About Ahmed Rauf Essa
Winner of 14 global awards, featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 (2019), and the only Pakistani to chair the International Business Awards. Ahmed works with founders and leadership teams on e-commerce, retail and growth.
Recognition
- 14 global awards: the only Pakistani entrepreneur to win them at the age of 35
- Forbes 30 Under 30, 2019
- Rising Star by World Retail Congress
- Jury member for 34 global awards, judging brands such as Saudi Aramco, Amazon, Bugatti, IBM and Samsung
- The only Pakistani to chair the International Business Awards, 2023
- Global Mentor, Startup World Cup
Ahmed Rauf Essa is the only Pakistani entrepreneur to win 14 global awards at the age of 34. He was featured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2019 and was also selected as a Rising Star by the World Retail Congress.
He has been a jury member for 34 global awards, where he has judged brands such as Saudi Aramco, Amazon, Bugatti, IBM, Cisco, Tata, Samsung, Abbott, Turkish Airlines, Upwork, DHL, Carrefour, Coca-Cola and Philip Morris. In 2023 he became the only Pakistani to chair the International Business Awards, and he is a Global Mentor at Startup World Cup 2025.
Ahmed is the founder of Telemart, the second-largest e-commerce marketplace and the largest tech retail company in Pakistan, with 40 stores in 27 cities. He also founded ARE Ventures, Pakistan's biggest business accelerator, which helps more than 200 businesses with hyper-growth, technology, marketing, alliances, distribution and more.
The journey so far
Select a year to see what happened.
Joins Startup World Cup as a Global Mentor, working with founders beyond Pakistan.
Vision
Pakistan's next generation of companies will be built by founders who understand their numbers, own their customers and build for scale from day one. My work is to shorten the distance between a good idea and a durable business.
Mission
Share what I learned building Telemart and ARE Ventures, openly and practically, through advisory, books, teaching and the stage.