Pakistani medical technology startup Byonyks has won the national final of the Startup World Cup 2026 and will represent the country at the international competition in San Francisco. The company will pitch to Silicon Valley investors for a US$1 million grand prize. Its selection followed qualifying rounds that attracted about 230 startup founders across Pakistan. Nine finalists advanced to the national competition.

The final took place at the Suleman Dawood School of Business at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). Startup Grind Lahore and Transforming Hub organised the event with Pegasus Tech Ventures, a Silicon Valley investment firm. Byonyks was founded in Lahore in 2019 by LUMS alumnus Farrukh Usman. The company develops technology for home-based peritoneal dialysis, an approach to kidney failure treatment that differs from conventional haemodialysis.

Industry representatives, investors and an academic assessed the finalists. The panel included Umair Javed of TKXEL, Zeshan Qureshi of HRL and Capital Smart Innovations, Usman Sheikh of OZI Group and Ahsan Jamil of sAi Venture Capital. Shahid Ahmad Khan, Ramzan Sheikh of Alms Group and LUMS associate professor Dr Sheharyar Shahid also served as judges. Their assessment selected Byonyks for the next stage.

Startup Grind Lahore director Iftikhar Hussain said the competition could help local startups gain access to funding. He said business meetings were being arranged for the Pakistani delegation travelling to San Francisco in November. The international Startup World Cup has supported participating businesses since 2015 and is backed by Pegasus Tech Ventures' US$2 billion fund. Byonyks will now take its medical technology proposal to that wider investment audience.