Google “Pehla Qadam”: Here’s What Went Down At The Inaugural Bootcamp in Lahore

Google has officially launched its Pehla Qadam (First Step) Bootcamp in collaboration with the National Incubation Center Lahore (NIC Lahore) to accelerate the digital transformation of Pakistani businesses and startups.

Held on October 22, 2025, the event gathered founders, growth-driven enterprises and global Google experts for a concentrated half day of hands-on training in Google Ads, AdMob and digital growth strategies.

Driving Digital Momentum in Pakistan

In recent years, Pakistan’s tech and startup ecosystem has witnessed rapid growth with NIC Lahore alone incubating over 350 startups and supporting more than PKR 5 billion in investment. The Pehla Qadam initiative is designed to bridge the gap between business ambition and digital capability by helping SMEs and app developers build actionable marketing skills.

According to local tech media, the bootcamp specifically targets any business from exporters and traditional manufacturers to mobile app developers ready to make their first confident step into scalable digital marketing.

A Power Packed Line Up of Participants

The event brought together a broad coalition of stakeholders:

• Government and ecosystem partners, including the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication Pakistan (MoITT), Ignite National Technology Fund and Tech Destination Pakistan.
• Consortium members of NIC Lahore such as NETSOL Technologies, HBL, Beaconhouse National University (BNU), Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WCCI), University of Engineering and Technology Lahore (UET), Plug and Play Tech Center, Daftarkhwan and the Accelerate Prosperity An AKDN Initiative.
• Renowned practitioners and thought leaders such as Ali Habib, Ayub Ghauri, Salim Ghauri, Fasieh Mehta, Bruce Nguyen, Saud Bin Younis and Ly Nguyen who partnered with Google to provide the training.
• Founders from Lahore and beyond particularly those led by women or emerging from underserved regions were invited to foster inclusive growth.

Curriculum That Transforms Startups into Digital First Ventures

Attendees engaged in practical workshops, including:

• Audience Understanding and Google Ads: How to identify relevant customer segments, launch search, display and YouTube campaigns, and optimise for leads or sales.
• Monetising Apps via AdMob: For mobile first ventures, sessions covered installs, user retention loops, and maximising revenue from the Google Play ecosystem.
• Conversion Focused Funnel Building: Startups mapped the path from awareness to acquisition to retention using Google’s ecosystem including Ads, YouTube, Search and Display.
• Data Driven Growth Strategies: Participants explored analytics integration, A/B testing and scale up decision making.
• Investor and Mentor Networking: Through curated clinics, founders connected with Google experts, NIC alumni and global mentors to gain access to Plug and Play’s network in Silicon Valley.

Why the Pehla Qadam Bootcamp Matters

Google is embedding itself into Pakistan’s digital economy by equipping businesses with scalable tools. The invitation only bootcamp is part of Google’s global strategy to deliver regionalised training on its advertising platform.

For participants, mastering Google Ads and AdMob offers measurable pathways to growth, enabling a textile exporter, for example, to run international display campaigns at scale, or an app developer to monetise effectively via AdMob. Given Pakistan’s growing internet and smartphone penetration, early digital marketing adopters stand to gain a competitive edge.

Measurable Impact for Pakistani Enterprises

Key benefits for attending startups and SMEs include:

• Skill acquisition to execute advanced campaigns and monetisation strategies.
• Cost efficiency through optimised digital spend and audience targeting.
• Revenue growth via increased app downloads, higher conversion rates and broader global reach.
• Ecosystem strengthening through mentorship, investor access and global linkages.

What Comes After “First Step”

Google and NIC Lahore emphasised that Pehla Qadam is the first of multiple cohorts planned for Pakistan. Future sessions aim to cover advanced analytics, cross border growth, generative AI marketing and sector specific modules such as e commerce, fintech and ed tech. For Google, the initiative also helps nurture long term adoption of its ad tech ecosystem in emerging markets. For Pakistan, it means more businesses positioned for digital resilience and global reach.