In The Press

COLABS Celebrates Launch of New DHA Branch in Lahore by Bringing Together Entrepreneurship, Art, and Music

COLABS held a spectacular launch event to celebrate the opening of its newest site in DHA Fairways Commercial, creating a dynamic blend of entrepreneurship, art, and music. The event was a dazzling display of creativity and industry insights, attracting a diverse audience of entrepreneurs, artists, and emerging musicians.

Entrepreneurs, artists and singers celebrate launch of COLABS in Lahore

A spectacular launch event celebrated the opening of its newest site in DHA Fairways Commercial, creating a dynamic blend of entrepreneurship, art, and music.

COLABS opens new branch in DHA Lahore, blending entrepreneurship, art, music

COLABS, a prominent flexible workspace provider, celebrated the grand opening of its latest branch in DHA Fairways Commercial with a dazzling event that seamlessly integrated entrepreneurship, art, and music. The festivities attracted a diverse audience, including entrepreneurs, artists, and emerging musicians.

COLABS opens new branch in Lahore's DHA Fairways Commercial

COLABS hosted a launch event to celebrate the opening of its newest location in DHA Fairways Commercial. The show brought together entrepreneurship, art, and music, and was a stunning showcase of creativity and industry insights.

COLABS Join Forces With Startup Nani To Raise Breast Cancer Awareness With 'Together for Change' Event

Nani, the innovative startup dedicated to empowering women, recently partnered with COLABS, a co-working space, to host an inspirational breast cancer awareness session on October 25th at the COLABS premises in Gulberg.

Apple Pay comes to Pakistan

Freelancers across Pakistan can now use their SadaPay’s business account (SadaBiz) and receive payments via Apple Pay. The announcement came as part of SadaPay’s first ever SadaSummit held last Friday at COLABS.

Lahore Celebrated Spotify’s ‘Pakka Hit Hai’ Gig at COLABS for the Second Time

COLABS and Spotify hosted the much-awaited ‘Pakka Hit Hai’ gig round two. The event, held at COLABS, brought together music, festivity, and a futuristic atmosphere for an unforgettable night.

Lahore celebrates Spotify's 'Pakka Hit Hai' Gig at COLABS

COLABS and Spotify hosted the much-awaited 'Pakka Hit Hai' gig round two. The event, held at COLABS, brought together music, festivity, and a futuristic atmosphere for an unforgettable night.

Round 2 of Spotify’s ‘Pakka Hit Hai’ Gig – A Roaring Success at COLABS

An electrifying wave of music and excitement swept through Lahore as Spotify hosted the second round of its highly anticipated “Pakka Hit Hai” gig at COLABS. It featured an opening act from Towers followed by a headline act by the music producer and composer, Talal Qureshi who also launched his album ‘Turbo’.

Lahore celebrates ‘Pakka Hit Hai’ Gig at COLABS

COLABS and Spotify hosted the much-awaited ‘Pakka Hit Hai’ gig round two. The event, held at COLABS, brought together music, festivity, and a futuristic atmosphere for an unforgettable night.

Chasing Impact event draws entrepreneurial excellence

Endeavor Pakistan successfully hosted the “Chasing Impact” event at COLABS (Lahore Campus) co-sponsored by TPL in Lahore.

COLABS opens in DHA Phase 6

COLABS, the rapidly expanding flexible workspace provider in Pakistan, has secured a premium building in Fairways Commercial, DHA Phase 6, Lahore.

Spotify hosts fans to first ever gig in Pakistan under “Pakka Hit Hai” flagship at COLABS

Spotify celebrated the launch of the fresh identity of Pakka Hit Hai, the flagship and one of the most loved playlists of the audio streaming service in Pakistan.

PAKKA HIT HAI: Spotify hosts first-ever gig in Pakistan at COLABS - Libasnow

Spotify hosts fans at the first ever gig in Pakistan under “Pakka Hit Hai” flagship

Abdul Hannan and Taha G pumped the crowd at the musical night held in collaboration with COLABS, one of the largest flexible workspaces in Pakistan.

Orbit Startups’ William Bao Bean Offers Emerging Market Insights to Pakistani Entrepreneurs at COLABS

William Bao Bean shared his expertise on the current sentiment of VCs investing in Pakistan and spoke about the work that Orbit Startups is doing to support startups in the country. Orbit Startups is a tech-focused VC firm that invests in startups with some market traction but without any other investors. They have invested in 15 startups in Pakistan and are dedicated to providing in-depth help to their portfolio companies through their own network.

