Pakistan Startups Raise $36.6 Million in 2025: Report
Wire desk byline Sourced from Xinhua, Dawn, Arab News, Anadolu and Minute Mirror. Translated and abridged by the GSRRA Desk.
Pakistan’s startup ecosystem recorded a modest rebound in funding during 2025, with startups raising $36.6 million in disclosed equity capital, according to an update released by Data Darbar.
The data shows that 14 equity transactions took place during the year. However, only 10 rounds disclosed funding amounts, showing continued caution among investors at the seed and angel stages.
Although deal flow declined slightly compared to 2024, the increase in total capital deployed suggests that investor confidence returned mainly for startups with clearer paths to scale and revenue generation.
Fintech remained the dominant sector, accounting for the largest share of both funding and deal activity. The sector was led by Haball, whose Pre-Series A round emerged as one of the most significant equity raises of the year, backed by institutional investors.
Fintech funding was further supported by Metric, which raised $1.3 million in a seed round, reflecting continued investor interest in infrastructure-led and B2B financial solutions. Consumer-facing fintech activity remained limited, although platforms such as Qist Bazaar continued to attract capital through smaller, structured financings linked to their Series A trajectory.
Healthtech ranked as the second strongest sector in both funding value and transaction volume. The sector was led by MediQ, which raised $6 million in a Series A round, making it one of the largest disclosed equity deals of 2025.
Early-stage health and wellness startups also contributed to deal activity, with seed-stage raises focused on digital care delivery, diagnostics, and preventive health. This activity highlighted sustained investor interest despite broader funding constraints.
Outside fintech and healthtech, early-stage activity continued across smaller sectors, although funding amounts remained modest. Startups in commerce enablement, logistics support, and SaaS recorded both disclosed and undisclosed rounds, reflecting cautious experimentation rather than aggressive capital deployment.
Most of these transactions were concentrated at the seed and angel stages, limiting their impact on overall funding totals. From a gender perspective, Data Darbar reported a notable improvement in funding for female-led startups, which raised $8.8 million in disclosed equity, accounting for nearly one-quarter of total capital deployed during the year.
While this marks a positive shift, analysts cautioned that percentage gains appear larger due to the relatively low overall funding base.
Overall, the data indicate that Pakistan’s startup ecosystem in 2025 is stabilizing rather than rebounding, with capital increasingly concentrated in fewer companies. Funding activity was largely driven by fintech and healthtech, supported by larger, conviction-based investments.
Reference Link:- https://propakistani.pk/2026/01/05/pakistan-startups-raise-36-6-million-in-2025-report/
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
