Tibbi.pk, a health tech startup has won the title of SHE LOVES TECH Pakistan 2022 winner from amongst 1000+ applicants and 10 local rounds across the country.
Tibbi’s mission is to help the citizens of Pakistan enjoy a healthy, happy, and long life by spreading medical and medicinal awareness while also offering clinical accessibility, online doctor consultation, and online medicine home delivery at a reduced cost.
Mandma NFTs, a web 3.0 startup was declared runner-up for the final pitch round. Their startup creates virtual wearable accessories and NFT’s for the metaverse.
CIRCLE WOMEN ASSOCIATION, a tech nonprofit imparting digital and financial literacy, and startup support to female-led micro-enterprises in collaboration with HBL as its partner; has brought the World’s largest startup competition for women in technology, She Loves Tech to Pakistan for the sixth consecutive year. The aim of this platform is to close the gender funding gap by offering opportunities for capacity building, networking, and access to funding for tech-based female-led startups.
Read more: She Loves Tech; Empowering Women in Pakistan
The global startup competition performed regional rounds across ten cities in Pakistan showcasing women-led startups with the goal of promoting women’s empowerment and advancement. In a country where under 25% women are part of the formal economy, entrepreneurship combined with technology can become a strong avenue for economic growth.
Held at the Indigo Hotel, Lahore on Wednesday, October 26, 2022, the final round of the She Loves Tech Pakistan 2022 competition had the Acting Consul General Lahore, Daryn Yoder, Veteran actor and development sector professional, Simi Raheal, MPA and Spokesperson to CM and Punjab Government, Musarrat Jamshed Cheema and Head of Branch Operations and Account Services at HBL, Fauzia Janjua as the Chief Guests for the evening.
Organized by @CIRCLEwomen_ in partnership with #HBL, the final round of @SheLovesTechOrg Pakistan 2022 competition was held in Lahore.
Now the global conference will be held in Singapore after the virtual finals, where global finalists from 70+ countries will compete. pic.twitter.com/ZyeD6R9iiG— HBL (@HBLPak) October 27, 2022
Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Raheel said, “ Creativity, Hope, and Dreams are the three words that one needs to engrave in the heart if one truly wants something. Those who do not pursue the conventional norms and wander; create. All of the startups here have created ideas because they thought of alternatives. They have made the world curious about Pakistan and what Pakistani entrepreneurs, especially females, bring to the table. I stand here today with great pride and respect for all the girls who created a space for themselves.”
Commenting on the initiative, Fouzia Jabeen Janjua, Head Branch Operations and Account Services – HBL, said, “HBL has a strong commitment to advancing women’s economic empowerment in Pakistan. Through this partnership, we are committed to supporting digital literacy, financial inclusion, and entrepreneurship for women. The Bank, in line with its purpose to promote financial and digital literacy amongst women, will continue to support such initiatives.”
Read more: HBL teams up with NIFT ePay to accelerate digital payments in Pakistan
Supporting women-led companies
Ten female-led tech startup pitch winners from the local rounds including BizB Store, SeeVitals Solutions, Alt-Ed, Stress Saviors Pvt, Event Tech, Mandma NFTs, Shopolace, Tibbi, Dollat Inc. and Mountainshop.pk participated in the final round. These startups are working in the fields of Healthtech, Edutech, Fintech and ConsumerTech etc.
The startups pitched their ideas to an incredible panel of judges, including Mian Faizan Mahmood (Managing Partner Emerald Labs), Atyab Tahir (Former CEO JazzCash), Khurram Saleem (CEO Unze Trading.), Myra Qureshi (Co-founder & CEO of Conatural) and Hiba Dar (Senior Communications Manager at Coca Cola Company).
Sadaffe Abid, Founder & CEO CIRCLE, speaking of her vision of developing a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem for women in the country said, “She Loves Tech Pakistan is playing a lead role in supporting women-led startups and inspiring women and girls across the country towards tech and entrepreneurship with support of our long standing partner HBL.”
“There is a lack of support for women, limited role models and low investment in women. That is why platforms like She Loves Tech and our male allies are critical and together we must collaborate to accelerate the pace of change. The most powerful element of She Loves Tech is that it is a women-led initiative where women are showing their own commitment, shared values and a common mission.” Abid added.
The conclusion of this event marks the celebration and commitment towards entrepreneurship, leadership, capacity building, and innovation in the Pakistani startup ecosystem, especially for the female entrepreneurs in the country.
Read more: HBL launches first all-women branch in Hyderabad
The global startup competition finale will happen online, where global finalists from 70+ countries will compete for a prize of USD 50,000 with other cash prizes worth USD 100,000, followed by the startup Global Conference in Singapore.
She Loves Tech is a renowned global startup acceleration platform providing women startups funding opportunities, mentorship, and networking support in 70+ countries. CIRCLE WOMEN ASSOCIATION has been successfully organizing She Loves Tech in Pakistan since 2017 under its long-term strategic partnership with HBL.