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Founder · Operator · Angel Investor · Mentor · Author

Hi, I'm Ghaz. And yet... the story continues.

I'm Ghazanfar Iqbal. Most people call me Ghaz. Ghazanfar means "lion" in Arabic, and I never thought much of it until I was building a startup in the shadow of Singapore's Merlion, half lion, half fish, a long way from Multan.

Since then I've founded a company, scaled a business inside a unicorn, worked alongside Southeast Asia's top VCs, and backed founders with my own money. Sixteen years, five countries. I wrote a book about what that road actually looked like, including the parts that never make it onto LinkedIn.

"What is behind you is safe. What lies ahead is where you're meant to be."
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Bytes Beyond Borders book cover by Ghazanfar Iqbal
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Ganz Beach, Balochistan — where Chapter 1 begins
"The northern Arabian Sea is a space to get lost between breaths."
Ganz Beach, Balochistan — Chapter 1: Outside In
About Ghaz

From Pakistan to Southeast Asia,
Still Building

Ghazanfar Iqbal — Ghaz
Multan → Singapore → Kuala Lumpur

Born in Gujranwala, raised and schooled in Multan, Pakistan. I started my career from the ground up. Early roles taught me resilience, hustle, and the power of reinvention. I've never had a linear path, and that's become the story itself.

I was one of 7 people picked from 36,000 Telenor employees across 13 countries for its global innovation program, incubated across Oslo, Bangkok, and Singapore. From there I co-founded AutoSahulat through Antler, the first Pakistani startup they ever funded. The venture faced unexpected challenges that ultimately led to an exit, but it gave me lessons no MBA ever could.

I then joined Careem (MENA's first unicorn, now Uber) as Country Head for Careem For Business, doubling corporate revenue during COVID with a model everyone said was dead. Then I crossed another border: to Amazon Web Services in Kuala Lumpur, where I worked with investors and founders shaping ASEAN's next generation of startups.

"The journey past limitations never truly ends. Even when external borders crumble, the internal ones persist."

Along the way I represented Pakistan at Harvard HPAIR, became an Acumen Fellow, mentored founders across four countries, and in April 2024 published Bytes Beyond Borders, the book I wished someone had put in my hands at 25.

I believe in the power of stories to transcend borders, geographical and metaphorical. I believe in unlearning to learn. And I believe the most important chapter in anyone's life begins with the words "And yet..."

  • Angel Investor
  • Former Senior Investor Manager, AWS ASEAN
  • Former Country Head, Careem For Business
  • Author, Bytes Beyond Borders
  • Antler Founder Alumni
  • Acumen Fellow
  • Harvard HPAIR Delegate
  • Mentor: NIC, Endeavor, Petronas
  • AWS Certified AI Practitioner
  • Judge, Hult Prize 2026 & Harvard HSIL Hackathon
16+
Years Building
5
Countries
12
Chapters
∞
"And Yet"s
APJ SaaS program founders at Amazon Palo Alto
APJ SaaS program founders at Amazon Palo Alto
Vibe Coding Workshop — Antler Malaysia
Vibe Coding Workshop — Antler Malaysia
SheGrows Global — UN ESCAP panel at AWS KL
SheGrows Global — UN ESCAP panel at AWS KL
Endeavor Malaysia Awards 2024
Endeavor Malaysia Awards 2024
AI Malaysia Takeover 2026 by 500 Global — panel: AI Startups Need Customers, Not Just Capital
AI Malaysia Takeover 2026 — 500 Global
Founders · Workshops · Panels · Awards
The Journey

Five Borders Crossed

Every transition taught me something a business book couldn't.

2017 // Oslo → Bangkok → Singapore

Telenor Ignite

One of 7 picked from 36,000 Telenor employees across 13 countries for the global intrapreneurship program. Three cities. One question: how do you innovate from within?

Intrapreneur
2018 // Singapore

AutoSahulat × Antler

Co-founded the first Pakistani startup funded by Antler. $100K pre-seed at a $1M valuation. Empowering mechanics digitally. Faced challenges that led to an exit, but the lessons outlasted the company.

Founder
2019 // Pakistan

Careem For Business

Built the B2B business at MENA's first tech unicorn (acquired by Uber for $3.1B) and scaled it into new verticals through the pre- and post-COVID swings in ride-hailing, still hitting the numbers. Doubled corporate revenue with the Dedicated Fleet model when everyone said B2B mobility was dead.

Operator
2023 – 2026 // Kuala Lumpur & Singapore

Amazon Web Services

Went from Startup BD lead for emerging markets to Senior Investor Manager, ASEAN. Partnered with 15+ of Southeast Asia's top VCs and supported 1,000+ of their funded startups.

Ecosystem Builder
2024 // Worldwide

Bytes Beyond Borders

Published my debut. Creative nonfiction. The book I wish someone handed me at 25, now available globally on Amazon.

Author
By the Numbers

What the Borders Added Up To

The short version of sixteen years spent building, selling and backing founders.

