KARACHI: The 021 Disrupt Conference was a melting pot of startups, investors, innovators, and entrepreneurs who came together in Karachi to explore the future of the innovation economy.

One of the investors, Charles Ludwig from Oman Technology Fund (OTF), rightly said that the conference marks the beginning of a new era of openness and innovation for Pakistan.

The conference was attended by top venture capital firms and tech celebrities from the Middle East, Singapore, and the US.

The first day of the two-day event, organised by The Nest I/O, began on time with an opening note from President of P@SHA and The Nest I/O Jehan Ara.

It was a different experience for the attendees to have access to featured speakers such as the CEO and Founder of Naseeb Networks Monis Rehman; the Chairman of Punjab IT Board Dr Umar Saif and Google?s Country Lead Khurram Jamali, including others who provided a glimpse into a technology-fueled future.

Startups got the opportunity to directly interact with leading investors working with brands such as Careem and Udemy, to name a few.

The on-stage discussions ranged from artificial intelligence revolution, digital innovation and transformation, to the digital transformation of the government.

Attendees networked and mingled over lunch and tea breaks.

The first day of the conference, hosting Pakistan's largest Investor Roundtable with over 25 institutional investors, ended in a success.