Why Pakistan’s Youth Must Lead—And How They Can
Zain Jeewanjee is a pioneering entrepreneur whose legacy bridges innovation, global leadership, and social impact. As CEO of Insure123 and Founder of 1AAUSA, he helped shape the future of insure tech, launching some of the earliest digital insurance platforms in the United States. His work continues to influence the global insurance landscape, while his advisory roles extend to prestigious platforms such as RAND Corporation’s Center for Asia Pacific Policy. A charter member of TiE and OPEN, Jeewanjee also mentors a new generation of entrepreneurs across Silicon Valley and beyond.
In this exclusive conversation, Zain speaks about Pakistan’s untapped youth potential, and the urgency of innovation, for sustainable success.
Chasing the Finish Line, Not the Cup
“What’s happening to our youth today?” is a question that Zain, a veteran entrepreneur and mentor to Pakistan’s emerging changemakers, doesn’t just answer—he redefines. “It’s not about what’s happening to them,” he says. “It’s about what they can make happen.” With over 130 million young people under the age of 30, Pakistan holds one of the youngest populations in the world. This demographic is a double-edged sword: it can either become the nation’s greatest asset or its most dangerous liability. If this population is not educated, skilled, and forward-looking, Zain warns, Pakistan will be burdened by an enormous, restless youth force. But if empowered correctly especially in the age of AI and radical technological change this youth army could become a global powerhouse. “In 18 to 24 months, everything will be different,” he says. “The way we eat, walk, sleep everything. And if our youth aren’t equipped, they’ll be left behind.”
The Accidental Entrepreneur
Zain’s own journey into entrepreneurship was anything but planned. As a student at Karachi Grammar School in 1971, he found his world turned upside down when East Pakistan became Bangladesh. His grandfather, who had been supporting the family with resources from both sides, could no longer do so. Faced with the option of studying abroad at his father’s expense or staying back and starting something of his own, Zain chose the latter. With a simple Levi’s jacket and a request from a friend for a replica, he unwittingly launched Pakistan’s first denim jacket brand. “Three months later, we had our first catwalk show—men’s fashion, live music, 1971. It just happened,” he recalls. His venture was born not out of ambition, but out of necessity and instinct.
Entrepreneurship Is a Mindset
To Zain, entrepreneurship isn’t taught—it’s awakened. “The risk-taking drive has to be in you,” he explains. “And the goal shouldn’t be the reward. It should be the finish line.” He urges young people to focus not on monetary success but on building excellent products. Citing Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos, he underscores that enduring success comes to those who chase purpose, not profits. “When your chase is excellence,” he says, “you’ll either succeed or keep evolving.”
Bringing It Back Home
With over four decades of experience across th,e U.S. and Pakistan, Zain now channels his energy into giving back—especially through education and women’s empowerment. “Pakistan is fighting on every front,” he says. “But if I had to choose one area to focus on, it’s women.” Citing that women make up 51% of the population and are often more diligent, intellectual, and loyal than their male counterparts, he sees them as the country’s untapped resource. His foundation has supported several educational initiatives, including endowing Pakistan’s first humanities chair at Habib University, and helping bring Stanford’s design curriculum to IBA. He has also been affiliated with LUMS for over two decades His dream now? To create remote employment opportunities for 100,000 women in Pakistan to work for U.S. companies.
The Internet May Fail—But You Shouldn’t
Zain acknowledges Pakistan’s infrastructural challenges, including erratic internet access and a shaky financial ecosystem. “But the youth must understand,” he emphasizes, “no one’s coming to save them.” Instead of waiting for ideal conditions, he urges them to forge ahead regardless. “Struggle through it. You’ll figure it out,” he insists. Success, in his view, doesn’t come with a stable Wi-Fi signal—it comes with tenacity.
Redefining Excellence in a Culture of Complacency
Using outdated bottle cap as a metaphor, Zain draws attention to Pakistan’s deeper problem: a reluctance to innovate. “Why are we still struggling to open that bottle after 70 years?” he asks. “Because we’re content with ‘good enough.’” He believes this attitude reflects a national complacency. “Innovation is missing. We don’t improve. We just sell. That mindset must change.” His frustration extends to product development, manufacturing, and even the pharmaceutical industry, where he sees the same patterns of resistance to progress.
“Innovation is missing. We don’t improve. We just sell. That mindset must change.”
Think Global, Not Just Local
Zain’s personal life has been shaped by extraordinary hardship. In less than three years, he lost his daughter, mother, father, and son. By 25, he was in the U.S., broke and grieving, working at gas stations at night and odd jobs by day. “That grind is what made me,” he says. “Nobody was there to help me—and I wasn’t looking for help either.” His story is a call for grit, not entitlement.
Born From Loss, Built by Resilience
Pakistan’s economic potential, according to Zain, is hampered by small thinking. With the U.S. economy standing at $24 trillion, he argues, Pakistani manufacturers should aim for that market—not just domestic survival. “Make something of world-class quality,” he urges. “Stop asking the government for handouts. Improve the product.” With changing global trade dynamics and favorable tariffs, Pakistan has a window of opportunity. But only those who embrace excellence, not excuses, will succeed.
Only those who embrace excellence, not excuses, will succeed.
Read to Lead
To today’s youth, Zain offers a challenge. “Read one article a day from the front page of the Wall Street Journal,” he says. “Then write a short summary. Do this for 365 days. If you do, come to me—I’ll fund your startup.” His point? Knowledge creates perspective. “Most Pakistani students we hire know shockingly little about the world,” he laments. “Start with reading. Just read.”
The Discipline Deficit
He believes discipline is the missing ingredient in today’s youth. Staying out late, sleeping in, and craving shortcut content are, to him, signs of a generation distracted from its potential. “Wake up early. Do yoga. Read. Start your day right,” he advises. Even if you’re not religious, “find a morning ritual and stick to it.” And when it comes to using AI tools like ChatGPT, he cautions: “It’s only as smart as what it’s fed. You must still think for yourself.”
Change Comes from Giving
Zain lives by a powerful mantra: Do one good deed every day for someone who can do nothing for you in return. To him, success isn’t just about making money—it’s about living a life of service and perspective. “If we’re standing in the same room, you may see a wall and I may see a bookshelf. We’re in the same place but experiencing different truths. That’s why empathy matters.”
Do this for 365 days. If you do, come to me—I’ll fund your startup.
A Final Word: Pakistan Must Change from Within
As we near the end of the conversation, Zain’s words turn candid, even stark. “Pakistan is a cow,” he says metaphorically, “and we keep milking it without feeding it.” Despite our charitable claims, our GDP contributions remain negligible. “We take vacations in Dubai, buy homes abroad, and then complain about what’s broken at home. It won’t change until we do.”