Telenor · 2017
7 of 36,000
Employees picked for Telenor Ignite, from 13 countries.
Antler · 2018
$1M
Pre-seed valuation for AutoSahulat, the first Pakistani startup Antler backed.
Careem · 2019 – 2022
2×
Corporate revenue at Careem For Business, through COVID.
AWS · 2023 – 2026
15+
Top-tier Southeast Asian VCs partnered with, including 500 Global, Gobi Partners and East Ventures.
AWS · 2023 – 2026
1,000+
Funded portfolio startups supported across the region.
On stage
20+
Keynotes, panels and judging slots a year, across 6 APAC markets.
The Chapters

12 Borders, 12 Lessons

Each chapter revisits a pivotal moment, structured around experiences that collectively paint the odyssey of an outsider finding his way in.

01

Outside In

The Arabian Sea, strangers at dawn, and the border that bisects you from within.

02

Embrace Your Inner Mirasi

The art of storytelling as a survival skill, from oral traditions to boardrooms.

03

Tell Stories

Personal branding isn't marketing. It's the courage to be seen as you actually are.

04

Seek Out the Forbidden

The things no one will teach you because they're uncomfortable or culturally taboo.

05

Cry in the Car

On vulnerability, masculinity, and the strength it takes to feel things fully.

06

Balance Tradition and Innovation

The tension between where you come from and where you're headed, and why both matter.

07

Expect Chaos

The bigger the wave, the deeper we must dive, as in business.

08

Pour Tea

The power of service, showing up, and being generous before you need anything in return.

09

Be Generous

Giving first, in business and in life, and why it pays back slowly.

10

Bring People to the Courtyard

Building communities and making room for the right people to meet.

11

Know Your Exits

The fine line between adaptability and perseverance. When to stay. When to go.

12

Inside Out

Singapore's Merlion, the elephant-ant duality, and what lies ahead where you're meant to be.

The Book

bytesBeyondborders

The Odyssey of a Pakistani Expatpreneur

Stick with me. We'll cross borders together. Each chapter in this book revisits an essential touchpoint of my Pakistani story. Lessons abound beneath the cultural veil. This book uses no boldface, no shouty words. Inside is what matters most.
Bytes Beyond Borders book cover

The Expatpreneur Life

Belonging everywhere and nowhere. Building a life and a career in countries that aren't yours.

Unlearn to Learn

Learn, unlearn, relearn. Letting go of what worked last time is harder than learning something new.

Failure as Fuel

Losing a company, changing careers, starting over. The story doesn't end when things fall apart.

The Power of Story

Embrace your inner Mirasi. Personal branding is just storytelling: letting people see who you actually are.

Ecosystem Thinking

Bring people to the courtyard. One person can get a community started, in Lahore, Singapore or KL.

The Human Spirit

The moments that begin with "And yet...", when the story should have ended and didn't.

Paperback (Amazon SG) Kindle Edition
Venture capital panel with 500 Global, Monk's Hill, RHL Ventures, Qualgro and Gobi Partners — total AUM $5B
Total AUM $5B VC Panel
AWS Unicorn Day 2025 — Panel Moderator
AWS Unicorn Day 2025 — Panel Moderator
Greet and Grow VC event in Jakarta
Greet and Grow VC Event Jakarta
Founders Meetup Lahore — Keynote
Founders Meetup Lahore — Keynote
AI, Payments & Frontend panel with executives from Stripe and Vercel in Zadar, Croatia
AI, Payments & Frontend — with Stripe & Vercel, Zadar, Croatia
Building ecosystems across borders: Palo Alto · Kuala Lumpur · Jakarta · Lahore · Zadar
What People Say

In Their Words

From founders, colleagues and mentors who've worked alongside me, and readers of the book.

Ghaz is the kind of ecosystem builder every region needs. The startup community across Southeast Asia is stronger thanks to his leadership and his generosity toward founders.
Javier Ruiz Jimenez
Javier Ruiz JimenezExited SaaS founder, investor & board advisor
One of the boldest and most creative professionals I've had the opportunity to collaborate with.
Zainab Jalali
Zainab JalaliWorked with Ghaz at Careem
Ghazanfar has a unique ability to communicate and connect with people.
Gayle Lee
Gayle LeeMentor, Telenor Ignite

All recommendations on LinkedIn

9/9

Nine readers have rated the book on Amazon so far. All nine gave it five stars.

Read the reviews on Amazon
Chapter 5 should be required reading for any entrepreneur! Grabbed a few copies, for myself and those I think will benefit.
HWVerified reader, United Kingdom
Despite coming from a completely different background, I can relate so much to the author's life story.
Chris ChandlerVerified reader, United States
Ghaz has written a very memorable and honest account of his life and the highs and lows he has had to face.
SuchirVerified reader, India
A really interesting story that is a memoir but also has business and life principles.
RobVerified reader, United States
Ghazonomics

Economics × Human Stories
× Community

Every week I write about startup funding, AI, and the people behind the companies. The stuff that never makes it into a pitch deck.

Startups & VC

AI & Tech

Community

Economics

Personal Essays

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Speaking & Panels

On your stage

Keynotes, panel moderation and judging on startups, AI adoption and building across borders. Recent stages include the Hult Prize, Harvard's HSIL Hackathon and AI Malaysia Takeover.

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Weekly notes on startup funding, AI and the people behind the companies. No paywall, no pitch.

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The Book

Bytes Beyond Borders

Twelve chapters, twelve borders. For anyone building from the outside in.

Get your copy
Connect

Let's Cross Borders
Together

Whether you're a founder, an investor, or someone who resonates with the outsider's story, the courtyard is open. Come in.