The Case Against Venture-Scale Thinking in Pakistan

// 01. THE SILICON VALLEY IMPORT

Pakistan’s startup ecosystem has spent the last decade importing Silicon Valley’s playbook wholesale: raise fast, burn faster, worry about unit economics never. The results have been predictably catastrophic.

The venture-scale model assumes abundant capital, deep talent pools, and markets that reward speed over sustainability. None of these conditions exist in Pakistan. Applying a framework designed for San Francisco to Lahore is not ambition — it’s architectural malpractice.

Stop importing playbooks from markets that don’t look like yours. Start building frameworks that work where you actually are.

// 02. THE ALTERNATIVE MODEL

The alternative is not thinking small — it’s thinking permanent. Revenue-first businesses that grow at the pace their market can sustain. Architecture that’s designed for the infrastructure that actually exists, not the infrastructure you wish existed.

The most successful companies I’ve built and invested in across Pakistan share a common trait: they were profitable before they were famous. They built revenue engines before they built pitch decks. They chose permanence over performance.

// 03. BUILDING FOR PAKISTAN

Pakistan doesn’t need more startups. It needs more permanent businesses. Companies that create jobs, generate revenue, and build infrastructure that serves the next generation — not the next funding cycle.

This is not a pessimistic take. This is the most optimistic take possible — because permanent businesses create permanent value. And permanent value is what this country actually needs.