Yaruq Nadeem

innovation and partnerships lead at NSTP

Compiled from 1 recorded interview. Every statement below is drawn from the passage cited beside it.

Yaruq Nadeem leads innovation and partnerships at the National Science and Technology Park (NSTP). He is credited with facilitating PKR 20-plus billion in revenue and PKR 12-plus billion in startup funding in four years. He is also credited with igniting the spark for over 300 startups and creating 6,000 jobs.

Early life and background

Nadeem started his first job after LUMS. During his job, a message from his father told him a scholarship was available and urged him to apply. [1]

Education

Nadeem's degree was in Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Management. He picked the top three universities by ranking that offered the degree he wanted to do, and applied to the three he had listed. Edinburgh was his third choice. The University of Edinburgh offered him a place, and UCL also offered him a place. He wanted to attend Imperial College London, and he received an offer letter from it. [1]

He says his university was in London, which he calls the multicultural capital of the world. He describes London as multicultural, a happening place with many learning opportunities and many people to meet. His class had people from about 30 to 40 countries. He says he felt more comfortable interacting in the UK environment, and that some of his personal biases were broken. [1]

He made some savings, with which he travelled, including a trip to Scotland. He was told he had to reach the campus by 12:00 PM on a Monday. He says he studied less than his grades suggested. [1]

Career

Nadeem wanted to go into the entrepreneurship field, either starting something of his own or working in the innovation ecosystem. He joined NUST and NSTP. He led the US Embassy's Rising Stars Startup Competition and designed incubation programmes under TechOne. He has shaped the entrepreneurship curriculum at NUST and guided over 50 student-led ventures. [1]

National Science and Technology Park

NSTP launched in December 2019. It hosts companies from idea-stage startups to multinationals in one premises. NSTP primarily looks for companies that develop their own products and services, and it gives space only to top-tier applicants chosen through a selection process. Companies join only if they meet its criteria, such as R&D and student jobs. NSTP monitors economic performance, innovation performance and interaction with academia. [1]

Programmes and support at NSTP

NSTP runs a pre-incubation programme. A six-month programme at NSTP includes training, mentorship and coaching. NSTP gives some startups free-of-cost coworking space and some companies office space at a subsidised rental rate. It pairs participants with coaches who stay with them throughout the programme. [1]

NSTP runs a programme called Innovation Inside. It invites students from NUST, Islamabad and outstation to visit for a day. NSTP connects students with early-stage startups so that students do a final-year project solving the startups' problems. NSTP can be reached by walk-in visit or by email. [1]

NSTP does not fund startups itself but connects them with investors. It shares grant opportunities and prepares startups for grants, pitch competitions and investors. NSTP is part of an organisation of more than 400 science parks and is connected with the PakLaunch community. It held a VC conference in 2021 and shared the invite with Pakistanis. Nadeem invites people to reach out through NSTP's social media or contact numbers. [1]

Views

Nadeem highly recommends a master's or higher education in the UK. He advises trying for scholarships, and going on a fully funded scholarship if one is offered. [1]

He says entrepreneurs often fall in love with their own idea, and some founders focus heavily on the technical product. He says founders who do not talk to consumers never learn their product's price point. He says the lean method is to go to customers with a basic first version and refine the MVP from feedback. He says startup success rests on consumer demand, technical capability and commercial viability. [1]

He says one should either fail fast or, if on a successful trajectory, accelerate. He says applicants should have a rough idea of market size and should have tried to validate basic assumptions. He says early-stage startups need human resources they cannot afford, and that students' focus, unfortunately, goes toward grades. [1]

He argues that AI-driven unemployment will leave fewer jobs and that people will be forced to innovate. He says Pakistan will have a boom in time. [1]

Timeline

2019
NSTP launched in December.[1]
2021
NSTP held a VC conference and shared the invite with Pakistanis.[1]

Appearances

DateTitleWhere
2025-02-26 Why NSTP is the only science park in Pakistan that actually works Thought Behind Things

Frequently asked questions

Who is Yaruq Nadeem?

Yaruq Nadeem leads innovation and partnerships at the National Science and Technology Park (NSTP). He is credited with facilitating PKR 20-plus billion in revenue and PKR 12-plus billion in startup funding in four years.[1]

What does Yaruq Nadeem do?

Yaruq Nadeem leads innovation and partnerships at NSTP. He has shaped the entrepreneurship curriculum at NUST and guided over 50 student-led ventures.[1]

Where did Yaruq Nadeem study?

Yaruq Nadeem's degree was in Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Management. He says his university was in London. He received offers of a place from the University of Edinburgh and UCL, and an offer letter from Imperial College London.[1]

What programmes has Yaruq Nadeem designed?

Yaruq Nadeem designed incubation programmes under TechOne. He has also shaped the entrepreneurship curriculum at NUST.[1]

What does Yaruq Nadeem say startups should do?

