Seedout
Seed Out is a Pakistan-based nonprofit operating the country's first interest-free online crowdfunding platform, funding underprivileged micro-entrepreneurs through in-kind loans and revolving donations. It serves low-income borrowers across four Pakistani cities, plus a scholarship program with AI-assisted evaluation.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersLahore, Pakistan
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Seedout does
Seed Out is a Pakistan-based nonprofit organization that operates the country's first interest-free online crowdfunding platform, founded on December 7, 2013 by Zain Ashraf Mughal and headquartered in Lahore. The platform connects individual donors with underprivileged micro-entrepreneurs across four Pakistani cities (Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Bahawalnagar), providing in-kind loans averaging PKR 100,000 (highest up to PKR 200,000) for small businesses such as auto-rickshaws, grocery stores, stitching units, livestock, and beauty salons. Borrowers repay the principal, which is then revolved into new loans, creating a self-sustaining fund that has cumulatively disbursed PKR 378.7 million to 3,700 entrepreneurs at a reported 97% repayment rate.
Beyond microfinance, Seed Out operates a Student Scholarship Fund with an AI-based application portal that scores candidates against defined criteria and routes recommendations to a human approval committee. It runs branded sub-projects (Apna Rozgar, Zeenith Gari, Tabeer Store, Nescafé Dhaba, PepsiCo Dhaba), a women-centric priority program, and specialized support for differently-abled persons, transgender individuals, and acid attack survivors. Add-on services include Zakat calculation tooling, 24/7 telehealth via a Hijaz Hospital partnership, and health cards distributed to borrowers.
The organization is funded by individual donations (Zakat, Sadqa, Charity, general) with operating costs separately covered by private and corporate donors. Donor transparency is delivered through an interactive dashboard showing beneficiary GPS coordinates, contact details, and repayment progress. Seed Out accepts donations via Allied Bank, MCB Bank, and major card networks (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, Maestro, UATP). It has won multiple international recognitions including Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia, Commonwealth Youth Award, UN Champions of Change, Islamic Development Bank Prize, and the Global Islamic Finance Award 2024.
Seedout firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Seedout
- Legal name
- Seed Out
- Website
- https://seedout.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Seed Out is a Pakistan-based nonprofit operating the country's first interest-free online crowdfunding platform, funding underprivileged micro-entrepreneurs through in-kind loans and revolving donations. It serves low-income borrowers across four Pakistani cities, plus a scholarship program with AI-assisted evaluation.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Seedout industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Microfinance Crowdfunding Services
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Educational Support Services (61171)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)
Keywords
Where Seedout is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lahore
- HQ country
- Pakistan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices4 records
Markets served
Seedout business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute to specific entrepreneurs or students through the platform. Donations can be categorized as Charity, Zakat, Sadqa, or general donations. The 100% of donations are revolved for establishing micro-entrepreneurs and completing students' degrees.
- Corporate/Private Donor Operations Funding: Private and corporate donors cover Seed Out's operating costs separately, enabling 100% of individual donations to be used for program delivery.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Interest-free microloans for entrepreneurs |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Seedout product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Seedout is a nonprofit crowdfunding platform that connects individual and corporate donors with underprivileged micro-entrepreneurs in Pakistan, providing interest-free in-kind loans (averaging PKR 100,000) to establish small businesses such as auto rickshaws, grocery stores, and stitching units. The platform also operates a Student Scholarship Fund that provides full university fee coverage to financially disadvantaged students, using an AI-based scoring system for application evaluation and an interactive donor dashboard with GPS tracking for transparency.
Product overview
Seed Out is a nonprofit crowdfunding platform that operates as Pakistan's first Islamic interest-free microfinance organization. The core product is the Seed Out Microfinance Crowdfunding Platform, which connects donors with micro-entrepreneurs through an interactive website with transparency features. The platform is supported by the AI-Based Student Portal for scholarship evaluation and the Student Scholarship Fund for educational financing. Additional offerings include the Zakat Calculator tool, Tele-Health Services for beneficiary healthcare, and specialized programs for women and students. The company also runs branded special projects (Apna Rozgar, Zeenith Gari, Tabeer Store, Nescafé Dhaba, PepsiCo Dhaba) that provide structured micro-enterprise opportunities. The platform's architecture centers on transparency, with a donor dashboard providing real-time tracking, GPS coordinates, and repayment monitoring for all funded entrepreneurs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Student Scholarship Fund: AI-based scholarship program for students with critical financial conditions to pursue higher education
- Apna Rozgar
- Zeenith Gari
- Tabeer Store
- Nescafé Dhaba
- PepsiCo Dhaba
Companies that use Seedout
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Seedout technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
AI capability2 records
Feature2 records
Seedout partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Alkhidmat Foundation PakistancoreBrand partnership for flood relief campaigns and humanitarian assistance. Alkhidmat is one of the largest NGOs in Pakistan providing emergency relief, healthcare, education, and social services since 1990.
