In this episode of Thought Behind Things, we’re joined by Dr. Saira Siddique, Founder & +CEO of medIQ Smart Healthcare, a digital health platform revolutionizing healthcare access in Pakistan. Before founding medIQ, Dr. Saira led several major health initiatives with the Government of Pakistan until a tragic road accident left her paralyzed from the neck down. But that wasn’t the end, it was the start of a bigger mission.

This episode answers:

• How a life-threatening accident changed her mission
• Why she left government to build something bigger
• What medIQ actually does, and how it’s scaling globally

We also explore the tension between staying small vs fundraising, the reality of equity dilution, and what it takes to build Pakistan’s first digital health startup

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In this episode of Thought Behind Things, we’re joined by Miral Sharif, the Country Head of Yango Pakistan, who previously held leadership roles at Swvl, Daraz, and Zong. Miral shares her personal journey, the challenges of working in male-dominated industries, and the future of ride-sharing in Pakistan.

This episode answers:

• What is Yango doing differently in Pakistan?
• Can we actually build a one-app-for-everything solution here?
• How does ride-sharing help everyday Pakistanis?
• Will we see delivery, logistics, and rides merge into one ecosystem?

Make sure to watch till the end for a deep dive into the startup ecosystem and tech adoption in Pakistan.

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Joining us today is Jahanzeb Burana, Co-Founder and Vice Chairman of National Institute of Technology (NIT), Pakistan’s first American-affiliated university launching in 2025. With an MBA from Harvard and a decade of experience in public policy, investments, and education reform, Jahanzeb shares the vision behind building a globally competitive, student-centric university in Pakistan.

In this episode, we dive deep into how traditional universities are failing students, why NIT is offering an entirely new model, and how they’ve partnered with Arizona State University to deliver a modern, globally aligned curriculum. We explore course quality, the 3+1 international transfer program, and how Pakistan can solve its talent redundancy crisis amidst global AI disruption.

This episode answers:

1. Why is Pakistan’s current university system outdated?
2. How will NIT ensure job-ready graduates?
3. What is the future of global education?
4. Can we fix the skill gap in the Pakistani workforce?

Watch till the end to hear about NIT’s collaboration with Arizona State University, student career pathways, and the future of education in Pakistan.

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