Pakistani technology startup RLabs has won the GOAL Startup Award at the Silicon Valley November Summit in California, earning international recognition for a company built around extended-reality simulators and artificial intelligence training tools.

The summit, organised by the global innovation platform and venture capital firm Plug and Play, ran from 2 to 5 November. RLabs was one of 18 international ventures selected to present their work under Plug and Play's Global Overseas Acceleration and Learning programme, known as GOAL.

The event brought together more than 3,000 participants, including entrepreneurs, investors, corporate executives, technology specialists and government representatives. More than 300 startups from over 20 industry programmes presented and demonstrated their work, with artificial intelligence and deep technology among the central themes.

RLabs is led by Harris Ahmed, a 2018 graduate of the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) in Islamabad. The company is incubated at the National Incubation Centre for Aerospace Technologies, known as NICAT.

At the summit, Ahmed presented RLabs' work in extended-reality simulators, synthetic data and machine training. The company builds technology used to train people, and artificial intelligence systems, to operate complex equipment. Ahmed said he had spent the past decade developing technology to train people to operate complex machinery through extended reality, and that the team was now using the same human expertise to develop machine training capabilities.

According to NICAT, RLabs is developing a proprietary large language model to support a modular, cross-platform simulation engine. The centre says the technology is designed to reduce development time by up to 75 per cent.

The startup is also preparing to launch its technology in the United States. Ahmed shared a photograph of himself posing with the award on LinkedIn, and said the team had the chance to present its work on a platform that brought the global innovation community together.

The achievement drew recognition from the federal government. Information Technology Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja congratulated the startup, describing the win as a moment of pride for Pakistan. "From Pakistan to Silicon Valley — a proud moment for our nation," the minister wrote, adding that seeing homegrown startups earn international recognition reinforces the government's commitment to nurturing innovation and creating global opportunities for the next generation of Pakistani entrepreneurs. The minister also acknowledged the role of her ministry and its technology innovation arm, Ignite, in supporting startups and helping entrepreneurs reach international opportunities.

The award comes at a busy moment for Pakistan's technology sector. On 10 October, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif inaugurated the newly renamed Daanish IT Park, the country's first national technology facility, bringing incubation centres, innovation hubs and startups together under one roof. The World Bank is also expected to support the establishment and capitalisation of a 50 million dollar Fund of Funds under the Pakistan Entrepreneurship and Private Investment Catalyst Project, an initiative aimed at strengthening the country's venture capital and innovation ecosystem, with approval expected in early 2027.

For RLabs, the Silicon Valley award is both recognition for work already done and a platform for the next stage of its growth, as the company looks to take technology developed in Pakistan to customers in the United States and beyond.