Hyderabad, September 1, 2026 — NIC Hyderabad hosted The Innovation Bridge Roundtable: U.S.–Hyderabad, bringing U.S. Consul General Charles Goodman together with key voices from Hyderabad’s technology, startup, academia, agriculture, investment, and entrepreneurial ecosystem for an open exchange on the region’s growing innovation landscape.
The Consul General was accompanied by Sean McIntosh, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Consulate General Karachi; Belal Rizvi, Program Management Specialist – Emerging Voices, U.S. Department of State; Aqsa Shams Memon, Economic Specialist, U.S. Department of State; and Hiram Reynolds, Emerging Technologies & Foreign Affairs.
The roundtable brought together Prof. Dr. Arabella Bhutto, Vice Chancellor, SABS University of Art, Design and Heritages, Jamshoro; Prof. Dr. Tauha Hussain Ali, Vice Chancellor, Mehran University of Engineering & Technology (MUET); Prof. Dr. Arifa Bhutto, Professor & Chairperson, Department of Software Engineering, University of Sindh, Jamshoro; Fahad Sikandar, Founder & CEO, MobiTising and Founder, Institute of Entrepreneurial Development (IoED); Tufail Memon, Entrepreneur & Technology Professional, ESSOLAR Technologies Inc.; Sanakhawan Hussain, Founder & CEO, Indus Acres; Mohsin Iqbal, Chief Growth Officer, Field Signal AI and Co-Founder, Tech Saeein; and Alee Raza Lashari, Vice President of Growth, Blink Ventures.
The discussion explored opportunities and challenges facing early-stage startups; the role of academia, investors, and government in strengthening the local ecosystem; the growing potential of AI-driven solutions; and opportunities for stronger U.S.–Pakistan collaboration in technology and agri-tech.
For NIC Hyderabad, the roundtable provided an important platform to bring local ecosystem leaders into direct conversation with the U.S. Consulate, opening up dialogue around collaboration, knowledge exchange, and new opportunities for Hyderabad’s innovation ecosystem.
