ISLAMABAD: Pakistani education fintech startup EduFi bagged first place at an international competition held recently during the four-day LEAP 2025 tech conference in Saudi Arabia, a media report said, bagging $250,000 as cash prize after beating over 2,000 competitors.
The international tech conference was held from Feb 9-12 at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center in Malham.
Among the highlights of the conference was the Rocket Fuel Pitch Competition for startups, which provides entrepreneurs with an opportunity to showcase innovative ideas to a global audience of investors and industry leaders.
EduFi streamlines the borrowing process for students, helping them finance their education. It does its own credit-vetting, then pays tuition for approved students who repay the loan on a monthly basis as they study. It won first prize at the Rocket Fuel Pitch Competition last week.
“Aleena Nadeem from Pakistan has won first place and a cash prize of $250,000 at the International Information Technology Exhibition leap held recently in Saudi Arabia,” Pakistan Television (PTV) said in a report.
“This is the First time in the history of the Rocket Fuel Pitch International competitions that Pakistan has achieved this honor,” the state-run media said, adding that EduFi beat 2,000 competitors to win first prize.
EduFi’s founder and CEO Aleena Nadeem received the award at the ceremony held last week in Riyadh. An MIT graduate who interned at McKinsey during college and then worked in London for Goldman Sachs and Ventura Capital, Nadeem has been involved in education issues since she was in high school, as per Forbes.
She was included in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list in 2024 for her work with EduFi.
