• PSEB officials say that the first Sales Launch Pad will be set up in Saudi Arabia.
• Low-cost, pay-as-you-go offices would make it easier for Pakistani IT and ITeS companies to get business.
• In the current fiscal year, the ministry has set an export goal of $5 billion.

In order to boost IT exports, the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) has decided to set up “Sales Launch Pads” in several key markets and countries.

PSEB officials say that the first Sales Launch Pad will be set up in Saudi Arabia. The Ministry of IT and Telecommunication (MoITT) has told the Foreign Office and the Pakistani Embassy in Riyadh about this.

Officials say that PSEB and MoITT are working to set up Sales Launch Pads in important countries like North America, Canada, South Africa, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Japan, and others to help Pakistani IT and IteS companies get a foothold there. These low-cost, pay-as-you-go workspaces and offices would make it easier for Pakistani IT and ITeS companies to get business.

Prospective customers from other countries want to meet with potential vendors in person, and they prefer companies that have a physical presence in their own countries. The companies’ physical presence is a force multiplier that makes it much more likely that Pakistani IT and IteS companies will be able to close a business deal, the official said.

PSEB would work with co-working spaces, incubators, accelerators, universities, and other groups that offer ready-to-move-in, serviced office spaces to set up Sales Launch Pads. He also said that PSEB would help IT and ITeS companies with business registration, HR hiring, banking, legal issues, and taxation in foreign countries.

In a conversation with ProPakistani, a MoITT official said that setting up sales launch pads is one of the many steps taken to boost IT exports. In the current fiscal year, the ministry has set an export goal of $5 billion.

This IT export goal would depend on getting unfinished business with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) taken care of.

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