Pakistan’s Traversaal.ai team won the prestigious Meta APAC AI Accelerator Finals in Singapore, securing a $100,000 grant to build state-of-the-art language models for 2.5 billion non-English speakers, starting with Urdu.
The team utilized Meta’s Llama technology for the development of an advanced Urdu Llama model aimed at connecting 250 million Urdu speakers worldwide.
“We are beyond thrilled to be representing Pakistan at this level. It’s a great honor to be here in Singapore, the hub of technology, and we are extremely grateful to Meta for enabling us to convert our dreams into reality,” said Hamza Farooq, Founder of Traversaal.ai.
Teams from Indonesia and New Zealand were the first and second runners-up, respectively, and they received grants of $15,000 and $10,000 to further develop their projects.
Win spotlights Pakistan’s tech potential
Ignite National Technology Fund’s Chief Executive Officer Adeel Aijaz Shaikh, said, “Traversaal.ai’s victory is a testament to the incredible potential of Pakistan’s tech ecosystem. At Ignite, we are committed to supporting ground-breaking ideas that drive technological progress and solve pressing societal issues. This win at the Meta APAC AI Accelerator Finals showcases Pakistan’s capacity to lead in the AI sector and our journey towards establishing ‘Tech Destination Pakistan’ on the global stage.”
Earlier in the year, Pakistan made history by hosting Asia-Pacific’s first Meta Llama Pitchathon at Ignite – NICAT.
Minister of State for IT & Telecommunication, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, lauded the achievement, stating, “The success of Traversaal.ai at the Meta APAC AI Accelerator Finals highlights the growing role of Pakistan as a major force in AI innovation. The government’s commitment to fostering technological progress is bearing fruit, and events like the Meta Llama Pitchathon demonstrate our dedication to empowering local talent and positioning Pakistan as a global tech destination.”
“This groundbreaking solution offers high-quality learning resources in both English and Urdu, reflecting the immense talent within ‘Tech Destination Pakistan’ while addressing critical societal challenges like educational inequality,” according to a message from Singapore on October 4.
Meta AI Accelerator program for APAC startups
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, had launched the new AI Accelerator program for Asia Pacific startups, aimed at helping companies integrate Llama, its open-source AI model, into their products. The launch was held at Meta’s APAC headquarters in Singapore, in conjunction with the Meta APAC AI Accelerator Finals. The event was attended by Josephine Teo, Singapore’s Minister for Digital Development and Information, and Nick Clegg, Meta’s President of Global Affairs.
“It’s been incredible to see the work that startups are doing with our Llama models to address major societal challenges within the Asia Pacific region,” said Nick Clegg, President of Global Affairs at Meta. “Open sourcing AI helps ensure more people can access the opportunities that AI provides, and this is evident in the strong submissions that we have received.”
Over 720 companies and developers from across the region, including Singapore, had submitted projects showcasing impactful use cases of Llama to address challenges in education, public services, and economic development. The top finalists from 13 markets gathered at Meta’s headquarters to present their solutions and compete for grants to advance their work.