- Hijaz HospitalcoreHealthcare partnership providing free-of-cost medical facilities and emergency services to Seed Out borrowers through the health card and telehealth program.
- Allied BankminorBanking partner for donation collections. Donors can transfer funds to Seed Out's Allied Bank account for Zakat, Sadqa, and general donations.
- MCB Bank (Muslim Commercial Bank)minorBanking partner for donation collections. MCB Bank serves as a donation collection channel for Seed Out supporters.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Seedout competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Saylani Welfare International Trust: Large Pakistani welfare organization providing food, healthcare, education, and IT training services. Comparable scale of Pakistani donor base and welfare mission overlap, though operates traditional service delivery rather than crowdfunding platform model.
- Edhi Foundation: Pakistan's largest charitable organization operating ambulances, orphanages, and welfare services nationwide. Comparable Pakistani nonprofit scale and donor-driven model with significant public recognition, though focused on emergency welfare services rather than microfinance/education crowdfunding.
- Muslim Aid: International Islamic charity operating in multiple countries with poverty alleviation, education, and emergency relief programs. Comparable Islamic-faith-aligned donor base and Zakat collection infrastructure, though UK-headquartered with broader geographic scope and traditional NGO program delivery rather than crowdfunding.
- Zakat Foundation of America: US-based Islamic charitable foundation collecting and distributing Zakat globally to poverty alleviation programs. Comparable Zakat-compliant giving channel focus and Islamic finance positioning, though operates as grantmaking intermediary funding partner NGOs rather than direct microfinance delivery.
- FINCA Microfinance Bank: Pakistan operation of global FINCA Impact Finance network, providing microenterprise loans across Pakistan. Comparable target market of micro-entrepreneurs and similar geographic footprint, though as a regulated for-profit MFI rather than nonprofit crowdfunding platform.
Regional players
- NRSP Microfinance Bank: National Rural Support Programme's microfinance arm, one of Pakistan's largest MFIs serving rural Punjab and other provinces. Comparable microfinance activity and beneficiary demographics but operates as a regulated microfinance bank with deposit-taking and interest-based lending rather than a donation-funded platform.
Direct peers
- Kiva: Global online crowdfunding platform for microloans, allowing individual lenders to fund micro-entrepreneurs worldwide. Closest international peer with the same crowdfunding-to-microfinance business model and donor dashboard transparency features, though Kiva lends globally and facilitates loans through partner MFIs rather than operating direct field programs.
- Kashf Foundation: Pakistani microfinance institution focused on women's economic empowerment through small enterprise loans. Comparable target segment (women micro-entrepreneurs), same Pakistan operating environment, though uses traditional interest-bearing model rather than Seed Out's interest-free revolving approach.
- Akhuwat Foundation: Pakistan's largest interest-free microfinance organization, founded 2001, providing Qard-ul-Hassan (interest-free) loans to micro-entrepreneurs. Most direct comparable—same country, same Shariah-compliant interest-free model, similar target population, though operates at much larger scale via branch network rather than crowdfunding.
Emerging players
- Transparent Hands: Pakistani crowdfunding platform for medical surgeries and healthcare for underprivileged patients. Comparable Pakistani crowdfunding nonprofit model with donor transparency focus, but specialized in healthcare funding rather than microfinance and education.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Seedout social profiles
Digital presenceSeedout compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Seedout financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Seedout leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Seedout funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Seedout M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Seedout
What does Seedout do?
Seedout is a nonprofit crowdfunding platform that connects individual and corporate donors with underprivileged micro-entrepreneurs in Pakistan, providing interest-free in-kind loans (averaging PKR 100,000) to establish small businesses such as auto rickshaws, grocery stores, and stitching units. The platform also operates a Student Scholarship Fund that provides full university fee coverage to financially disadvantaged students, using an AI-based scoring system for application evaluation and an interactive donor dashboard with GPS tracking for transparency.
Is Seedout a public or private company?
Seedout is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Seedout founded?
Seedout was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Seedout based?
Seedout is headquartered in Lahore, Pakistan, in the Asia region.
How does Seedout make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate/Private Donor Operations Funding.
Who are Seedout's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Saylani Welfare International Trust, Edhi Foundation, Muslim Aid, Zakat Foundation of America and FINCA Microfinance Bank. NRSP Microfinance Bank is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Kiva, Kashf Foundation and Akhuwat Foundation. Transparent Hands is listed as an emerging player.
Does Seedout have an API?
No public API is recorded for Seedout.
What industry is Seedout in?
Seedout's product category is Microfinance Crowdfunding Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAA, Private Foundations, with a secondary code of EDADAHAC, Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts. Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 8200.