The first-ever She’s Next programme in Pakistan has five winners, according to Visa (NYSE: V), a worldwide leader in digital payments, and HBL, the top bank in Pakistan. She’s Next is a global platform that supports women entrepreneurs by helping them raise capital, manage their businesses, and expand.
Ayesha Awan, cofounder of SocialBlu; Sadaf Rehman, cofounder of CodeSchool; Rida Zainab, cofounder of Porter Pakistan; and Ziana Sakhia, CEO and cofounder of Bechlo, were among the winners. In addition, there was a People’s Favourite Award in which online voters selected Hira Javaid, CEO of Foster Learning, as their favourite finalist.
From a pool of over 2,500 applications, winners were selected from a variety of industries in Pakistan, including textiles, education, food and beverage, professional services, beauty, and wellness. In addition to receiving a US$10,000 award each, the five woman-owned small firms that won were given entry to the She’s Next Club, which provides them with a workshop library, a community of entrepreneurs for mentorship, and a customised training programme by Katalyst Labs.
A jury assessed the entries according to the applicant’s track record as an entrepreneur, the strength of their company’s KPIs, their online presence, and their capacity to boldly address challenges. Aatif Awan, Founder and Managing Partner of Indus Valley Capital; Maya Inayat Ismail, Chief of Staff to the Chairman and Chairperson, Sustainability Forum-HBL, Carl Manlan, Vice President of Visa for Social Impact in Central Europe, Middle East, and Africa (CEMEA); and Sheema Sultan, CEO of Core Gym, were among the jury members.
“We are thrilled to announce the winners of our inaugural She’s Next in Pakistan and recognise the ambition and confidence of these women entrepreneurs,” stated Leila Serhan, Senior Vice President and Group Country Manager for North Africa, the Levant, and Pakistan (NALP), Visa. It was difficult for us to choose our finalists from among over 2,500 amazing Pakistani women, and it was much more difficult for our judges to choose tonight’s winners. This is only the beginning, and our goal is to keep collaborating with our partners to strengthen this powerful network of female entrepreneurs.
