Author · Ecosystem Builder · Investor

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

I'm Ghazanfar Iqbal, but more commonly now known as Ghaz. My name means "Lion" in Arabic, which felt like more than coincidence when I found myself building a startup beneath Singapore's Merlion.

I've spent 16 years building across 5 countries, and I wrote a book about what it took to get from Pakistan to the startup ecosystems of Southeast Asia.

"What is behind you is safe. What lies ahead is where you're meant to be."

Read the Book My Story

Bytes Beyond Borders book cover by Ghazanfar Iqbal

About Ghaz

From Pakistan to Southeast Asia,
Still Building

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 selected from 106 teams for Telenor's 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 now work 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..."

Senior Investor Manager, AWS ASEAN
Author, Bytes Beyond Borders
Antler Founder Alumni
Acumen Fellow
Harvard HPAIR Delegate
Mentor: NIC, Endeavor, Petronas
AWS Certified AI Practitioner

16+

Years Building

Countries

Chapters

∞

"And Yet"s

The Journey

Five Borders Crossed

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

2017 // Oslo → Bangkok → Singapore

Telenor Ignite

Selected from 106 teams for the global intrapreneurial 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. Empowering mechanics digitally. Faced challenges that led to an exit, but the lessons outlasted the company.

Founder

2019 // Pakistan

Careem For Business

Country Head for MENA's first tech unicorn (now Uber). Doubled corporate revenue with the Dedicated Fleet model, when everyone said B2B mobility was dead.

Operator

2022 // Kuala Lumpur

Amazon Web Services

From Startup BD Head (MY/PK/SG) to Senior Investor Manager, ASEAN. Building the bridge between VCs, founders, and cloud at scale.

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

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.

Outside In

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

Embrace Your Inner Mirasi

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

Tell Stories

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

Seek Out the Forbidden

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

Cry in the Car

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

Balance Tradition and Innovation

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

Expect Chaos

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

Pour Tea

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

Be Generous

Why giving is the ultimate long game in business and in life.

Bring People to the Courtyard

Building communities, ecosystems, and gathering spaces where ideas collide.

Know Your Exits

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

Inside Out

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

The Book

Bytes Beyond Borders

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.

The Expatpreneur Life

Navigating cultural divides, belonging everywhere and nowhere, and the art of crossing borders both geographical and metaphorical.

Unlearn to Learn

The cycle of learning, unlearning, and relearning. Why letting go of what you know is the most underrated skill.

Failure as Fuel

Losing a company, pivoting careers, starting from scratch, and why the story doesn't end when things fall apart.

The Power of Story

Embrace your inner Mirasi. Personal branding is storytelling, the courage to be seen as you truly are.

Ecosystem Thinking

Bring people to the courtyard. One person can catalyze a community, from Pakistan to Singapore to Malaysia.

The Human Spirit

Resilience, adaptability, and the chapters that begin with "And yet..." A testament to the enduring human spirit.

Paperback (Amazon SG) Kindle Edition

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

From Pakistan to Southeast Asia,
Still Building