KARACHI: A gong ceremony was held at Pakistan Stock Exchange to celebrate closing of Enterprise Challenge Pakistan (ECP), a business competition for school children in Pakistan. The ceremony was also part of the effort to raise awareness on entrepreneurship amongst the youth of the country through ECP – an initiative of Prince’s Trust International and SEED Ventures. Enterprise Challenge Pakistan is a competition meant to give students a better understanding of business models through a business simulation game, one-on-one mentorship, coaching and peer support networking. Prince’s Trust is a UK based Trust founded in 2015 by King Charles III to address the global issue of youth unemployment. SEED Ventures is Pakistan based partner of Prince’s Trust under the aegis of which Enterprise Challenge Pakistan was conducted. SEED Ventures employs ICIS approach to foster inclusive economic prosperity through ecosystem development and impact investments.
To mark the closing of Enterprise Challenge Pakistan and to open the trading day, the gong was struck by the winning student of the competition, Syeda Shiza Ali, amidst the presence of the Chief Guest, Sarah Mooney, British Deputy High Commissioner, Karachi; Andrew Dalgleish, Deputy British High Commissioner to Pakistan; Shabir Randeree, Chairman Prince’s Trust International; Will Straw, CEO Prince’s Trust International; Faraz Khan, Founder & Director SEED Ventures; Shaista Ayesha, CEO SEED Ventures; Maha Salman, Programme Director for Enterprise Challenge Pakistan at SEED Ventures; and Farrukh H. Khan, MD & CEO PSX among others. The gong ceremony also included an important session on investor awareness for students. This session conducted for students of business studies, focused on the importance of capital raising for business growth and scalability using the PSX platform. The session included the various options available for companies to access funds for growth from PSX and running successful businesses along with how this is also an opportunity to invest in good businesses.
Welcoming the guests at the occasion, Farrukh Khan, MD & CEO PSX, stated, “The Enterprise Challenge Pakistan is a great opportunity for the youth of Pakistan to showcase their entrepreneurial spirit and innovation. This aligns well with the efforts of PSX to disseminate investor and issuer education. As drivers of the Financial Literacy Initiative under which the Investor Awareness Sessions are carried out by PSX, we invest in our youth, our students and our young men and women so that they are empowered to save, invest, and dream big for their future.”
Will Straw, CEO of Prince’s Trust International, stated, “Enterprise Challenge is a global programme inspiring the next generation of entrepreneurs while helping them learn basic business concepts, gain financial literacy and develop vital life skills. We are proud today to celebrate the best budding entrepreneurs from Karachi as they ring the gong to commence the day’s trading. Thank you to the Pakistan Stock Exchange and their CEO, Farrukh Khan, for giving these young people a real insight into finance and business”.
Shaista Ayesha, Chief Executive Officer of SEED Ventures, added, “This joint effort by PSX and SEED Ventures to introduce young people to the stock market is not just about them gaining an understanding of stocks and investments, but it is to help them build a broader perspective on economic empowerment and the role that they can play in it”.