Yaruq Nadeem says the lean method is to go to customers with a basic first version and refine the MVP from feedback. He says startup success rests on consumer demand, technical capability and commercial viability.[1]

What does Yaruq Nadeem recommend for higher education?

Yaruq Nadeem highly recommends a master's or higher education in the UK. He advises trying for scholarships, and going on a fully funded scholarship if one is offered.[1]

References

  1. Why NSTP is the only science park in Pakistan that actually works . Thought Behind Things , 2025-02-26.
Show the source passages (65 statements)
  1. He leads innovation and partnerships at the National Science and Technology Park (NSTP). As the spearhead of Innovation and Partnerships at the National Science & Technology Park (NSTP)
  2. He is credited with facilitating PKR 20-plus billion in revenue and PKR 12-plus billion in startup funding in four years. In just four years, Yaruq has facilitated a staggering PKR 20+ billion in revenue and PKR 12+ billion in startup funding
  3. He is credited with igniting the spark for over 300 startups and creating 6,000 jobs. ignited the spark for over 300 startups, and created 6,000 jobs
  4. He led the US Embassy's Rising Stars Startup Competition. He recently led the US Embassy's groundbreaking Rising Stars Startup Competition
  5. He designed incubation programmes under TechOne. designing internationally renowned incubation programs under TechOne
  6. He has shaped the entrepreneurship curriculum at NUST and guided over 50 student-led ventures. He's even shaped the entrepreneurship curriculum at NUST and guided over 50 student-led ventures
  7. His degree was in Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Management. meri jo degree thi Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Management
  8. He started his first job after LUMS. LUMS ke baad I started my first job
  9. During his job, a message from his father told him a scholarship was available and urged him to apply. mere walid sahab ka during the job mujhe ek message aaya ke yaar yeh scholarship aayi hui hai, apply kar do
  10. He made some savings, with which he travelled, including a trip to Scotland. I was able to make some savings jin se phir uh mein ne travel bhi kiya. Mein phir I went to Scotland
  11. He highly recommends a master's or higher education in the UK. I would highly recommend ke you should go for uh masters or higher education uh in the UK
  12. He advises trying for scholarships, and going on a fully funded scholarship if one is offered. try for scholarships ke agar aap ko scholarships milti hain to go on a fully funded scholarship
  13. His class had people from about 30 to 40 countries. meri class mein takreeban if I'm not wrong, 30 se 40 mumalik ke different log the
  14. He says he felt more comfortable interacting in the UK environment. I was felt more comfortable interacting in the UK environment
  15. He says some of his personal biases were broken. Mere kuch personal biases the jo ke break hue
  16. He says his university was in London, which he calls the multicultural capital of the world. my university was in London, which is sort of the multicultural, I would say capital of the world
  17. He describes London as multicultural, a happening place with many learning opportunities and many people to meet. London is multicultural, it's a happening place, a lot of learning opportunities, a lot of people to meet
  18. He picked the top three universities by ranking that offered the degree he wanted to do. I picked the top three universities in terms of ranking which were offering the degree I wanted to do
  19. He wanted to go into the entrepreneurship field, either starting something of his own or working in the innovation ecosystem. I want to go in the entrepreneurship field, so either I start something of my own or I work in this innovation ecosystem
  20. He applied to the three universities he had listed. mein ne jo teen universities likhi thi, mein ne un teenon mein apply kar diya
  21. Edinburgh was his third choice of university. jo mein ne third preference di thi apni university ki that was the University of Edinburgh
  22. The University of Edinburgh offered him a place. Acha ji ab kya hua ji Edinburgh se admission aa gaya hai
  23. He wanted to attend Imperial College London. Mein ne kaha nahi uh mujhe Imperial jana hai
  24. UCL also offered him a place. Phir aa gayi mujhe alhamdulillah offer UCL se
  25. He received an offer letter from Imperial College London. Uh phir eventually alhamdulillah Imperial se mujhe aa gaya offer letter
  26. He was told he had to reach the campus by 12:00 PM on a Monday. Monday ko you have to reach the campus by 12:00 PM
  27. He joined NUST and NSTP. jab mein ne NUST aur NSTP ko join kiya
  28. He says he studied less than his grades suggested. main jitne mere grades aate the, main utna nahi padhta tha
  29. NSTP runs a programme called Innovation Inside. hamare paas ek program hai which is called Innovation Inside
  30. NSTP invites students from NUST, Islamabad and outstation to visit for a day. we invite students not only from NUST, Islamabad and even outstation, ke woh hamare paas aayein ek din ke liye
  31. NSTP can be reached by walk-in visit or by email. Hamay aap walk-in karkay bhi pohanch saktay ho, aap hamay email bhi likh saktay ho
  32. NSTP runs a pre-incubation programme. it's called Hatched Pre-incubation Program