COLABS hosts prominent musicians to discuss the evolution of the Pakistani sound

An explorative music panel was held at COLABS, that shed light on Pakistan’s evolving music landscape. An incredible line-up of talented singers and musicians, such as Risham Faiz, Abdullah Siddiqui, Misbah Uddin, Sultan Raja, Rizzy Rozeo and Justin Bibis discussed where the sound of Pakistani music was headed and what external factors, including technological advancements, influenced their own musical creations.

Platform Launched to Help Mothers in KP and Rest of Pakistan

Spearheaded by an entrepreneur from Dera Ismail Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Bushra Latif, the young entrepreneur states that she came up with the idea of a platform for Pakistani mothers after witnessing her older sister and her friends’ struggles through motherhood.

Happy offices

A growing number of shared workstations is tipped to change the way most people work, besides contributing to gig economy.

COLABS Goes Pink For Breast Cancer Awareness All Through October

In a bid to spread awareness about breast cancer, COLABS held an eye-opening session at its Gulberg premises in partnership with Ailaaj, a digital healthcare company (based out of the COLABS) and Pink Ribbon, a local charity organization.

Pakistan’s First Technology-Driven Flood Relief Initiative Launched at COLABS

The event was held at COLABS, Pakistan’s fastest-growing coworking space. Salahuddin Khawaja, the force behind the initiative, spoke at length with his team about how xWave plans to bring a tech-based approach to disaster relief to propel long-term impact.

Drumming Up Support

Led by the well-known multi-percussion band, Quadrum, scores of people came together to raise funds for Pakistan’s flood affectees. Featuring two back-to-back drumming rounds, everyone got a chance to play their heart out. With sumptuous catering by Lettus Kitchens and Fruit Rush, the Drum Circle for Flood Relief was a roaring success.

Rebuilding Pakistan Through Technology

In a bid to help rebuild Pakistan from the after-effects of the catastrophic floods, xWave, Pakistan’s first technology-driven flood relief initiative is all set to create long-term, sustainable impact for Pakistan’s flood affectees.

Sustainable Fashion Brand Sifur By Sania Hosts Pop Up Exhibition Marking One Year

A slow fashion brand that brings good quality and basic styling essentials to its clients, Sifur believes in recycling, ensuring that it wastes no fabric during the fabric cutting process, apart from not using any plastic in its packaging procedures.

Sifur by Sania hosts a pop-up exhibition at COLABS

On the 15th of October, Sifur by Sania, a sustainable fashion start-up, hosted a pop-up exhibition to celebrate one year of meaningful fashion since its inception in 2021.

Chaotic harmony - COLABS Hosts Drum Circle

I write about a beautiful spectacle that takes place on the rooftop of COLABS. The centre of attention is four drummers and chairs surrounding them. There are a few interesting stalls and a café. There are banana sticks, shakes and cocktails.

Star Tech: COLABS, Pakistan’s fastest-growing flexible workspace, eyes UAE, MENA markets

COLABS’ big idea and main driving mission is to redefine the future of work in Pakistan by creating avenues and opportunities for the country’s youth bulge, who are below 27 years of age and make up around approximately 64 per cent of the south Asian country’s population.

Creating New Waves For Modernity And Sustainability

Having launched in May 2019, COLABS, an entrepreneurial coworking platform, founded by Omar Shah has been striving to innovate the local ecosystem by creating new work experiences. It has played a crucial part in both supporting and collaborating with young entrepreneurs in Pakistan’s burgeoning startup ecosystem.

Paymob, COLABS join hands to empower entrepreneurs

Paymob, the leading omni-channel payments gateway and financial technology enabler in the MENAP region, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with COLABS, Pakistan’s largest collaborative workspace, to jointly empower young entrepreneurs to launch and expand their businesses.

COLABS Partners with 60 Day Startups to Mentor Women-Led Startups

COLABS, Pakistan’s fastest growing flexible workspace, and 60 Day Startups, a business accelerator program for women-led startups, have joined hands for an exciting 6 months partnership.

Pakistan Proptech Startup Scene a Standout Among Emerging Markets

A country of 230 million people with a median age of 23, Pakistan is embracing proptech innovation as a means to more efficiently increase housing availability and other real estate services. The proptech industry in turn is providing new job opportunities for Pakistan’s growing number of highly educated young people.

