Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — A powerful spirit of cross-border collaboration took center stage at “Unlocking Opportunities: The Malaysia–Pakistan Venture Corridor”, hosted by Paklaunch.com in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS). The event convened influential voices from both ecosystems, aiming to deepen investment ties, accelerate venture growth, and spark trust between Malaysia and Pakistan’s tech communities.
Moderated by Ghazanfar Iqbal, Head of Business Development at AWS, the high-impact panel featured:
• Shan Li Tay, Managing Director, Endeavor Malaysia
• Warren Leow, CEO, Pixlr Group
• Hassan Ahmed, CTO & Co-founder, Respond.io
• Hisham Ibrahim, MD, ASEAN, Gobi Partners
• Mei Chel Tan, Partner, 500 Global
• Aly Fahd, Paklaunch (PL)
From venture capital to founder support and ecosystem building, the conversation highlighted practical strategies for creating meaningful partnerships across borders.
“Trust is the true currency of cross-border venture building,” said Shan Li Tay. “Without aligned values and deep understanding, capital alone cannot create lasting impact.”
Warren Leow emphasized the potential of shared learning: “Malaysia and Pakistan can learn a lot from each other—Pakistan has a youthful, ambitious tech talent pool, while Malaysia offers regulatory maturity and investor readiness.”
From an investor’s standpoint, Mei Chel Tan of 500 Global added, “What we look for is not just product-market fit, but market-founder fit—do you understand the cultural nuances and networks needed to scale across regions?”
Representing Pakistan’s thriving startup ecosystem, Aly Fahd of Paklaunch said, “We’re not just unlocking capital—we’re unlocking vision. Our goal is to build something bigger than borders.”
The corridor isn’t just symbolic—it’s strategic. With Pakistan’s digital economy on the rise and Malaysia emerging as a regional launchpad for Southeast Asia, the collaboration offers a unique opportunity for long-term ecosystem resilience.
A Malaysian-based tech consultant attending the event remarked, “As someone building in Malaysia and beyond, it’s clear that the future of innovation lies in synergy—shared talent, shared vision, and shared success.”
As both countries look ahead, initiatives like this venture corridor pave the way for a new era of interlinked, inclusive growth.
