DEMO Pakistan launched in 2015, extended the legacy of the renowned DEMO conference series founded in 1991 by Stewart Alsop II. DEMO, has a storied legacy of launching iconic companies that have shaped the technology industry. Notable alumni include Palm, E*TRADE, Salesforce, TiVo, Waze, WebEx, Evernote, Fusion-io, VMware, WeSync, Iterasi, Zoom, RingCentral, Roku, and Qualcomm. Additionally, DEMO featured luminaries such as Computer Associates, Lotus, Apple, Intel, Microsoft, Adobe, AT&T, Intuit, Logitech, Eloqua, Plantronics, Lenovo, GarageBand, LogMeIn, Real Networks, Citrix, Symantec, Trend Micro, Seagate, and ZoomInfo. These companies have revolutionized various fields, from technology and software to e-commerce, finance, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, telecommunications, entertainment, and productivity. DEMO’s impact on the technology industry is undeniable, becoming a home for innovation and growth through its platform in the technology heydays of the nineties and noughties.
Building on DEMO’s successful track record of showcasing innovative technologies and startups in Silicon Valley and beyond, DEMO Pakistans aim was to showreel Pakistani entrepreneurs and startups by providing a platform for their narration, networking, mentorship, and access to capital.
Initially as the youngest entrant in the global DEMO conferences family, the idea was to take the top three or four startups from Pakistan to the main DEMO conferences in the USA while developing linkages with other DEMO partners around the globe. However because DEMO was discontinued by Network World/IDG, it’s parent company the same year, DEMO was shifted into a journalistic reporting brand for the fast evolving Pakistani startup ecosystem that was beginning to see its first series of incubators and investments. And it did so for the next day though buried under its sister brands CIO, PC World, Macworldand and Computerworld. But that changes now.
What’s Next?
With today’s GenAI wave, it’s clear that tech innovation and disruption are far from stagnant, making it the right time to reinvent DEMO for a mature business/entrepreneurial and fast moving tech ecosystem in the country. A market intelligence, story telling and p2p media platform is the need of the hour to showcase the best coming out of the system in the country.
DEMO intends to address the imbalance in reportage on companies from this demographically diverse and challenging country in a geo economically fast linking region which has its own macro challenges as well, in terms of being frequently underserved by the media – both international and local. Through the depth and breadth of our 3 decade coverage experience, DEMOs parent company has differentiated itself in an aggregation-dominated market, and DEMO intends to provide deal engineers across the industry a competitive edge. We intend to be the platform from where traditional media outlets pick up stories and then push them out into the global newsphere.
What’s DEMO’s Family?
- Traction Magazine: Delivering insightful stories and analysis on Pakistan’s startup landscape once or twice a year in digital form.
- Dealbeat.ink: Providing real-time updates on startup funding, mergers, and acquisitions as well as buildingn-depth insights and quarterly analysis of Pakistan’s startup ecosystem.
- DEMO Academy: Hosting physical and phygital conferences, workshops, and masterclasses tailored for entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators
DEMO Pakistan’s research, analysis, and thought leadership will shape Pakistan’s business landscape by identifying emerging trends and opportunities, bridging gaps between startups, investors, corporations, and policymakers, and promoting innovation, entrepreneurship, and job creation. Our aim is simple, to work with everyone working for the betterment of the country and to chronicle pakistan as it negotiates its status as indeed the Next Big Thing.
