[Investor Journey] Unlocking VC in Pakistan - Rabeel Warraich (Sarmayacar) on starting the first institutional fund in the country, false perceptions and getting the flywheel going

Rabeel Warraich is Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Sarmayacar, the first institutional VC fund in Pakistan. We talk about his way into venture, why Pakistan and why now, how false perceptions of a country can have extraordinary effects and his take on making the most out of the tech revolution taking place in Pakistan now. 

On this episode you will learn about:

• The opportunities on the ground in Pakistan
• What the journey was like launching the first institutional fund in the country
• The heavy weight of false perceptions vs. actual realities on the ground and how through conviction one can turn things around
• Tactics of building up the ecosystem while investing in it

You can find Rabeel on LinkedIn or Twitter.
Make sure to check out Sarmayacar's portfolio here.

If you enjoy the show, it would be fantastic if you could give us a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

For more content on emerging markets investing and company building follow me on twitter @pat_travels or LinkedIn.

Chapters

• 1:13 Rabeel's way into venture
• 3:46 Extracting learnings from classic investor's perspective and extrapolating these into venture
• 6:00 What did the Kauffman Programme teach you?
• 7:26 Raising the first capital as a emerging fund manager
• 11:21 What is the opportunity on the ground?
• 15:50 Pattern matching and cross pollination for Pakistani entrepreneurs
• 18:20 Example of portfolio companies
• 21:26 Building up the ecosystem while investing in it
• 28:27 Pakistani diaspora returning to the country
• 33:26 New trends in VC: Evergreen funds?
• 36:19 Fast Speed Round