Kalsoom Lakhani

Co-Founder & General Partner

2018 - Current

i2i Ventures is an early-stage venture capital fund that invests in bold founders solving Pakistan and the region's biggest problems. Invest2Innovate, which supports startup communities in growth markets, has already been operating in Pakistan since 2011, supporting startups through the i2i Accelerator and conducting comprehensive market research in the country. i2i Ventures, while a separate entity, is an extension of i2i’s vision: working to create success stories from growth markets.

Board Member

2024

Founder

2011

Invest2Innovate supports startup communities in growth markets, and has been working in Pakistan since 2011. Our vision is to provide the holistic support necessary to see success stories emerge from high-risk but high-potential countries. Invest2Innovate finds, selects & vets impact entrepreneurs for the i2i Accelerator, an annual four-month program that provides business support and access to mentors and investment. Since 2012, i2i has accelerated 47 startups in Pakistan, which have gone on to raise over $7M in capital (over 85% raised by our female led companies!), scaled their businesses, created over 1500 jobs, and deepened their social and economic impact in the country. i2i also has 55+ mentors and 25+ investors in our network, who are all local and successful Pakistani entrepreneurs dedicated to supporting innovative startups in Pakistan. i2i's work has expanded to support incubators & accelerators in other geographies, including Bangladesh, Nepal, Cambodia and Vietnam, and has designed programming for partnerships with players like Facebook and the World Bank. Aside from entrepreneur support, i2i also runs a research arm, called Insights, which provides data and analysis on the Pakistan startup ecosystem, releasing products like the Pakistan Startup Ecosystem report & a monthly newsletter that delves into a different sector or segment in the market.

Founder/Editor

2008 - 2012

Run CHUP- Changing Up Pakistan (www.changinguppakistan.com), a website dedicated to increasing awareness of socially and politically pertinent issues facing Pakistan. Write daily news briefs/analyses, conduct interviews with high-ranking officials, and coordinate pieces written by contributors.

Director, Social Vision

2008 - 2011

**Developed and run ML Social Vision, the venture philanthropy arm of ML Resources, LLC. **Assess and approve seed funding for early-stage innovative initiatives and social enterprises, mainly in Pakistan and the United States. **Provide hands-on support to grantees to grow their initiatives.

Consulting Project Coordinator, Asia Program

2008 - 2008

-Acted as the liaison between the Wilson Center and ML Resources Social Vision on a project supporting Pakistan's media -Helped spearhead a conference for a "meeting of the minds" exchange between Pakistani journalists and U.S. media professionals on the issues both face

Senior Analyst

2006 - 2008

-Wrote daily briefs of the Western media's coverage of Iraq for the U.S. military in Baghdad -Analyzed propaganda from Iraqi insurgency groups

Graduate Assistant at the Elliott School Graduate Admissions

2006 - 2006

Worked with applications for Fall 2006 graduate school admissions. Advised prospective students.

Research Assistant

2005 - 2005

Program officer for Kashmir and Sudan programs at IMTD.

Research Intern, South Asia program

2005 - 2005

Wrote the February 2005 South Asia Monitor feature article on the diplomatic implications of the Tsunami.