National Health Incubator

NHI provides customized incubation and financing services for healthcare service providers and producers of healthcare technology and innovation across Pakistan. NHI was launched in 2020 in partnership with the Aga Khan University to enable creation and growth of health technology and innovation in Pakistan.

The ultimate goals of NHI are:

  • To provide design thinking workshops and prototype testing, customized business coaching, subject matter expertise, access to industry-specific research and data, access to co-working space(s), and investment readiness services to select businesses to help them develop, deploy and/or adopt emerging health technologies and innovation.
  • To enable select businesses to develop and execute a growth strategy through long term financing and commercial linkages.

Who Is This Program For?

Businesses with innovative and unique business models offering innovative, highly value-adding, scalable and technological health solutions, demonstrating potential for causing positive economic and social transformation will be preferred.

You are eligible to apply if you fall under one of the following segments:

  • Launch: Startups with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), an innovative solution in the health sector that has gone through the first customer test.
  • Growth: Existing health service providers who are looking to expand to new and bigger markets.
  • Adopters: Innovative health service providers looking to adopt new technology or update existing.

Components of National Health Incubator​

The National Health Incubator will bring together all the essential elements of the incubation program, starting with:

Ideation with Aga Khan University (AKU)

AKU’s CCIT, CITRIC, and Innovation Hub will guide entrepreneurs through design thinking, research access, and expert advisory to develop viable solutions.

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Final Pitch

AP and AKU will host an Online Business Forum where select entrepreneurs pitch to investors, with top-scoring businesses considered for AP financing.

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Business Training, Coaching and Advisory Services

Incubated businesses get online training via AKF Learning Hub, AP coaching, and AKU expert advisory to refine models, strategies, and solutions.

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Tailored Financing

AP offers up to US$200k patient financing, with potential to triple via other investors, after due diligence and technical review by AKU’s Innovation Hub.

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Post Financing Technical Assistance

Post-financing, AP portfolio businesses receive ongoing mentoring, free marketing, bookkeeping and legal services, plus national and global market links.

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Access to Co-working Spaces

Entrepreneurs can access AP co-working spaces in Gilgit and Chitral, with modern facilities, networking, expert guidance, and training for up to 1 year.

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Instrument:Patient debt Ticket size:Up to PKR 30 Million Interest rate:Net 8-12% Term:Up to 10 years Other requirements:Mortgage land or building Financing Select businesses who complete the incubation program successfully pitch for APs

The Complete Journey of an Entrepreneur

Business Criteria A unique and innovative business model with potential for causing or contributing to a transformative effect in the relevant, small enterprises with anuual revenue under 150 million PKR and are unbankable. A clear market niche, sound target market and customer base. Realistic competitive advantage in terms of price, quality and easy/ large access. Strong revenue and profit models, potential for scalability and growth. Strong value chain effect. The business demonstrates positive environmental and sustainable development (impact) effect. Personal Criteria Strong entrepreneurial traits, including (but not limited to) leadership qualities, risk taking, street smartness, ability to maintain positive relationships with stakeholders. Coachable team, including (but not limited to) openness to advisory, learn, ability and openness to constantly iterate, adapt and evolve based on changing conditions, realities or assumptions etc. Past experience in doing business, or as an employee in a similar industry, or subject matter expertise to the product. Strong interest in the health sector and the idea/ business being proposed, with significant skin in the business. . Selection Criteria?

Selection Criteria

Meet Our Subject Matter Experts

Entrepreneurs will have access to Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) from a pool of distinguished researchers and
practitioners from within AKU.

Dr Asad Mian

Professor Emergency Medicine, Director CCIT

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Dr Zahra Hoodbhoy

Assistant Professor Pediatrics and Child Health, AI Researcher

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Dr Irum Qamar

Assistant Professor Emergency Medicine, Faculty Innovator

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Khairunnissa Hooda

Chief Nursing Officer

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Dr Salman Kirmani

Former Chair Pediatrics and Child Health

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Dr Kulsoom Ghias

Chair Biological and Biomedical Sciences

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Saleem Sayani

Director Technology Innovation Support Centre

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Dr Mahreen Sulaiman

Co- Director, CCIT

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National Health Incubator 2022 Highlights

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ORGANIZING PARTNERS

Accelerate Prosperity

The overall objective of the Accelerate Prosperity (AP) initiative is to promote entrepreneurship and the creation of sustainable Small and Growing Businesses (SGBs), with a focus on youth and women in fragile contexts. Its mandate is to facilitate creation of Small and

