Speaking at the Pakistan Entrepreneurship Journalism Program, startup growth hacker and entrepreneur Badar Khushnood addressed the various legal, policy-related and other challenges in Pakistan’s entrepreneurship industry, while also highlighting opportunities in the field.
He was leading a session on brand strategy and monetization at the last day of the Pakistan Entrepreneurship Journalism Program, which commenced from January 15 here in Karachi.
Mr. Khushnood apprised the participants of the evolutions and changes in Pakistan’s digital landscape and the upcoming trends. He also spoke at length about the vitality of procuring and understanding data and numbers before launching startups.
“We had this term before, ‘content is king’, but now data is king,” said Khushnood.
Participants at the training learnt about different ways of monetizing their work at the session. “These skills are important for us so we don’t have to rely on organizations for salaries and pays. We did not know how to earn money through our work, but after these sessions, we have a better idea,’ said Hameeda Bano, a freelance journalist from Quetta, Balochistan.
The Pakistan Entrepreneurship Journalism Program aims at equipping journalists with skills and information needed to start independent news platforms.
The program is by Global Neighborhood for Media Innovation (GNMI), a media development organization that bridges the gap between media, civil society and diverse communities, and works to empower and enable Pakistani journalists. Broadcast journalist Najia Asher is the founding president of GNMI.
“There is a need in Pakistan to democratize news platforms and such programs are great for journalists who want to become an entrepreneur or a freelancer. A lot of people will become self-sufficient through this initiative by GNMI,” said Mr. Khushnood.
The three-day entrepreneurial journalism program saw various digital content creators, mobile journalism experts, and experts in entrepreneurship and branding connect with journalists gathered here from across the country. The program’s first phase is a series of training and workshops for journalists, divided in three cohorts; Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad.
In the second phase, startup ideas from 20 selected participants from across the three cohorts will be incubated and launched with the help of mentors and experts.
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