Omar Majid Warraich knew his idea could help thousands earn more from their crops, but the problem was he did not know how to execute it.

“As a start-up, you tend to need advice about the do’s and don’ts, when to pitch an idea, what to pitch to investors, apply for grants, get the loans,” he told AFP.

Today the co-founder of [email protected] is one of Pakistan’s start-up success stories — his platform has more than 700 registered and verified farmers and a $100,000 grant from Karandaaz, an investment platform sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Officially launched in August last year, [email protected] reported sales worth 5.5 million rupees ($36,000) in its first three months, and predict they will have 2,000 farmers working with them by March 2020.

Like tech entrepreneurs around the world, Warraich turned to a start-up incubator for help getting his idea off the ground — the National Incubation Center (NIC), a public-private partnership based in Lahore.

The challenges he faced are not uncommon in Pakistan, where the education system is weak, and the economy is faltering.

Some 64 percent of Pakistanis are under the age of 30, and youth unemployment stood at six percent in 2019, according to a report commissioned by the UN.