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ABR 2025 26(Entrepreneurial)printed 64 · PDF 78
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From Aim to Impact: whole half-
century.
In 2023 Pak Maweshi, a student led
initiative set out under spark tank’s
incubation
program.Based
in
Lahore,Pakistan it was founded by Zarar
Haroon Khokar and Ayaan Waqar, two
creative high school students from
Aitchison
College.This
project
was
inspired by their cultural roots and first
hand experience with the problems
faced by rural farmers. With a small
team of under 10 people, the innovative
startup created a mobile application,
designed to help farmers trade livestock
and access veterinary services in an
easy manner.Unlike most business’ in
the agricultural space, Pak Maweshi was
founded not just to be marketed as a
product,but
also
an
instrument
of
empowerment, bridging the digital gap
and
allowing
small
scale
farmers,especially women, to play an
avid
part
in
Pakistan’s
livestock
economy.
Tackling the Core Problem:
Pak Maweshi was founded to face the
existent problems of rural livestock
farming in Pakistan, where more than
35% of Punjab’s rural population, about
25 million people,depended on animals
for their livelihood. On top of that, small
scale farmers, especially women, still
had
to
face
systemic
challenges.
Language was the main barrier: most
already existing veterinary apps were
created with English only interfaces,
cutting off most of the population due
to their limited literacy. Women, who are
the supporting structure of household
animal
care,
were
excluded
from
earning opportunities because of
cultural restrictions and the absence of
targeted outreach. Farmers had little to
no access to transport, current prices in
the market , or trusted veterinary care,
forcing them to depend solely on
unethical
middlemen
who
would
control prices and use up profits.
Furthermore, limited digital literacy and
variable rural internet connectivity made
it tough to introduce solutions heavily
based
on
technology.
The
startup
addressed
these
issues
through
a
simple
yet
complex
approach.They
introduced a pictorial and an Urdu
based interface along with built in
voice-over
which
ensured
extensiveness, while a simple phone
number was used to login as opposed
to the traditional email.Adding to this
automatic geo-location was provided
which eliminated technical hurdles. To
create trust with the people, the team
engaged with elders, women’s groups,
and community leaders, while initial
projects in Sahiwal helped streamline
the model. As all initial startups , early
adoption
faced
skepticism,
with
middlemen spreading resistance and
farmers not fully trusting a phone app
for something as important as animal
sales. But by emphasizing the app’s
simplicity , offering solid benefits like
nearby vet mapping and price clarity,
and
also
showing
clear
economic
earnings, Pak Maweshi slowly turned
challenges into opportunities. These
efforts planted them as not just an app,
but
a
bridge
that
linked
rural
communities to technology, dignity, and
growth.
Uniqueness
in
Approach
and
Marketing
Pak Maweshi wasn’t unique just
64
Enterprise Edition