BuildinginpublicfromPakistan

When we tell people we're a software studio based in Pakistan, the reactions are predictable. Some assume we're a cheap outsourcing shop. Others are genuinely curious. The truth is more interesting than either assumption.

The advantage nobody talks about

The biggest advantage is cost efficiency — but not in the way people think. It's not about charging less. It's about needing less revenue to be sustainable.

What this means in practice

• We can take on projects we believe in
• We can say no to ones we don't
• We can invest time in our own products without burning through a war chest
• We can price fairly without the overhead of a Bay Area office

The real challenges

The challenges are real, and we won't pretend otherwise:

• Payment processing is more complicated — not every gateway supports Pakistani accounts
• SaaS tool access can be limited — some tools flat out don't support our region
• Time zones make synchronous communication with US clients tricky
• Credibility gap takes extra effort to close — the work has to speak louder

How we've adapted

• Async communication produces better work anyway
• We document everything so time zones don't create bottlenecks
• Our code is on GitHub, our process is on this blog — transparency is our credibility

The ecosystem

The tech ecosystem in Pakistan is growing fast. There's a generation of developers who grew up building on the same tools as everyone else:

• React, TypeScript, Node.js
• AWS, Vercel, Supabase
• Figma, Linear, GitHub

The talent pool is deep if you know where to look, and the hunger to build is palpable.

Why we build in public

We chose to build in public because transparency is our best marketing. Location matters less every year. What matters is what you ship.