In this episode of Sochcast, Abdul sits down with Yasser Bashir, the CEO of Arbisoft, one of the largest software development companies based in Pakistan with a thriving product arm. The discussion centers around tech entrepreneurship in Pakistan, the startup funding situation in the country, and the role that Arbisoft is playing in supporting entrepreneurship.

Yasser Bashir shares his insights on the challenges and opportunities facing entrepreneurs in Pakistan. Abdul and Yasser also unpack the exciting potential of AI and its potential impact on the tech industry at large.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the future of tech and entrepreneurship in Pakistan.

About the Speaker

Yasser Bashir is the co-founder and CEO of Arbisoft, a software development company based in Pakistan that employes over 800 employees. Along with software development services, Arbisoft also boast a strong product culture with products like edX, Sentimeter, Fatafat and more. They have been able to materialize strong exits for a number of their product lines.

Yasser is a Stanford and LUMS graduate. After starting his career in software engineering and a stint at Orthoclear, Yasser started Arbisoft. Under Yasser’s leadership, Arbisoft has led the development of 3D/CADD systems, enterprise software including ERPs and CRMs, web, cloud, and mobile applications. Moreover, Yasser is committed to promoting tech entrepreneurship in Pakistan and supporting the growth of the tech industry in the country.

Chapters

0:00 Yasser’s Introduction

1:46 How & Why Yasser started Arbisoft

3:26 Why Yasser chose to start a software dev company

6:55 How has the entrepreneurial landscape evolved in Pakistan?

9:55 Will private equity interest return to Pakistan with the same momentum?

18:30 Role of governance in Pakistan’s tech sector

23:58 Role of Pakistani entrepreneurs to lift the tech sector

25:06 What should Pakistani tech entrepreneurs aim to do?

31:42 Dilemma around brain drain

35:02 Arbisoft's role in the future Pakistani entrepreneurship

39:51 Potential of AI in context of Pakistan

49:39 Is Artifical General Intelligence coming?

58:25 How might AI be exploited?

1:02:39 Advice to Pakistani entrepreneurs

1:06:23 Will doors to funding re-open for Pakistan with the same vigor soon?

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