Equipping Pakistan’s Next Generation of Women Tech Leaders 

In Pakistan, like much of Asia and the Pacific, women remain heavily underrepresented in STEM fields – creating a critical gap in both higher education and the growing digital economy. Our “Build By Her” STEM hackathon series has been transforming opportunities for young women in STEM since 2020. The initiative is a platform to empower women-led startups to develop innovative solutions for their communities while building critical skills. Through focused mentorship and hands-on experience, women have emerged as more confident programmers, entrepreneurs, and tech leaders-helping close the gender gap in Pakistan’s growing digital sector.   

In collaboration with Accelerate Prosperity, we held the fifth iteration of the Built By Her Innovation Challenge at Aga Khan University in Karachi. The event showcased an impressive lineup of women-led startups from across Pakistan; 320 teams of women founders consisting of around 800 young individuals from grassroots communities participated in the online hackathon. 

Our top six finalists pitched their businesses to a panel of judges, and the winners received seed awards and potential investment opportunities to scale their businesses. While other shortlisted participants will be considered for investment by Accelerate Prosperity.  

• First prize: Filtresha, an innovative startup producing filter paper from chicken feathers 

• First runner-up: Kangaroo Care, a health-tech startup developing AI-powered medical devices for neonatal care 

• Second runner-up: Earthalene, a pioneering commercial mushroom cultivation in Chitral 

The panel highlighted the vital role of women entrepreneurs as catalysts for Pakistan’s economic growth and emphasized the need for sustained investment in women-led ventures. Panel judges included our President and CEO Laurel Miller, Asia Foundation Country Representative Muzaffar Ud Din, and special guest Fawad Soomro of Engro Foundation. Each of them emphasized the growing potential of women-led ventures, the importance of continuous support to women entrepreneurs, and how women are the key drivers to businesses grown across Pakistan.  

The event also included a fireside chat with Amneh Sheikh-Farooqi, CEO of Polly and Other Stories, and Aqsa Tariq, Founder & CEO of GrowElle Labs, discussing the challenges of leading impact-driven businesses in today’s world.