Crypto Bans, Broken Policies & Pakistan's Innovation Woes | Mubariz Siddiqui | Episode 158

Why are Pakistan’s most promising founders giving up and moving out?

This week, we sit down with ‪@mubariz.siddiqui‬, founder of Carbon Law and legal advisor to some of Pakistan’s biggest startups, to discuss the country's broken startup ecosystem. From regulatory loopholes and crypto bans to policy failures and the brain drain, Mubariz shares the inside view on how the startup wave rose after 2016, and why it’s crashing hard now.

He talks about:
➡️ The flawed obsession with "hustle culture"
➡️ Why smart talent is leaving Pakistan, and he can’t blame them?
➡️ The missed opportunities in crypto, AI, and tech.
➡️ Why governments that don’t understand information-era economies will keep failing their people?

If you’ve ever wondered why it feels so hard to build something in Pakistan, this one’s for you.

00:00:00 – Highlights
00:01:53 – Introduction and Background
00:06:19 – Total Income and Foreign-Registered Funds
00:07:49 – Internet Penetration and Imran Khan’s Influence
00:09:56 – NIC Startups: AI and Fintech
00:16:47 – Mistakes Made in Business
00:21:02 – The Role of Incubation Centres
00:24:24 – Billion-Dollar IT Exports
00:26:12 – Competing with Global Digital Products and AI
00:30:56 – The Future of Local Work
00:32:25 – Why Do So Many Pakistanis Want to Leave the Country?
00:36:03 – Crypto Market and Legalisation
00:41:30 – Government’s Focus on IT Exports
00:46:15 – Outro

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