  33. He says applicants should have a rough idea of market size and should have tried to validate basic assumptions. aap ko thora market size ka andaza hoga. Basic assumptions ko validate karnay ki koshish ki hogi
  34. NSTP runs a six-month programme that includes training, mentorship and coaching. It's a 6 months program jis mein aatay hain hum training, mentorship, coaching
  35. NSTP gives some startups free-of-cost coworking space. we give them a free of cost shaded coworking space
  36. NSTP gives some companies office space at a subsidised rental rate. woh hum in ko subsidized rental rate pe office space detay hain
  37. NSTP connects students with early-stage startups so that students do a final-year project solving the startups' problems. we connect these two toh students ek aisa FYP karein ki woh ek early stage startup ke koi masail solve kar dein
  38. He says students' focus, unfortunately, goes toward grades. unfortunately unka jo hota hai woh hota hai grade ki taraf
  39. He says early-stage startups need human resources they cannot afford. early stage startups ko zaroorat hoti hai human resources ki they can't afford resources
  40. NSTP does not fund startups itself but connects them with investors. while we do not ourselves fund in the startups, we connect them with investors
  41. NSTP shares grant opportunities and prepares startups for grants, pitch competitions and investors. We share grant opportunities with them. We prepare them for grants, pitching competitions and investors
  42. NSTP is part of an organisation of more than 400 science parks. we are in an organization of like 400+ Science Parks
  43. NSTP pairs participants with coaches who stay with them throughout the programme. we identify the problems, we pair them with coaches jo unke saath throughout the program rehte hain
  44. He says one should either fail fast or, if on a successful trajectory, accelerate. either you fail fast or agar if you are on the successful trajectory then you should accelerate towards that
  45. NSTP has three buildings. as of right now we have three buildings
  46. NSTP has a centralised building of labs for its academia. us building ke andar hamara jo academia hai uski humne labs ka ek centralized building bana di hai
  47. NSTP has a centre for emerging technologies. which is called SEMTECH, jo ke center for emerging technologies hai
  48. NSTP has two buildings under construction. we have two buildings which are under construction at the moment
  49. One of the buildings under construction is a 10-storey tower. one of them is a 10-story tower
  50. NSTP primarily looks for companies that develop their own products and services. primarily aisi companies ko hum dekhte hain jo khud apne products aur services develop karein
  51. NSTP gives space only to top-tier applicants chosen through a selection process. Humne hamesha ek selection process se jo top tier aate hain hum sirf unhi ko jagah dete hain
  52. NSTP monitors economic performance, innovation performance and interaction with academia. jahan pe hum aapki economic performance, innovation performance aur thirdly jo interaction with academia hai, usko monitor karte hain
  53. Companies join NSTP only if they meet its criteria, such as R&D and student jobs. Aap agar R&D kar rahe hain, naye products pe kaam kar rahe hain, students ko jobs and internships de rahe hain aur aap hamare criteria ko meet karte hain
  54. NSTP hosts companies from idea-stage startups to multinationals in one premises. Hamare paas idea stage startup se leke bade bade multinational bhi ek hi premises mein baithe hue hain
  55. NSTP launched in December 2019. So, hum December 2019 mein launch hue the
  56. He argues that AI-driven unemployment will leave fewer jobs and that people will be forced to innovate. jab AI ke through kaafi saari jo aapki structured unemployment create hogi toh jobs itni rehni nahi hai. They will be forced to innovate
  57. He says Pakistan will have a boom in time. woh lag it's a matter of time ke Pakistan mein boom aayega
  58. NSTP is connected with the PakLaunch community. we are connected with the PakLaunch community, we are connected with the Open Silicon Valley community
  59. NSTP held a VC conference in 2021 and shared the invite with Pakistanis. our VC conference back in 2021 and usmein obviously we shared the invite with the Pakistanis
  60. He invites people to reach out through NSTP's social media or contact numbers. do reach out to us through our social media or directly hamare contact numbers diye hue hain
  61. He says entrepreneurs often fall in love with their own idea. entrepreneurs have this bad habit of falling in love with their own idea
  62. He says some founders focus heavily on the technical product. woh technical product pe bahut focus ho jaate hain
  63. He says founders who do not talk to consumers never learn their product's price point. agar woh consumer se baat nahi karenge, agar aapko price point hi nahi pata apne product ka
  64. He says the lean method is to go to customers with a basic first version and refine the MVP from feedback. you go directly to the customer with a first basic version, you start taking your feedback and you start fine tuning your MVP
  65. He says startup success rests on consumer demand, technical capability and commercial viability. there are three parts. Firstly is the consumer demand. Second is the technical capability, kya woh product ya service ban sakta hai? And third is the commercial aspect