Founder, ZapLock — Mentor to 150+ founders
I'm Hassan. Over the last two years I've competed in 15+ startup competitions, secured seed funding, and mentored 150+ founders across Pakistan, while building ZapLock from scratch. This is where that experience becomes useful to you.
The product
ZapLock is smart locker infrastructure — RFID-enabled lockers built for universities, gyms, co-working spaces, and other shared venues across Pakistan.
The problem is simple and everywhere: shared spaces have no secure, self-serve way to store belongings. People are stuck relying on staffed counters, makeshift storage, or just not storing things at all.
ZapLock serves venue owners who want to offer secure storage without adding staff overhead, and the students, gym members, and professionals who use that space every day.
The impact is straightforward; venues unlock a new amenity and a new revenue line, and people get their time and trust back.
Learn more about ZapLock
Watch — the 60 second overview
About
Two years ago I was exactly where a lot of the people I now mentor are standing; an idea, a lot of conviction, and almost no idea how the ecosystem actually worked. What changed wasn't a single breakthrough. It was reps. Fifteen-plus competitions taught me how to defend an idea under pressure. Building ZapLock, smart locker infrastructure now live across universities, gyms, and co-working spaces in Pakistan, taught me how wide the gap is between a good pitch and a good business, and that it's worth closing anyway.
Getting into ICF, the Bahria Incubation Center, and most recently the top 20 of 400+ applicants at Accelerate Punjab taught me what evaluators actually look for, because I've sat across from enough of them to see the pattern.
Somewhere past the hundredth mentoring conversation, I realized this wasn't a side effect of building ZapLock, it had become a parallel mission I genuinely cared about. I'm still building ZapLock every day. That's not a disclaimer, it's the reason anything I tell you is worth listening to. I'm not coaching from memory — I'm in it, right now, alongside you.
Achievements
Not to impress you — to show this advice is earned, not borrowed.
Secured a seed funding grant for ZapLock, proof of concept that outside evaluators were willing to back, not just encouraging words.
Partnered with ICF for an acceleration program, sharpening ZapLock's go-to-market and validating the model against experienced mentors.
Brought into Bahria's incubation program, then invited back as a mentor for their startup hackathon, working directly with 10+ early-stage teams.
Shortlisted into the top 20 finalists out of more than 400 applicants from across Pakistan, one of the country's most competitive incubation pipelines.
Invited by a university entrepreneurship professor to lead a session on startups. Several students later sought one-on-one mentorship, the clearest sign it landed.
Moments
Securing 1st Position at Hult Prize Campus Round.
Secured 1st Position at Shark Tank Campus Round.
ICF x Standard Chartered Seed Grant: PKR 400,000.
ZapLock Qualifies for Nationals at Zindigi Prize 2024.
Meeting with Chinese Delegation at Bahria Incubation Center.
ZapLock Secured 1st Position at Zindigi Prize Campus Round.
Secured 1st Position at Hult Prize Campus Round '26.
Mentorship
Not generic startup advice; feedback shaped by 150+ real conversations, competition rounds, and building ZapLock myself.
A no-pressure 20-minute conversation. Tell me what you're building and where you're stuck.
A focused, deeper session once we already know where you need help.
Resources
Built from real competition rounds and real pitch reviews, not repackaged theory.
Pitch deck template, must-have startup documents, and a fundraising checklist; bundled at a better price than buying separately.
The structure I've used and seen succeed across 15+ competitions.
The actual template, ready to fill in — built on what consistently places.
The paperwork founders almost always discover too late they needed.
Community — free
A free WhatsApp space where I share competitions, grants, and accelerator calls; the moment I find them, no catch.
Speaking
Sessions for students and early founders, practical, specific, grounded in what's currently working in Pakistan's ecosystem.
Previously led a session for 80+ university students; several later sought one-on-one mentorship. Also mentored 10+ teams as a Bahria Incubation Center hackathon mentor.
Blog
What I'm learning building ZapLock, mentoring founders, and watching Pakistan's startup ecosystem up close — written as it happens, not polished after the fact.
Contact
For partnerships, press, or speaking requests — anything that doesn't fit neatly into a booking link.