Are co-working spaces the future of work?

Co-working and flexible workspaces play a significant role in establishing a community of diverse individuals that share a similar work ethic and ambition, providing a sense of community among like-minded individuals. These facilities combine the work culture of every organization and accentuate it, motivating employees to be more productive, leading to a positive and constructive atmosphere within the co-working community.

Working Is Sharing

The time and investment that go into maintaining a conventional office space are increasingly considered both unwanted and unnecessary, especially by start-ups, because covering costs for electricity, rent, water and internet services are becoming next to impossible for new businesses. Enter co-working spaces such as COLABS.

Colabs raises $3 million seed to make it easy for entrepreneurs and freelancers to build and grow businesses in Pakistan

Lahore-based Colabs has raised $3 million in a seed round led by Indus Valley Capital, Zayn Capital, and Fatima Gobi Ventures, it announced in a statement on Friday. It is the first time these three leading Pakistan-focused VCs are investing together in a startup, noted the statement. Colabs had previously raised $1 million in a pre-seed round. The round was also joined by Shorooq Partners, Kinnow Capital, Muir Capital, Sai Ventures, and a few angel investors including Turner Novak, William Hockey, and Teddy Himler.

Pakistani co-working startup Colabs raises $3m in seed funding

COLABS becomes Pakistan’s only venture-backed collaborative workspace by a $3 million investment. The round was led by Indus Valley Capital, Zayn Capital and Fatima Gobi Ventures. It is the first time these three leading Pakistan focused VCs are investing together in a startup. The round was also joined by Shorooq Partners, Kinnow Capital, and some key angels, including Turner Novak, William Hockey, and Teddy Himler.

Daily Crunch: EU, US reach ‘agreement in principle’ on trans-Atlantic data flows

The EU made news again today for securing agreements for what we called “major competition reform” in the area. On the docket are things like forced messaging interoperability. Which means that the days of closed iMessage could be heading for their end? It’s not clear what impact the rule changes will have in the United States, but big things are brewing across the pond.

COLABS gets $3 million seed to expand across Pakistan, launch back-office SaaS solutions

COLABS secures $3 million in seed funding in a round led by Indus Valley Capital, Zayn Capital and Fatima Gobi Ventures, the first time that the three Pakistan-focused VCs are investing in a startup together.

Lahore-based startup COLABS raises $3m in seed round

The latest investment paves the way for COLABS to expand its presence across major cities in Pakistan, as it looks to "knit together a community of 100,000 entrepreneurs and freelancers in the country, starting with 10,000 members within the next two years".

COLABS raises $3 million seed to empower entrepreneurs and freelancers through its spaces and tech platform across Pakistan

COLABS raises $3 million seed to empower entrepreneurs and freelancers through its spaces and tech platform across Pakistan

Lahore-Based COLABS Raises $3 Million Seed Funding

The round was led by Indus Valley Capital, Zayn Capital, and Fatima Gobi Ventures. It is the first time these three leading Pakistan-focused VCs are investing together in a startup. The round was also joined by Shorooq Partners, Kinnow Capital, Muir Capital, Sai Ventures, and some key angels, including Turner Novak, William Hockey, and Teddy Himler.

Lahore-based COLABS raises $3mn in early funding

The latest investment paves the way for COLABS to expand its presence across major cities in Pakistan, as it looks to "knit together a community of 100,000 entrepreneurs and freelancers in the country, starting with 10,000 members within the next two years".

Pakistan’s COLABS secures $3mn in funding as it plans to become launchpad for startups, freelancers

The seed round was led by Pakistan-focused funds Indus Valley Capital, Zayn Capital and Fatima Gobi Ventures. The round was also joined by Shorooq Partners, Kinnow Capital, Muir Capital, Sai Ventures, and some key angels including Turner Novak, William Hockley, and Teddy Himler.

Lahore-based coworking startup COLABS raises $3m in seed round

The round was led by Indus Valley Capital, Zayn Capital and Fatima Gobi Ventures, a press release issued by the startup said, adding that it was the first time that three leading Pakistan-focused venture capitalists (VC) were investing together in a startup.

