What happens at the SIA Summit, and how to take part
SIA’s flagship convening brings policymakers, entrepreneurs, investors and youth leaders together. What to expect, and how to join SIA Summit 3.0 as a participant, speaker or sponsor.
The SIA Summit is SIA’s flagship convening. It brings policymakers, entrepreneurs, investors and youth leaders into one room to work on the same question: how to build an ecosystem in which social enterprises in Pakistan can start, grow and last.
Two summits so far
SIA Summit 1.0, in 2025, brought together more than 500 participants. SIA Summit 2.0 followed in Islamabad on 28 April 2026, with more than 300 participants, organised with the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme. Its theme was building a women-led social enterprise ecosystem in Pakistan, and it launched SENPak, Pakistan’s first social enterprise network.
What a summit day looks like
Summit 2.0 shows the format. Keynotes and panel discussions set out the big questions, from finance and market access to policy. Around them, the day is built for doing as well as listening:
- A marketplace where enterprises show and sell their products, which at Summit 2.0 was a Women’s Innovation Marketplace for women-led social enterprises
- A Collaborative Projects Lab where participants work in groups on practical roadmaps
- Sessions that match people looking for partners, mentors and investment
- A commitment and award ceremony to close the day
SENPak went live at Summit 2.0: read the report from the day.
Who should come
- Founders and social entrepreneurs, to meet buyers, investors and peers, and to show their work
- Policymakers and officials, to hear directly from enterprises and test ideas with them
- Investors and funders, to meet enterprises from the SIA Pathway and co-funders
- Students and youth leaders, to see where an idea can go and find people to learn from
- Companies, to find suppliers and partners and to sponsor a part of the programme
Getting the most from the day
A summit is short, and the best conversations happen between sessions. A little preparation goes a long way:
- Decide on one or two things you want to leave with: a buyer contact, a mentor, a partner for a proposal.
- Prepare a 30-second introduction: who you are, the problem you solve and what you are looking for.
- Bring a few printed cards or a QR code that opens your WhatsApp or website, and a sample if you sell a product.
- Note who you meet and follow up within a week. A short, specific message works best.
Speak or sponsor
The summit relies on speakers who have done the work and on sponsors who share its aims. Sponsorship puts a company or institution in front of policymakers, investors and founders from across the country, and it supports SIA’s plan to earn 40% of its income by 2031 through courses, consultancy, sponsorship and membership. Sponsoring the summit is one of the ways to partner with SIA.
SIA Summit 3.0
Registration of interest is open for SIA Summit 3.0, as a participant, a speaker or a sponsor. Register on the SIA Summit page and the team will be in touch when the programme opens.
Showing your products
If the summit has a marketplace, exhibiting is one of the best ways for a small enterprise to meet buyers. Bring enough stock to sell and samples to give away, clear prices, and a simple way to take orders and payments, including mobile wallets. Put your best-selling product at the front. Ask every interested visitor for a phone number, and follow up within the week.
If you are speaking
Keep to time, tell one concrete story from your own work, and end with one clear request to the audience: a buyer you are looking for, a partnership you want, a policy change you need. Audiences remember a specific ask long after they forget the slides.
After the summit
The real work starts the day after. Write down every contact while you still remember the conversation, and send each person a short, specific message: what you discussed, and the next step you proposed. Join SENPak if you have not already, so the people you met can find you again. If a projects lab produced a roadmap you care about, offer to help with one concrete part of it.
Taking part fully
If you need support to attend, such as help with travel, a quiet space or an interpreter, mention it when you register interest and ask what is available.
