# Faisal Aftab

> Faisal Aftab is a Pakistani-American venture capitalist and entrepreneur, and the Founder, CEO and General Partner of Zayn VC. He previously helped establish Lakson Venture Capital, has an operating background in media and financial services, and appears as an investor on Shark Tank Pakistan. His investment interests connect early-stage Pakistani technology companies with digital payments, lending and global economic cycles.

- **Role:** Founder, CEO and General Partner at Zayn VC
- **Organizations:** Zayn VC, Lakson Venture Capital (former), BitRate Digital Assets, 500 Global (limited partner), MTV Networks Pakistan (former), CloudStream Media (former), National Financial Partners (former), Deloitte (former), Shark Tank Pakistan
- **Nationality:** Pakistani-American
- **Education:** Bachelor of Business Administration, Michigan State University, Master of Science in Management Information Systems, Michigan State University, MBA, University of Oxford
- **Known for:** Helped establish Lakson Venture Capital before founding Zayn VC., Zayn reports that his portfolio companies have collectively raised more than $500 million in debt and equity; this is portfolio fundraising, not personal wealth or fund assets., Joined the first season of Shark Tank Pakistan, which premiered in November 2024.

## Career timeline

- **Early career** — Worked at Deloitte and in financial services and media, including National Financial Partners, MTV Networks Pakistan and CloudStream Media; exact employment dates are not established here.
- **2010** — Completed an MBA at the University of Oxford.
- **Around 2016** — Moved to Pakistan to pursue investment opportunities, according to his 2023 AVCJ interview.
- **2017** — Helped establish Lakson Venture Capital; AVCJ dates the venture business and its first VC license to this year.
- **2019** — Lakson’s debut fund closed at $10 million, as reported by AVCJ in 2023.
- **2021** — Founded Zayn VC, previously branded Zayn Capital VC.
- **2024** — Zayn became Resident VC at NSTP-NUST; Aftab joined the inaugural cast of Shark Tank Pakistan.
- **2025** — Zayn VC led the $5 million equity component of Haball’s $52 million financing package.
- **2026** — Krave Mart, an early Zayn investment, was acquired by inDrive; Pakistani competition approval was reported in March.

## Achievements

- Helped establish Lakson Venture Capital before founding Zayn VC.
- Zayn reports that his portfolio companies have collectively raised more than $500 million in debt and equity; this is portfolio fundraising, not personal wealth or fund assets.
- Joined the first season of Shark Tank Pakistan, which premiered in November 2024.
- Backed Krave Mart at its first institutional round alongside MSA Capital; inDrive acquired the company in 2026.
- Zayn’s team biography reports a 10x return on Krave Mart; treat this as a firm-reported figure, not an independently verified cash distribution.

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — inDrive’s acquisition of Krave Mart received Pakistani competition approval; Aftab highlighted Zayn’s role as an early institutional backer.
- **2026-01** — inDrive launched a Karachi grocery service with Krave Mart, a Zayn portfolio company.
- **2025-04** — Zayn VC led Haball’s $5 million equity raise within a $52 million package that included $47 million from Meezan Bank.
- **2025-03** — In a Nukta interview, Aftab discussed AI, digital currencies and the need for continuity in Pakistan’s economic policies; the article was subsequently updated in May 2025.

## Links

- Website: https://www.faisalaftab.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aftabfaisal/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/faisal_aftab
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/faisalaftabofficial/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/faisalaftab

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/faisal-aftab
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-16