Shorooq Partners invests in Pakistan-based COLABS

Aatif Awan, Founder and Managing Partner of Indus Valley Capital, said, “The first time I visited COLABS, I found the community and energy to be a microcosm of the fast-growing Pakistani tech ecosystem. We’re thrilled to partner with the COLABS team to help them build the leading platform and community that will power the growth of Pakistani tech across startups, freelancers and global companies expanding into Pakistan.”

COLABS raises $3 million in seed funding

COLABS, a Lahore-based coworking startup, raised $3 million in seed funding from Indus Valley Capital, Zayn Capital, Fatima Gobi Ventures, Shorooq Partners, Kinnow Capital, Muir Capital, Sai Ventures, and multiple angel investors.

Pakistan's Colabs Raises $3M Seed

Based in Lahore, COLABS has raised $3M in a seed round. The startup enables SMEs, entrepreneurs and freelancers to build and grow their businesses through its spaces and tech platform. The round was led by Indus Valley Capital, Zayn Capital, and Fatima Gobi Ventures. It is the first time these three leading Pakistan focused VCs are investing together in a startup. The round was also joined by Shorooq Partners, Kinnow Capital, Muir Capital, Sai Ventures, and some key angels, including Turner Novak, William Hockey, and Teddy Himler.

PAKISTAN'S COLABS RAISES $3M SEED FUND LED BY INDUS VALLEY CAPITAL, ZAYN CAPITAL & FATIMA GOBI VENTURES

COLABS, a Pakistan-based flexible workspace, said Friday it has raised $3 million in a seed round led by Indus Valley Capital, Zayn Capital and Fatima Gobi Ventures. The round was also joined by Shorooq Partners, Kinnow Capital, Muir Capital, Sai Ventures, and some key angels, including Turner Novak, William Hockey, and Teddy Himler, COLABS said in a statement.

In a first, Indus Valley, Zayn, Fatima Gobi team up to invest in Pakistan's Colabs

Pakistani co-working firm banks $3m in seed money

The fresh capital will be used to form a community of 100,000 entrepreneurs and freelancers in Pakistan, starting with 10,000 members within the next two years. Colabs will also be expanding across major cities in the country like Karachi and Islamabad.

COLABS gets $3 million seed to expand across Pakistan, launch back-office SaaS solution

Lahore-based coworking space startup Colabs is set to roll out a SaaS product to enable businesses to meet back-office needs including company registration, talent sourcing and management, payroll processing, and legal and tax compliance. It also plans to hire more staff, which will include increasing the product team for its SaaS workspace business service that is emerging from the beta phase.

Pakistani coworking startup COLABS raises $3 million for domestic, Middle East expansion — CEO

COLABS, a Lahore-based startup helping entrepreneurs and freelancers build businesses through its shared spaces and technical support, has raised $3 million in a seed round for its expansion to other Pakistani cities and abroad, primarily the Middle East, company officials said on Friday.

COLABS gets $3 million seed to expand across Pakistan, launch back-office SaaS solutions

COLABS is set to roll out a SaaS product to enable businesses to meet back-office needs including company registration, talent sourcing and management, payroll processing, and legal and tax compliance.

Industry leaders celebrate women founders breaking stereotypes in Pakistan

In recent news, COLABS, one of Pakistan’s leading co-working spaces hyperfocused on accelerating freelancers and startups, hosted a panel in collaboration with CIRCLE Women and the U.S. Department of State to celebrate ‘Women Founders Breaking stereotypes’ and ‘16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence’.

COLABS partnered with Singapore Financing Operator to empower Pakistani startups

COLABS, a Lahore-based co-working space envisioning a platform of 100,000 empowered entrepreneurs is eyeing international players as their partners. In its journey, it has partnered with a Singapore-based, all-in-one finance solution for growing businesses. As per Railsbank, the leading global open banking platform, Singapore-based Aspire, a digital platform providing financial solutions for small and medium businesses, is the first SME-focused Neobank in Southeast Asia to use its Singapore Dollar (SGD) bank accounts.

100,000 empowered entrepreneurs and freelancers at COLABS – Heart of tech ecosystem

The entrepreneurial ecosystem is a booming trend in Pakistan and has made its mark globally as countless rising startups have acquired millions of dollars in seed funding and accelerated their products. This overall results in new opportunities and advancements for the country. However, COLABS, a Lahore-based startup, has a very unique approach as it’s hyper-focused towards empowering 100,000 entrepreneurs and freelancers through its coworking spaces, business solutions, and scaling programs with its partner network.

