Omer Zabit is on a mission to find Pakistan’s Top Founders
Great Founders Make Great Companies
Pakistan is a country well positioned for accelerated growth, having the 5th largest population (220mm) in the world with a rapidly growing middle class (122mm) and a relatively young median age of 22 years. While Pakistan has undoubtedly seen an increased startup activity in recent times, Omer has a few important messages for local founders.
1. Exceptional and committed founders are purpose driven. While building the organization, they give explicit attention to develop both the value-systems and the commercial, operational & tech engine to realize its mission. People perform at a higher level when their personal values and purpose is aligned with that of the company. The difference between a great company & merely a good one chalks down to its ability to clearly articulate why it exists, the purpose it serves, and how it intends to realize it in a harmonious & value-aligned way.
2. Ambitious founders are extremely considerate of who they partner with at the beginning of their journey. It is a lot more painful to fix a people problem when you’re running a hundred-million-dollar company than it is to solve it earlier at a smaller scale. Be mindful of partnering with the right set of co-founder(s) and investors from the get-go. Also, the first ten hires in the company will set the stage for everything else that will follow.
3. Pakistan’s biggest lever to usher an era of economic growth & prosperity lies with its people. Time & again we’ve seen people up their game as soon as they become exposed to the global standards of operating in their respective fields. Local companies tend to fall behind as they are not properly introduced to modern & successful business practices despite having the right intentions and efforts. Sometimes, all it takes is for someone to have a candid conversation around ‘what good looks like’, or a little push & encouragement to take the leap to compete at a global level. Once founders aspire to operate globally, not locally, they will be able to redefine how to create an inspiring organization.
Introducing Omer Zabit
Our Principal and Pakistan Lead at Shorooq Partners, Omer Zabit, is focusing on identifying and backing promising startups in Pakistan and beyond, with a focus on infrastructure plays among other exciting models.
Prior to joining us in January this year, Omer worked as the global head of food delivery business at Careem, the super-app of the region, that offers a wide range of services aimed at the daily needs of its customers. His time at Careem offered him the opportunity to work across the MENAP region and familiarize himself with the local nuances and opportunities. Omer has previously worked in Pakistan with IBM, and the digital financial services verticals of the leading MNOs Jazz (Jazzcash) & Telenor (Easypaisa).
Omer’s expertise in strategy, operations, and market development mainly comes from his entrepreneurial background in which he delivered the growth of Careem during his five years at the company. He has witnessed, and contributed firsthand, to the growth of an early-stage startup into a widely successful company that became an everyday app, having joined Careem as one of the earliest Pakistani colleagues at the onset of the business. Driven by his curiosity and a natural propensity for growth, Omer spearheaded companywide initiatives to unlock unparalleled growth across various markets & business verticals. His tenacity and drive for challenging the status-quo are just a few characteristics we admire the most in our colleagues, founders, and partners.
Growing up and having spent most of his life in Pakistan, Omer demonstrates a unique and thorough perspective on identifying challenges around the local culture and business. We are confident that his background and experience will incredibly benefit us in the selection and management of our portfolio, identifying companies solving real & big problems, and partnering with exceptional founders early on.
“Pakistan’s middle-class and startup ecosystem is growing, but there is still huge opportunity in fundamentally improving how existing businesses operate. We’d partner with exceptional founders who see it as their life’s mission to address this unique infrastructure opportunity. We firmly believe that in doing so, we will unleash a novel model of value creation & distribution that will benefit the widest segment of our society.” Omer said.
Unlocking Value through Infrastructure Plays
Omer is keen on finding infrastructure plays in the fintech, logistics, and human-capital sectors. These ventures will unlock exponential productivity and efficiency in the economic system, thus uplifting the public and redefining how economic value is created and distributed amongst the different segments of our society. He is also interested in consumer businesses, especially those addressing real problems frequently faced by people, and solving it 10x better than available alternatives. At Shorooq Partners, we’re a team of investors eager to work with smart, mission-driven, and dedicated founders who dream big, and we believe together we can help lay down the standard for local startups to rise to the next level.
In the wake of rising VC activities in the wider MENAP region, Shorooq Partners has recently expanded its geographic footprint into Pakistan and currently operates offices in six different countries – UAE (Abu Dhabi and Dubai), Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, and Pakistan. We believe Omer’s global mindset, leadership, and depth of experience as a company builder himself can provide unique benefits to founders in our portfolio and help unlock value in the region by demonstrating what a great business should look like. Please do reach out and share your interesting vision for tomorrow’s world with us at shorooq.com.
