Pakistan’s AI-Powered Web Space Linkstar Secures Pre-Seed Valuation

Linkstar, a Karachi-based AI powered web space, raised a pre-seed valuation at $5 million from SOSV, a US-based venture capital firm, as well as Sarmayacar and K3 Diversity Ventures.

Founded in January 2022 by Aizaz Nayyer, Ali Raza, and Adeel Abid, the startup enables freelancers and influencers to sell Direct-to-consumer (D2C) services through its AI-powered web space. The startup aims to give power back to creators through its platform. To date, Linkstar has 15,000 users, according to the startup.

“Linkstar is an innovative product that came about as a result of our own experiences,” said Aizaz Nayyer, CEO and co-founder of Linkstar. “We aim to enable Freelancers and Influencers to sell their services directly to customers without any communication restrictions or commissions. Think of it as Shopify for Freelancers & Influencers with the added bonus of Discovery, which we are launching next month to enable Businesses to match with the most relevant Freelancers & Influencers with just a few clicks.”

The raise can be seen as part of a rising trend amongst Pakistani startups, which has recently attracted a significant amount of investment. In the first quarter of 2022, startups in Pakistan raised $143 million, marking a 408% growth compared to the same period last year, according to data platform Magnitt. Some startups leading this growth include B2B e-commerce startups, Bazaar Technologies, raising $70 million in 2022, and Dastgyr, raising $37 million this year as well.