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My father is a doctor and I did my MBA from Gift University, Gujranwala. I always wanted to be an entrepreneur and before moving to Lahore, I ran a school in Gujranwala for 2 years. Though I changed cities, I carried my passion with me.

Once in Lahore, I began looking for a job but did not succeed in finding any suitable work and eventually settled for a waiter’s position, which lasted for only 2 days. I then tried my luck as a salesman and later as a call center agent, but left as I felt there was no growth in these industries.

Born in a family of doctors and professionals, following a 9 to 5 timetable and having a set routine, I was expected to follow suit and that is what I envisioned for myself as well. I have a degree in Marketing from LSE but starting my own business was never a part of any plans I had for myself.

It was a spur of the moment decision and I am happy to say, that throughout my career changes, Bastay has remained that one consistent thing, which I needed.

Married at the age of 18 and thrust into being a housewife so early on, I was never given a chance to be something greater. I had my first child at 19 and motherhood consumed me. Juggling a family, that too at such a young age, was more difficult than I could’ve ever imagined.

When I eventually found time for myself, I began to teach. For 7 years, I was a Primary school teacher which not only gave me a sense of purpose but also taught me incredible patience.

I graduated from LUMS with a degree in Economics. However, during my second year at the university, I came to the conclusion that my academics were not my core strength. I needed to follow a path which I was passionate about.

Around that time, I came to the realization that there was a lot of food going to waste almost daily and in my neighborhood, several people would go hungry night after night because there was no food available for them. It was then that the idea of starting a food saving company came to us.

“Pursuing Mechanical Engineering after high school was an obvious option for me, given my inclination towards Technical/Engineering studies. During the last year at college, my beloved father passed away. I completely lost myself, it was the hardest thing I ever faced in my life.

Plan9 – Punjab Information Technology Board’s Tech Incubator is currently in its 11th cycle of incubation. Having graduated over 150 technology startups since its establishment in 2012, the Plan9 startup portfolio consists of innovative and enterprising solutions leveraging technology to solve problems pertaining to the Pakistani market.

Written By:

Taha Amjad
Plan9 Fellow

                                                                                                                          Written by: Tanya Khan
                                                                      Tanya is a Plan9 fellow. She is currently enrolled in A’ Levels at LGS Paragon. She speaks 4
                                                                      languages and is a big Deadpool fan.

STAGE-6: THE MATURITY STAGE