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The Aga Khan University

The Aga Khan University is a pioneering institution of higher education that works to improve quality of life in the developing world and beyond. The University operates programmes in campuses in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and the United

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Applications Closed for 2025

© 2025 Accelerate Prosperity Pakistan. Website by Xantrum
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AKU houses multiple forums with the intention of promoting entrepreneurial mindset with critical thinking and innovation. Critical Creative Innovative Thinking (CCIT) and Clinical and Translational Research Incubator (CITRIC) at AKU medical college are platforms set up by AKU to encourage students and young professionals to pursue innovative and critical thinking in providing health care solutions. Moreover, AKU’s Innovation Hub works on AKU’s in-house innovation agenda in liaison with CCIT and CITRIC. In National Health Incubator, the role of CCIT, CITRIC and Innovation Hub will be:

Design Thinking Workshops: CCIT will help entrepreneurs convert their ideas into solutions and/or improve their existing solutions through the design thinking approach. It will also extend subject matter expertise to the entrepreneurs through researchers and practitioners from within AKU who will provide technical advice to the entrepreneurs on their solutions. AKU’s Innovation Hub will assist CCIT in identifying and providing subject matter experts and practitioners from within AKU for the cohort entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs in the cohort will also have access to CITRIC’s research and researchers who will help them find relevant material around their existing and/or intended solutions. Subject matter experts, who will consist of researchers and practitioners will adopt a diagnostic approach in their advisory sessions with entrepreneurs, understanding the need for the problem they are trying to address, viability of the solution being offered, and technical feasibility of the technology being adopted and/or produced.

An Online Business Forum will be organized jointly by AP and AKU where select entrepreneurs will get an opportunity to showcase their businesses to AP, AKU and external institutional investors for raising investments. Moreover, a joint panel of judges selected by AP and AKU will score all pitches in order to shortlist businesses for potential investments. Following will be the outcome of the pitch session:
a- Financing Commitments by AP subject to due diligence for selected businesses. These businesses will be evaluated throughout the cycle for market and financial feasibility of the business, proactiveness and participation of the entrepreneur, potential for high growth and high impact business, and feedback by business coaches and investors.

Businesses incubated will go through online business training, coaching and advisory processes. Following are the three components of business training and advisory:
a- Online Business Training: Entrepreneurs will be enrolled into our Learning Management System (LMS) called AKF Learning Hub where they will be introduced to basic concepts across four themes: i) Business Modelling, ii) Marketing and Sales Strategy, iii) Financial Modelling and iv) Pitch Making. At the end of each module, entrepreneurs will be required to submit assignments that will require them to complete and submit their business model canvas, marketing plan, financial model, and pitch decks.
b- Business Coaches: AP will assign business coaches to each business who will be responsible to coach the business throughout the course of incubation program on investment readiness. These are AP’s own investment team members who will provide follow-up support to entrepreneurs during and post trainings for executing key concepts learned in all modules. Business coaches also help entrepreneurs apply the investor lens on their business models throughout the course of incubation which helps them make their business proposition best fit for their own investment needs/ asks as well as the expectations of external investors including AP.
c-Technical Advisory: under this component entrepreneurs are connected with subject matter experts from the Aga Khan University, specializing in product/service development, design, and viability in the health sector. They provide personalized guidance, validate offerings, and share recent research and data. Benefit from their expertise to refine your products/services and stay ahead in the market.

These experts serve as a critical bridge between entrepreneurs and the latest research and data. Through their insights, entrepreneurs can fine-tune their offerings for maximum impact, addressing key questions and challenges. Whether it’s design refinement, viability assessment, or incorporating industry trends, our experts are here to guide you every step of the way.

Post Financing Technical Assistance

Following are key aspects of post-financing Technical Assistance:
a- Continued business mentoring, coaching and advisory from successful entrepreneurs, investors and AP’s business coaches.
b- Marketing, bookkeeping, and legal services from top-of-the-line services providers, completely free of cost.
c- Market and commercial linkages in various industries nationally and internationally.
**This is exclusively offered to portfolio businesses i.e. businesses that have received financing from AP.

Access to Co-working Spaces

Entrepreneurs, during or after the cycle, will have access to Accelerate Prosperity co-working space available in Gilgit, Chitral at a nominal cost/rental. Space will be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities that enable working, innovative thinking, collaboration, networking opportunities and seeking guidance from subject matter experts, investors, mentors, and other successful entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs will also be able to use the space for online/ in person training and advisory services offered by National Health Incubator for up to 1 year.