Funds higher than 1.7 million dollars amassed during pre-seed stage for development of a localized version of Meesho within Pakistan, termed as 'Meesho for Pakistan' by venture Zarya.
Zarya Secures $1.7 Million in Pre-Seed Funding to Revolutionize Social Selling in Pakistan
In a significant move for the ecommerce industry in Pakistan, Lahore-based business-to-business platform Zarya has raised $1.7 million in a pre-seed round. The platform, co-founded by brothers Faisal and Saad Zahid this year, aims to disrupt the market by enabling small sellers, primarily housewives, to source and sell various products, including apparel for women and children, through its platform.
Faisal Zahid, the co-founder of Zarya, brings a wealth of experience to the table. Prior to his current role, he served as the director of product at Careem and the senior director of product management at Saudi grocery delivery startup Nana.
Zarya currently offers over 3,000 products on its platform and plans to expand its offerings by introducing categories such as abayas, shoes, home textiles, and makeup. The platform handles the entire process, from sourcing products to delivery and payments, and transfers the profit of every seller when a sale is completed.
The concept of social selling, which Zarya is now embracing, was pioneered by Meesho in India. Meesho, a social commerce startup, has raised over $1 billion in total financing and is currently valued at approximately $3.9 to $4 billion as of August 2025. This valuation reflects public market realities for Indian tech IPOs and aligns with expectations ahead of a potential IPO that SoftBank is interested in to revive its Vision Fund 2.
The pre-seed round for Zarya was led by Raed Ventures, with participation from Fatima Gobi Ventures, Class 5 Global, Global Founders Capital, and Egyptian social commerce startup Taager. This investment underscores the potential of Zarya to make a significant impact in the Pakistani ecommerce landscape.
As Zarya continues to grow and expand, it will be interesting to see how it compares to its Indian counterpart Meesho. With the right strategies and execution, Zarya could become a major player in the social selling space in Pakistan and beyond.
[1] SoftBank eyes Meesho IPO to revive Vision Fund 2: Report (TechCrunch, 2025) [2] India's Largest Unicorn Startups of 2025 (Forbes, 2025) [3] Meesho Valuation Drops to $3.9 Billion Amidst Market Realities (The Economic Times, 2025)
With the recent $1.7 million pre-seed funding, Zarya aims to revolutionize social selling in Pakistan, similar to India's Meesho, which has raised over $1 billion and is valued at approximately $3.9 to $4 billion.
With this investment, Zarya could potentially apply innovative technology in finance and investing to become a major player in the social selling space in Pakistan and beyond.
