LAAM CEO: LAAM is NOT a Fashion Brand! | 457 | TBT

Find out more about Endeavor: https://pakistan.endeavor.org

In this episode of Thought Behind Things, we’re joined by Arif Iqbal, the Co-Founder & CEO of LAAM, a fashion-tech startup transforming how South Asian brands scale globally through technology and logistics.

With a stellar background as an engineering leader at Facebook, Microsoft, Pinterest, and eBay, Arif shares how LAAM is building Pakistan’s Shopify-alternative helping thousands of local brands reach global audiences while solving the #1 reason most Pakistani ecommerce ventures fail: logistics.

We uncover:
- Why LAAM is not a fashion company, but a tech & logistics company
- How LAAM enables 48-hour local delivery & 5-day global shipping
- Why most Pakistani ecommerce startups fail — and how LAAM solves that
- The $5M+ raised and LAAM’s journey with Endeavor Global
- How Octane, LAAM’s backend engine, is bypassing Shopify limitations

With the ambition to become Pakistan’s next tech unicorn, Arif shares his long-term vision of turning LAAM into the Amazon of South Asia — and a homegrown global success story.

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Arif's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arifiqbal/
Endeavor's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/endeavor-pakistan

Listen on:
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3z1cE7F
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3cgIkf
Google Podcasts: https://music.youtube.com/channel/UCAkPt3qoHX1Z8uS1_-0kmGA

Credits:
Executive Producer: Syed Muzamil Hasan Zaidi
Associate Producer: Saad Shehryar
Publisher: Talha Shaikh
Editor: Jawad Sajid

Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
3:24 - LAAM's Current Scale
5:55 - Local vs International Customers
7:10 - Tariffs Impact on Ecommerce
11:51 - Supply Chain & Cost Breakdown
16:31 - 30-Day Delivery is Dead
24:39 - Learning from China’s Logistics
31:48 - Regional Hub Partnerships
35:39 - Octane & Tech Infrastructure
38:49 - Company Structure & Revenue Model
41:34 - Fashion-Only Partners?
42:53 - Hypothetical Football Ecommerce Store
49:27 - Muzamil’s Planner Online Store
53:23 - Empowering Micro Sellers with Shipping
56:56 - Is Octane Only for Global Warehousing?
59:24 - Why Muzamil Shut Down His Store
1:01:21 - Faster Than Khaadi & Sapphire!
1:04:10 - Onboarding of New SMEs on Octane?
1:05:29 - LAAM's Warehousing Optimization
1:11:53 - Funding & Investment Rounds
1:12:49 - Is LAAM Profitable?
1:15:15 - What is Endeavor & What it Did for LAAM
1:19:51 - LAAM's Vision for 2030
1:24:42 - Final Thoughts