Trending
Standard Chartered Foundation, INNOVentures Global and Village Capital have concluded the eighth cohort of the Women in Tech Accelerator for Pakistan.
The programme awarded equity-free grants to three women-led startups at a graduation ceremony in Karachi.
The winners will also receive six months of continued support and financial oversight. They will also gain lifelong membership in the Women in Tech Alumni Network.
EV Square, founded by Aimen Shafique, received the first prize of Rs5 million.
Blusha App, founded by Minahil Zafar, secured the second prize of Rs3 million.
The third prize of Rs2.5 million went to Zvolta, founded by Anusha Shahid.
The programme began with 30 founders participating in a six-day bootcamp.
AKUH Urges Women to View PMOS as a Whole-Body Health Issue
After the bootcamp, 10 women entrepreneurs received three months of tailored investment-readiness support.
The programme focused on business models, competitive advantage, scalability and funding strategies.
Participants also received expert mentorship and access to industry connections.
The Women in Tech Accelerator focuses on women building technology-enabled businesses.
The programme supports ventures that address market and community needs.
Participants receive investment-readiness support, grant funding and expert mentorship.
The organisers said the programme aims to help founders scale their businesses sustainably.
It also seeks to support job creation and long-term economic impact.
Adil Salahuddin, CEO and Head of Coverage at Standard Chartered Pakistan, congratulated the founders on completing the programme.
He said mentorship, business advisory support, industry connections and capacity-building opportunities can help entrepreneurs strengthen their businesses.
Salahuddin also said the programme supports founders as they scale their ventures and contribute to Pakistan’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
British Deputy High Commissioner in Karachi Alison Blackburne also congratulated the winners.
She said Pakistani women entrepreneurs are turning ideas into businesses that create jobs and improve lives.
Blackburne also praised the programme’s partners for providing women entrepreneurs with funding, skills and professional networks.
The founders presented their ventures to a judging panel featuring business and industry leaders.
The panel included Ghias Khan, Independent Non-Executive Director and Board Member at Standard Chartered Pakistan; Saad Amanullah, Board Member of FFC and President of PILAP; Musharaf Hai, former CEO of Unilever Pakistan; and Sara Khurram, CEO of Sehat Kahani.
The Pakistan accelerator forms part of Standard Chartered Foundation’s global Women in Tech initiative.
The programme has supported more than 200 women-led startups in Pakistan since its launch.
It has also awarded more than US$425,000 in grant funding to entrepreneurs in the country.
The latest cohort adds three more businesses to the programme’s network.
The organisers said continued mentorship and alumni support will help founders build on the progress made during the accelerator.
[…] Three Women-Led Startups Win Rs10.5m in Pakistan Accelerator […]