Karachi’s Saleh Asif Joins Forbes Billionaires List After AI Startup Success

KARACHI: In a major milestone for Pakistan’s tech industry, 26-year-old entrepreneur Saleh Asif has been included in the billionaire rankings published by Forbes, following the rapid global success of his AI startup.
Saleh Asif is a co-founder of “Cursor,” an artificial intelligence-powered code editing platform developed alongside his colleagues during their time at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The company has quickly emerged as one of the fastest-growing AI startups worldwide.
In November 2025, Cursor raised $2.3 billion in a major funding round led by Accel and Coatue, pushing its valuation to approximately $29.3 billion. The platform has reportedly crossed $1 billion in annual revenue and is used by millions of software developers globally.
More than 50,000 technology companies—including NVIDIA, Adobe, Uber, and Shopify—are said to utilize Cursor for coding and editing purposes.
Beyond business success, Saleh Asif has a strong academic background. He represented Pakistan in the International Mathematical Olympiad between 2016 and 2018. During his time at MIT, he also launched an AI-based search engine startup, reflecting his early interest in innovation and entrepreneurship.
The achievement has drawn widespread praise on social media, with many highlighting him as a role model for young Pakistanis—showcasing how talent, innovation, and hard work can lead to global recognition and success in emerging technologies like artificial intelligence.