Groundwork: Digital growth and Startup success in Pakistan

The Pakistani startup ecosystem has witnessed yet another record-breaking quarter consistent with a year filled with major funding rounds and buzzing venture capital activity. Driven by an almost 300% YoY growth in funding, as recorded in our Pakistan Q3 2021 Venture Investment Report, Pakistan-based startups have raised $15M more than all capital deployed between 2018-2020 in Q3 2021 alone. This comes amidst double the number of active investors compared to the same time last year, where international investors accounted for 80% of total investors backing local startups by Q3 2021.

Pakistani coworking operator Colabs eyes Middle East, Africa expansion

Shah, who has around sevens years of work experience as a private equity and venture capital investor in Dubai, with a focus on emerging markets like Mexico, UAE, Turkey, and Pakistan, wants his startup to act as a “gateway” for foreign investment into Pakistan.

During pandemic, the rise of Pakistan’s shared workplaces

The popularity of the shared workplace as a cost effective, no-fuss model has recently risen in Pakistan-- considered one of the world’s largest freelancing economies-- with savvy young enthusiasts in the South Asian country’s urban centers jumping in on the bandwagon to build spaces that break the traditional office mold.

Film Lab boot-camp on visual storytelling concludes

Thoroughly talented coaches from Pakistan were present to train the participants on visual design, story-telling, visual composition for better branding and marketing. In an age of cut-throat competition and lack of correct knowledge on visual design and composition which can lead to low sales and regressive market demand for the particular product.

Startup MimAR Winning Nationwide Competition Uber Pitch 2019

GM Uber Saad Naveed Pall speaking at the competition’s conclusion, said, “It has been truly inspiring to see the brilliant startups that came forward in Uber Pitch 2019, just as they do every year. Uber is committed to building a startup culture that not only supports but also empowers digital startups to get on the road to opportunity and move their ideas forward.”

The rise of co-working spaces in Lahore is shaking up the traditional workplace

As a young freelance wedding photographer, Sana Ahmed would work out of a coffee shop to meet potential clients and book future gigs. With flexible timings and a lack of a formal workspace, Ahmed needed a dependable infrastructure to establish and grow her photography business.

Nextbridge organizes Xamarin Conference at Colabs

The workshop, which simultaneously focused on soft skills as well as technical skills, was conducted last week at Colabs in Lahore. The conference was attended by several of the technical developers and software engineers who wanted to gain practical knowledge of certain technical skills. The conference started with a session on essential soft skills for new developers and later delved into technical topics like enterprise architectures with Xamarin Forums

Uber Pitch 2019 is all set, here is how to apply

Uber Pitch is a platform for upcoming digital startups of the country. The platform has been brought forward through the collaboration of Uber, Ignite and NIC to support the startups budding from Pakistan’s landscape. The multi-round competition sees startups from across the country which compete to get to the finals and win the competition. The Uber Pitch 2019 would be accepting applications till August 23, 2019.

Can this and other co-working spaces find their space in Pakistan?

And more recently, at Lahore’s Gurumangat Road, an old building spanning almost 30,000 square feet, which was once the oldest towel manufacturing factory in the area, has also given in to this new trend and has opened its doors to start-ups, freelancers, and even large enterprises. They claim to be the largest collaborative workspace in the country. The board at the top of the building reads, ‘Colabs’, suggesting collaboration and exchange of ideas among the people working inside it. Profit looks at the reality behind this rosy picture of many great ideas working in tandem creating great waves of productive energy.

Circle founder expresses excitement on #SheLovesTech journey’s inception from tomorrow

Social entrepreneur and Circle Founder Sadaffe Abid, wrote a heartfelt note on her Facebook, expressing her excitement and delight on #SheLovesTech journey which will be taken by Pakistani women start-ups and innovators, with the bigger goal of encouraging women and girls to believe in themselves and explore entrepreneurship and technology.

COLABS opens its doors for business

Pakistan’s largest collaborative workspace COLABS opened its doors for business with a first-of-its-kind experiential event in Lahore. COLABS has been thoughtfully designed to provide entrepreneurs, organizations, startups and companies, with a modern and forward-thinking space to work, learn, grow, interact and collaborate. COLABS is a commercial project of SABCON, one of Pakistan’s most innovative development firms, and is the brain-child of co-founders and twin brothers, Omar & Ali Shah.