Standard Chartered Pakistan has announced the selection of 10 female-led startups as winners of its Women in Tech Accelerator Programme, each receiving PKR 1 million to validate and scale their business models. The initiative, run in partnership with venture capital firm Village Capital and venture platform INNOVentures Global, selected these ventures from a cohort of 30 startups that participated in an intensive five-day business acceleration bootcamp.
The selected startups represent diverse sectors, including women’s empowerment, health and wellness, edtech, mental health, climate innovation, and circular fashion. Over the next eight weeks, these entrepreneurs will work closely with mentors and experts to refine their business strategies, test market assumptions, and prepare for sustainable growth.
Raeda Latif, Head of Corporate Affairs, Brand and Marketing at Standard Chartered Pakistan, highlighted the multifaceted nature of the program. She explained that the Women in Tech Accelerator, launched in 2019, is designed not only to provide funding but also to equip women-led ventures with mentorship, structured programming, and practical tools that enable them to scale confidently. “Together, we are creating an ecosystem where women-led ventures can drive meaningful economic impact across Pakistan,” she said.
Meet the 10 selected startups:
- Atfaal (Erum Sheheryar): A children’s clothing brand empowering underprivileged women through skills training and sustainable textile production by upcycling factory waste into affordable apparel.
- AZ CO (Asra Amin): Pakistan’s first women-centered coworking movement providing inclusive workspaces with mentorship, wellness, daycare facilities, and plans for an AI-powered hybrid platform.
- BizB (Sehrish Raza): A re-commerce marketplace for preloved fashion focused on revenue growth, mainstreaming resale, and enabling women as micro-entrepreneurs.
- Calcix International (Noor Riaz & Fizza Munir): A green materials startup producing biodegradable limestone-based pellets to replace plastics, targeting pilot projects with manufacturers.
- Dakhlay (Sheharbano Zuhair): Pakistan’s first end-to-end digital admissions platform simplifying higher education applications through personalized matching, deadline management, and financial aid guidance.
- Digital Superwomen (Nida S. Fahad & Tooba Syed): Built on a 70,000-member online community, this platform uses AI to deliver cohort-based training, mentorship, and career pathways for women in the digital economy.
- FitHER (Dr. Shaista Khalid): A women-first health and wellness ecosystem providing personalized, affordable solutions addressing unique physiology and life stages.
- Ootein (Maria Ameer): Pakistan’s first certified allergen-free food brand producing affordable staples in contamination-free facilities, aiming to scale through automation.
- Soch Matters (Hiba Khan): A mental health and career counselling platform offering confidential access to verified experts via one-on-one sessions and structured guidance.
- Yumkins Foods (Hira Mubeen): A nutrition-focused startup producing additive-free cereals for infants and toddlers to address early childhood nutrition gaps.
Through the validation grants and tailored mentorship, these ventures are expected to refine their models, secure partnerships, and position themselves for long-term success. The program demonstrates how targeted support for female entrepreneurs can drive innovation, strengthen economic participation, and build a pipeline of scalable businesses contributing to Pakistan’s startup ecosystem.