About
All Pakistan Entrepreneurs Exchange (APEX)
About APEX
The All Pakistan Entrepreneurs’ Exchange is a volunteer-driven non-profit organization whose mandate is to support young people in business. Aimed at business owners, APEX provides its members an opportunity to learn from one another’s experiences and take advantage of peer support and mentorship as they grow their businesses.
APEX is a pitch-free environment where members meet their peers and confidently and comfortably share their triumphs and challenges.
APEX connects Pakistani entrepreneurs with each other both physically and via the internet. APEX facilitates connections with government, industry service providers, other businesses and the media. APEX works with private and public organizations to provide members with relevant and timely information and tools to strengthen their businesses.
APEX is the place where entrepreneurs feel confident they will meet like-minded individuals and can comfortably discuss the daily successes and challenges they experience in their businesses.
APEX provides its members with opportunities to learn not only from each other but from individuals with recognized expertise. APEX will also endeavor to share information on various external programs and services that may be of value to its members.
The Vission
To increase the survival and success rate of entrepreneurial businesses in Pakistan, APEX will create an environment where entrepreneurs can support and inspire one another in growth, balance and success.
The Mission
To deliver dynamic, high value event-driven programming that communicates the fundamental skills of business management. To create a national community of Pakitani entrepreneurs to mentor each other in business, and in life.
History
The idea of a national platform / association specifically for entrepreneurs was developed by the professionals who has started their businesses in Pakistan and has gone through business experience by self learning without any external support, training facilities and infrastructure for entrepreneurship in Pakistan. Most of the co-founders are from technology, media, finance and manufacturing sectors. As a result of meeting and spending time with one another, these business owners and professionals from across Pakistan recognized the value of bringing entrepreneurs together with their peers, especially for young entrepreneurs. They came to realize that the best people to support and encourage entrepreneurs are other entrepreneurs themselves.
In recent years, importance of entrepreneurship has gained importance in Pakistan as a way to earn a living, unavailability of required jobs and most of all for economic revival of the nation. Young people in particular have come to view running their own business as the best way to gain some control over their lifestyle choices. Those on the leading edge are paving the way for tomorrow’s young entrepreneurs and proving that it can be done – making entrepreneurship viable and attainable.
Unfortunately, in Pakistan, lack of proper training in entrepreneurship in schools, colleges and universities has created a huge gap of business leaders, while 70% of the economy depends on informal sector which is heavily reliant on skills and expertise of entrepreneurs. This is in addition to formal sector of corporations both in public and private sector which desperately need entreprenuer to steer the galloping Pakistan economy to new heights in this ever competitive global business arena.
APEX has felt a great need to develop, build and expand training of business leaders and young entrepreneurs by devising innovative programs & events in association with leading corporate sponsors to help economy grow. APEX has also initiated a well coordinated programme to interact with universities in Pakistan in an effort to help them coup with training and development requirements of entreprenuership courses for students before they enter the corporate world.
Organization Structure
The All Pakistan Entrepreneurs’ Exchange (APEX) is a volunteer-driven non-profit association that is incorporated nationally. APEX is governed by a Board of Directors elected from within the membership. This Board then selects their Chairperson, who hence becomes President of the Association.
APEX holds an AGM each year during which new Directors are elected to the National Board. These Directors are members of APEX who have been nominated by other members.
APEX delivers programs and events through local Chapters. Each APEX Chapter is directed by a community-level volunteer committee, the Chair of which is elected by the Chapter membership, and subsequently approved by the National Board for a one year term.