# Atif Azim

> Atif Azim is the co-founder and CEO of VentureDive, which built Careem’s early technology platform. An Imperial College London and Stanford graduate, he previously co-founded network security company Perfigo, acquired by Cisco in 2004. He also co-founded Karachi startup workspace DotZero and serves on the boards of Raqami Islamic Digital Bank and Unilever Pakistan Foods.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at VentureDive
- **Organizations:** VentureDive, Perfigo, Cisco Systems, DotZero, Raqami Islamic Digital Bank, Unilever Pakistan Foods Limited, Meezan Bank (former director), Al Meezan Investment Management (former director), KPMG Consulting (former employer), Brience (former employer)
- **Nationality:** British
- **Education:** B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering, Imperial College London, M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Stanford University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Perfigo, acquired by Cisco in a transaction announced at approximately $74 million in 2004., His Meezan Bank board biography credits him with growing Cisco’s network security product line to a $200 million business., Co-founded VentureDive, which developed Careem’s early technology platform and took equity in Careem.

## Career timeline

- **2000-2001** — Senior consultant at KPMG in San Francisco.
- **Before 2004** — Worked at Brience and co-founded network security startup Perfigo; Stanford became its first customer.
- **2004** — Cisco announced an agreement to acquire Perfigo for approximately $74 million in cash; Azim subsequently worked at Cisco.
- **2011-2012** — Co-founded VentureDive; accounts place the founding in 2011 and the start of its product-building work in mid-2012.
- **2012** — A four-developer VentureDive team in Karachi began writing Careem’s early code, according to Azim’s 2018 account.
- **2013** — Co-founded DotZero with Imran Moinuddin, Farzal Dojki and Yusuf Jan.
- **2016** — Appeared with Careem’s Junaid Iqbal at Startup Grind Karachi; the Careem development team later moved into Careem.
- **2019** — Joined Meezan Bank’s board in July.
- **2022** — VentureDive announced its agreement to acquire NexDegree on September 2.
- **2025** — Discussed VentureDive’s data and AI direction and met visiting IBA Karachi students in April.
- **2026** — Elected independent director of Unilever Pakistan Foods; term effective April 20. Listed as chair of its sustainability committee and member of its audit committee.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Perfigo, acquired by Cisco in a transaction announced at approximately $74 million in 2004.
- His Meezan Bank board biography credits him with growing Cisco’s network security product line to a $200 million business.
- Co-founded VentureDive, which developed Careem’s early technology platform and took equity in Careem.
- Co-founded DotZero, a Karachi technology coworking and incubation initiative that began operating in 2013.
- Led VentureDive as it expanded into data and AI, including the 2022 NexDegree acquisition.
- Elected independent director of Unilever Pakistan Foods in April 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Elected independent director of Unilever Pakistan Foods, effective April 20; the company’s Q1 accounts list him as sustainability committee chair and audit committee member.
- **2025-04** — Discussed VentureDive’s shift toward data and AI and priorities for the UAE and Saudi Arabia in an April 24 interview.
- **2025-04** — Met IBA Karachi SMCS students visiting VentureDive on April 16 and discussed entrepreneurship, data, AI and professional skills.

## Links

- Website: https://www.venturedive.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/atifazimakbar

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/atif-azim
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-23