has worked with startups in Pakistan for over a decade.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Plug and Play Tech Center: Global innovation platform and corporate-backed accelerator with programs in MENA. Comparable in providing corporate partnerships, cohort-based acceleration, and ecosystem intelligence to startups.
• Hub71: Abu Dhabi tech ecosystem builder backed by Mubadala, offering acceleration, capital, and incentives to regional startups. Overlaps with i2i's KSA/regional market entry ambitions and serves a similar founder-investor connector role at larger scale.
• 500 Global (formerly 500 Startups): Global VC and accelerator network with active emerging-market programs across MENA, South Asia, and Africa. Same accelerator/seed-investor model as i2i Ventures, but at much larger scale and broader geographic footprint.

Direct peers

• Endeavor: Global organization supporting high-impact entrepreneurs in emerging markets, with active operations across Pakistan, MENA, and Southeast Asia. Endeavor is the closest direct peer to i2i's mission of building resilient ecosystems through acceleration, mentorship, and policy engagement.
• Flat6Labs: Leading MENA seed-stage VC and accelerator running programs in Egypt, Tunisia, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and other markets. Directly comparable to i2i because of regional focus on early-stage acceleration, similar cohort-based programs, and investor matching.
• Berytech: Lebanon-based startup ecosystem builder operating incubators, accelerators, and policy programs in the MENA region. Overlaps with i2i on ecosystem-building methodology, donor-funded accelerator design, and youth/sustainability-focused cohorts.
• Spring Activator: Canada-based social impact accelerator that co-implemented the WeRaise program with i2i, World Bank, and efino. Highly comparable as a fellow ecosystem builder focused on under-served founders, social enterprise, and donor-supported acceleration.
• Antler: Global early-stage VC and founder residency platform with significant emerging-markets presence across SEA, MENA, and Africa. Direct competitor for cohort founders and the same playbook of seed-stage acceleration plus investor matching.
• Wamda Capital: MENA-based VC and ecosystem platform supporting early-stage startups. Directly comparable in regional mission, donor-supported programs, and content/research operations serving founders and policymakers.

Others

• International Finance Corporation (IFC): World Bank Group private-sector arm and a core financial partner to i2i on VentureSpark4Her and WeRaise. Comparable as an adjacent ecosystem funder and program co-designer rather than a direct accelerator competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Invest2Innovate
• Facebookfacebook.com/Invest2Innovate
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/invest2innovate
• Instagraminstagram.com/invest2innovate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments5 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Invest2Innovate