Uber, the international smartphone app that seamlessly connects riders to drivers, has partnered with ArabNet to bring a once in a lifetime opportunity for its valued riders in Pakistan — the UberPITCH. The aim of this initiative is to connect aspiring entrepreneurs with potential investors to bring their ideas to life. The service is currently available in Lahore, Karachi & Islamabad.
With UberPITCH, any rider with a great mission for a startup will get a chance to accomplish it within 14 minutes (840 seconds) of their Uber ride – the 14 minutes (840 seconds) that can make their future. In its efforts to support aspiring entrepreneurs, Uber has brought select investors on board who will fund the winning pitches.
The application process for UberPITCH took place in September. The finalists were provided with a promo code to unlock the UberPitch view in their Uber apps. With this promo code, they weer allowed to book a ride between 11 am – 3 pm PST, October 7, 2017.
The finalists will be accompanied by select mentors during their free 14-minute Uber ride.
The process begins with the finalists requesting an Uber through the UberPITCH view. Their mentor picks them up for a 14 minute ride. Finalists make their startup pitch in the first 7 minutes of the ride after which their mentors will provide their feedback in the remaining 7 minutes of the 14 minute UberPITCH ride.
The winners of UberPITCH will be announced in the following week and will be connected to some of the region’s top investors.
The mentors for UberPitch were follows: Shehriar Ashraf (Gulf Minerals), Usman Mirza (Lackson Investment) in Karachi, Abid Malik (Indus Ventures), Khurram Zafar (LUMS Center of Entrepreneurship) and Arzish Azam (Startup Grind Islamabad) in Lahore and Aban Haq (Karandaaz), Anusheh Ashraf (Invest2Innovate) and Rabeel Warraich (Sarmayacar) in Islamabad.
Apart from helping millions of Pakistanis by offering access to affordable, reliable and (most importantly) safe rides, Uber is utilizing its platform to support the community on a greater level.
As a responsible corporate organization, Uber works on the fundamentals of giving the community back with every opportunity that comes its way. Currently, over 25 thousand drivers are using the app to be connected to part time work, and the number keeps growing every month.
