Pakistan’s First Startup to present at the Taqadam Showcase in Saudia
Autilent’s Journey
Every year, $120 Billion and another 1.35 Million precious human lives are lost in road accidents, and even these numbers are heavily underreported. Surprisingly, nearly all of these accidents are preventable as they occur due to human errors. We, at Autilent, are leveraging the technology of AI to prevent these human errors to save precious human lives and valuable assets.
The above few lines — the lines that the team says in every single one of their pitches, are the base of how this product came into being. Before the co-founders embarked on this journey, they were running a successful AI & Product Development Consultancy called ByteCorp. ByteCorp’s success was the result of sheer dedication and resilience by the co-founders, with a sense of overachieving that followed. The thing with overachievers is that they don’t easily settle, with anything, on anyone. During this time, we heard about the Ahmedpur Incident, where 219 lives were lost just because of a single driver’s negligence, and an internal discussion took as to how we can use tech to mitigate losses and prevent accidents like these from happening. The conviction was led by Saad Farooq and Abdul Muqsit Abbasi, and the rest of the team followed. Muhammad Ibrahim Chippa and Manal Farooq took up arms on the technicals, while Asad Anwer handled the Experience Design and Marketing. There were quite a few challenges that had to be tackled by the team, the first one being bringing on board a superstar set of advisors that were going to help us build Autilent and take it out into the market. The team decided on the domains of advisory and then started searching for the best fits that were open to our culture, mindset, and understanding. The following are the most appreciatable set of advisors that we finalized:
Autilent’s advisors proved themselves not just as domain experts, but as incredible human beings. One of the advisors mentioned Taqadam to the team, and told them about it being one of the toughest and most premium Startup accelerators in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia — and the team was up for another challenge. They partnered up with Shareefa Kutbi, an amazing and talented Saudi with multiple startup experiences, to accompany us on this International endeavor.
It was indeed a tough process, the team managed to get shortlisted for the Taqadam Bootcamp, which meant pulling through an acceptance rate of 1.3% — amongst 3500+ applicants. The Bootcamp was no fun and games either, the team had to go through a rigorous and amazing learning experience, sitting through hours of sessions per month, and then gearing up for the final pitch at the end of the Bootcamp. Getting through that pitch successfully meant getting into the accelerator, and getting an equity-free grant of $40,000.
It was no surprise that the team nailed the pitch, and got accepted in the accelerator with the grant. This marked the start of another grind, where hours were spent into learning experiences through sessions offered by the accelerator, mentoring sessions, and Pitch Clinics. During this time period, the team also managed to raise a 6-figure Pre-Seed. All of this hard work, the challenges, the advisory, and the mentoring sessions — all of it, was for this one big day, The Taqadam Final Showcase, held in Thuwal at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).
As you read this, three of the Co-founders, Abdul Muqsit Abbasi, Shareefa Kutbi, and Muhammad Ibrahim Chippa, are currently gearing up in Saudi Arabia for the moment of truth. They have to give it their all on the 10th of March, while the rest of the team here; namely Saad Farooq, Asad Anwer, and Manal Farooq, have to make sure that they have everything they need to ensure a win. They will be pitching Autilent and representing Pakistan on a global stage. We wish them the best of luck!
This was a summary of Autilent’s Journey yet, a journey that is just beginning BUT it’s important to take a step back and ponder on what has just happened here. As we move forward in the pursuit of achieving more, it is important to stop for a while and reflect on what we have achieved until now. Team Autilent is the first Startup from Pakistan to make it through till the end at the Taqadam Accelerator. The team tackled every challenge they faced with dedication, and even when the odds were pitched against them, they never gave up. It is something that each one of them is inherently built for, greatness and sheer willpower to overcome whatever life throws at them. It is essential to mention the rest of the team members, without whom nothing would have been possible. A very well-rounded team with Taha Yahya Baig helping us in the initial stages of Design, Syed Faran Mustafa, and Hina Khadim helping us through and through with the development of the MVP. Our wholehearted appreciation stays with them.
The final Taqadam showcase is available virtually, all you have to do is Register here to see the Co-founders pitch it Live, around 6.30 PM Pakistan Time. Help the team win the People’s Choice Startup Award by voting for Autilent during the pitch. Here’s to achieving great heights, and greater rewards.
For more information on Autilent, visit here.
