RFP/EP/AP/2026/00017

Procurement of Service provider for Event Management, Media and Public Relations Firm for Startup Summit Islamabad

1.Background

Accelerate Prosperity is a regional impact investor and enterprise accelerator and an initiative of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), investing in entrepreneurs with the ambition to build stronger businesses, create jobs, and contribute to more resilient local economies.

Through its services, AP extends tailored training, subject matter expert advice, market linkages, and technical assistance to aspiring and existing entrepreneurs to help them launch or expand their innovative business ventures. It also extends tailored financing to start-ups and small and growing businesses to help them unlock external investments by improving their bankability and investment readiness.

2.Event Overview: The Startup Summit Islamabad

Accelerate Prosperity (AP) is organizing the Startup Summit in Islamabad, bringing together businesses from its investment portfolio and participants from its technical assistance programs across Pakistan with investors, buyers, policymakers, strategic partners and other key ecosystem stakeholders.

The Summit will showcase businesses that have progressed through AP’s ecosystem of technical assistance, business advisory, investment-readiness support, and/or financing. Through its sustained engagement with these enterprises, AP has developed an understanding of their performance, governance, business capabilities and growth potential, enabling it to curate a pipeline of businesses positioned to pursue their next stage of growth.

The Summit will provide participating businesses with opportunities to engage directly with potential investors, buyers and strategic partners; establish business-to-business (B2B) linkages; explore investment opportunities; and access new markets. It will also facilitate connections among entrepreneurs and relevant ecosystem stakeholders to support business growth and strengthen commercial networks.

3.Project Overview

This activity is being funded by the European Union under Energy Plus, a programme that seeks to promote renewable energy solutions, enhance natural resources management, and support rural communities to build climate resilience. The case study particularly aims to strengthen project’s impact visibility regarding support provided to early-stage and growth-stage businesses in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral (GBC) under the Energy+ initiative, showcasing the ripple effect we create in the ecosystem through our support.   

The event management firm will be expected to translate above mentioned objectives into a professionally executed, business-focused Summit that facilitates meaningful engagement, effective networking and productive interactions among participating businesses and stakeholders.

Each case study will tell the entrepreneur’s story, show the business in operation and its impact on customers and the local community, and present key business results in a clear, visual way.

4.About the Assignment

Accelerate Prosperity is seeking to engage a qualified event management firm to provide event management, media and public relations services. The assignment covers end-to-end event planning, venue setup, manage logistics, catering together with communications strategy, content production, media relations and event coverage before, during and after the summit.

• Expected attendance: 120 participants
• Venue: TBD
• Date: 2 Dec 2026 (tentative, can be any date within first 2 weeks of December)
• Timings: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM

5. Request for Proposal:

Accelerate Prosperity Pakistan (AP-AKRSP) invites sealed proposals from interested and eligible suppliers for the procurement.

For further details, please download the RFP attached to the publication. 

6.Clarifications

For any queries, you may contact the Procurement Unit via email no later than 5 November 2026, at: [email protected].