Five tech startups incubated at the National Incubation Center (NIC) Lahore have been selected to join the global accelerator Plug and Play for its Fall 2026 cohort in Silicon Valley. The selected Pakistani enterprises comprise Entropy & Co., Heyeve, Hsieh AI, Recruit AI, and elevAID, representing high-growth sectors including artificial intelligence-driven automation, legal technology, recruitment systems, and healthcare solutions.
Global Exposure and Accelerator Structure
The upcoming accelerator cycle will see the five Pakistani ventures participate alongside peers from across the globe. Plug and Play picked a total of 140 startups hailing from 20 countries for its Fall 2026 batch. Notably, approximately 55 percent of the selected companies originate outside the United States, reflecting an internationally diverse cohort.
The three-month intensive program offers founders comprehensive immersion into the world’s premier technology hub. The acceleration term is scheduled to culminate at the Silicon Valley November Summit, taking place from November 3 to November 5. Participating founders gain access to an extensive ecosystem, with the platform connecting emerging ventures to more than 565 Fortune 1000 corporate partners. Significantly, Plug and Play operates on a model that takes no equity from the participating startup founders. Companies that have previously graduated from the accelerator have collectively raised upwards of $9 billion in capital.
Tracking NIC Lahore’s Silicon Valley Presence
This selection marks the second occasion on which startups emerging from NIC Lahore have secured direct access to Silicon Valley platforms. Previously, four startups from the incubation center joined the Global Overseas Acceleration & Learning (GOAL) Program in June 2025. In another individual milestone, Pakistani artificial intelligence startup Blainy was separately selected for a Plug and Play spot in May 2026.
Speaking on the ongoing Silicon Valley push, NIC Lahore President Ayub Ghauri previously highlighted that the initiative delivers “more than just funding,” framing the opportunity as a source of “belief and empowerment” for Pakistani founders. Ignite Chief Executive Officer Muhammad Bilal Abbasi similarly described the development of this international pipeline as ‘a proud moment for us all.’
Institutional Backing and Ecosystem Collaboration
The cohort’s journey is supported by domestic public sector bodies, including the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, Ignite, and the Pakistan Startup Fund. Under these institutional frameworks, each startup in the acceleration pipeline receives Rs. 5 million in funding from Ignite.
NIC Lahore operates through a consortium headed by NETSOL Technologies. The collaborative consortium includes major corporate and academic partners, specifically Habib Bank Limited (HBL), co-working operator Daftarkhwan, Beaconhouse National University, and the University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Lahore.
Expanding Pakistan’s Plug and Play Partnership
The induction of these five ventures fits into an expanding nationwide framework with the Silicon Valley accelerator. In July 2026, Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal formalized an agreement by signing a Letter of Intent with Plug and Play founder Saeed Amidi. The stated goal of the institutional agreement is to accelerate up to 300 startups emerging from universities across Pakistan.
As part of this broader partnership, Plug and Play has outlined plans to establish regional offices in Islamabad and Karachi, setting up dedicated innovation hubs to strengthen the local entrepreneurial ecosystem and provide ongoing access to global networks.
