At the Gulf Information Security Expo and Conference (GISEC) 2025, all seven Pakistani tech startups participating in the event reached the semi-finals of the pitch competition, marking a significant achievement despite none making it to the final. The event highlighted a notable increase in cyber-attacks between India and Pakistan amid recent tensions, making the startups’ participation even more timely.
Sponsored by Ignite – National Technology Fund, an initiative of Pakistan’s Ministry of IT & Telecom, the startups showcased various cybersecurity solutions. Waqar Ahmed, CEO of Securitanium, shared that his company had signed a deal with an IT distributor covering Bahrain, the UAE, Ireland, and New Zealand, to provide email security. Securitanium’s AI-powered solution analyzes email content for phishing indicators, addressing the fact that over 80% of cyber-attacks are caused by phishing emails.
Another notable startup, ComplianceMachine.ai, led by Muhammad Ali Inayat, aims to reduce the cost of compliance by 50% through pre-built controls mapped to regulatory frameworks, offering companies a solution to the growing challenges of data protection. Inayat’s company already has a presence in the Gulf, especially in light of new regulations like the Personal Data Protection Act in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Thingzeye, led by CEO Ghalib Asadullah Shah, presented a network security solution for home and office smart devices, including medical devices like smartwatches and heart monitors. Their Smart Home Firewall offers parental controls and devices profiling, ensuring protection for personal health data.
The event also provided valuable exposure for these startups. Shah shared that participating in GISEC boosted his company’s confidence and gave them a platform to compete internationally. Ignite’s focus on nurturing deep tech startups and fostering a knowledge economy in Pakistan played a key role in enabling the startups to participate.
Adeel Aijaz Shaikh, Ignite’s CEO, expressed enthusiasm about continuing the collaboration with GISEC, particularly through the Digital Pakistan Cyber Security Hackathon. Both Inayat and Shah encouraged Pakistani youth to pursue careers in cybersecurity, emphasizing the country’s rich potential in the field.
GISEC, held from May 6 to 8, attracted over 750 cybersecurity companies and 25,000 visitors from over 160 countries. It included hackathons, panel discussions, and impressive milestones, including 11 Guinness World Records set by the UAE Cybersecurity Council during the event.
Khalid Yacoob, a visitor and director of business development at IT consultancy HiveMind Global, expressed pride in seeing Pakistan’s active involvement in the cybersecurity industry. This marks a promising future for Pakistan’s growing presence in global cybersecurity innovations.
