Impact

Giving back

Talent is everywhere in Pakistan, and opportunity is not. I believe an ecosystem only stands when all of its pillars stand, so if only Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad grow, the whole IT industry is held back. Outside Datics AI, I put my energy into closing that gap for students and young founders, with a particular focus on South Punjab: I bring them into the same rooms as established companies, government and industry experts, and our team at Datics AI trains them for real jobs.

Philanthropy

Haji Abdul Aziz Foundation

Scholarship program with FAST-NUCES Lahore, December 5, 2023

Through the Haji Abdul Aziz Foundation, I work to support deserving students. In December 2023 the foundation partnered with FAST-NUCES Lahore to set up a scholarship program for students from Lodhran District: a 100% scholarship for the full four years of their degree. I signed the MoU with FAST Lahore myself, on the first death anniversary of my grandfather, to carry his legacy forward. FAST's Lahore Campus Director welcomed me and my team and offered support for joint projects and for underprivileged students.

FAST-NUCES Lahore announcement

Community

Tech Nation

Founder

A not-for-profit initiative I founded to build the technology ecosystem of South Punjab, a region with a lot of talent and few opportunities.

Conference

Tech Nation Digital Conference 2022

February 11 and 12, 2022, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur

The first Tech Nation conference brought more than a thousand delegates to The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, with the support of the federal ministries of Commerce and of IT & Telecom, PITB, the Pakistan Software Export Board, P@SHA and software houses. The university also ran a job fair at the conference, where companies interviewed students for jobs and internships. Senator Aon Abbas Buppi, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on E-Commerce, chaired the closing session, and the university credited Tech Nation and me for making the conference possible. From the stage, the Senator told me: “For organizing such a wonderful event as Tech Nation, Umair, to you and your team: hats off to all of you, you have done a really great job.” The university's Vice Chancellor, Dr. Athar Mahboob, called our efforts to build a technology nation highly commendable.

Islamia University of Bahawalpur press release

Meetup

Tech Connect South Punjab

February 1, 2025, Bahawalpur

An evening I organized under Tech Nation, in collaboration with Takmeel Square, bringing together tech company leaders, freelancers, entrepreneurs and government officials from across South Punjab. P@SHA, the national IT industry association, was the supporting partner, and attendees also credited the Pakistan Software Export Board and PITB for their support. Well-known voices of Pakistan's tech community, including Tanveer Nandla and Asbar Ali, joined the night.

Delegation

South Punjab Tech Companies Delegation to Lahore

February 2025, Multan and Lahore

I organized and led a delegation of tech companies from South Punjab to give them direct access to leading Lahore firms, government institutions and industry experts. Over two days, founders and CEOs from across South Punjab started with a kickoff dinner in Multan, then visited Lahore technology companies, including OZI Group of Companies and Contour Software, and met Lahore entrepreneurs at a meetup arranged by a local host. At the Punjab Information Technology Board, the delegation met PITB's Director General (e-Governance) and visited the e-Khidmat Center and the Punjab Masstransit Authority.

PITB: South Punjab Tech Delegation Visits PITB

Skills

TechLift: 216 graduates trained

2022 to 2023

Datics AI joined the sixteen-company TechLift Joint Venture with PSEB and P@SHA and trained 216 of the program's 4,004 graduates for jobs in the IT industry.

Skills

NAVTTC: Prime Minister's Youth Skill Development Program

2024 to 2025

Datics AI became a training partner of the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC), training around 300 young people in AWS and artificial intelligence (machine learning and deep learning) under the Prime Minister's Youth Skill Development Program, including the 2024-25 Batch-II, whose trainees also sat international certification exams.

Founders

Judging and mentoring startups

2022 to 2023

Judge for four startup competitions run by PITB and SEE Pakistan, deciding which early-stage ventures moved forward, and a panelist at FAST's Industry-Academia Meetup on closing the gap between graduates' skills and industry needs.

See the judging record

Students

Talks to students

2021 to 2022

Keynote to BSCS and BSIT students at MNS University of Agriculture, Multan, Guest of Honor at FAST-NUCES Lahore's Medal Distribution Ceremony, and speaker at the iSkills Youth Summit in Multan.

All talks