Women In Business
Women In Business (WIB) is a customized financing readiness program that prepares female entrepreneurs of Gilgit Baltistan and Chitral region and their business for growth. The program also aims to help the entrepreneurs overcome difficulties faced due to a scarcity of resources and a shortage of effective mentorship and guidance in the region.
Program Goals
The goals of Women in Business are to enable the entrepreneurs:
- To provide tailored technical advisory services and help women in business further enhance their business models.
- To help women in business streamline their revenue streams and improve their financial models.
- To assist women in business, enhance their marketing strategy and increase sales.
- To provide access to patient debt financing to potential businesses
Who Is This Program For?
The program is specifically tailored for women-owned small and growing businesses (SGBs) operating in Gilgit Baltistan and Chitral. To participate in the program, your business must be:
- A woman-owned enterprise with established revenue streams
- Innovative and poised for high growth and impact
- Led by a team that is open to coaching and committed to growth and innovation
Problem Statements
This year, we’re looking for innovative business solutions tackling the following challenges:
High Prevalence of Stunting in Gilgit-Baltistan
We’re seeking entrepreneurs who can:
1- Develop nutritious, locally sourced food products for children and women
2- Commercialize fortified or processed foods to address nutrient gaps
3- Launch agri-based businesses using regenerative and organic farming
4- Build cold chain systems to ensure consistent food supply across the region
Post-Harvest Losses in Fruit Production
We’re looking for businesses that can:
1-Develop or operate cold storage and processing facilities
2-Introduce value-added fruit products (e.g. jams, juices, dried fruits)
3-Improve post-harvest management technologies
4- Create efficient transport and logistics models for perishable goods
Low Enrolment in Early Childhood Education (ECE)
We’re looking for businesses that can:
1- Establish or expand innovative ECE and ECD centres
2- Design mobile or digital learning solutions for remote areas
3-Produce locally made, affordable ECE materials and learning kits
4-Offer teacher training or edtech platforms to strengthen early learning
Components of Women In Business
Women In Business will bring together all the essential elements of the acceleration program, starting with:
Information Sessions
1. For the female entrepreneurs who are currently running their own businesses.
2. The sessions will share detailed information of the program and encourage females with innovative and scalable businesses to apply and get access to expert-led business advisory and finance.
Expert-Led Business Training and Advisory Services
1. AP-designed business training content will be delivered to women entrepreneurs to help them improve their investment readiness and help refine their business models, sales and marketing plans, financial models and pitch decks.
2. The advisory training will also include group activities and exercises so that they can apply the concepts in their own business and streamline their business models.
Demo Day
On the demo day, entrepreneurs will pitch their business to AP’s investment team for securing debt financing from Accelerate Prosperity.
One-on-One Business Advisory and Coaching
Selected SGBs will be attached to AP’s business coach for further one-on-one advisory on business development
Access to Co-working Spaces
Selected entrepreneurs, during or after the program, will have access to Accelerate Prosperity co-working space available in Gilgit, Chitral at a nominal cost/rental.
Market Linkages/Networking Opportunities
1. Women entrepreneurs will get the opportunity to become a part of the AP acceleration programs’ alumni community and be able to get access to alumni networking events and investor meetups.
2. Entrepreneurs will get the chance to hunt different points of sale, and better connect with their customer base and target market.
Financing
Upon the completion of the advisory sessions, AP’s investment team will recommend potential businesses for financing. The selected businesses will be reached out by their respective business coach and initiate due diligence.
Post Financing Technical Assistance
The following are key aspects of post-financing Technical Assistance:
1. Continued business mentoring, coaching and advisory from successful entrepreneurs, investors and AP’s business coaches.
2. Marketing, bookkeeping, and legal services from top-of-the-line services providers, completely free of cost.
3. Market and commercial linkages in various industries nationally and internationally.
**This is exclusively offered to portfolio businesses i.e., businesses that have received financing from AP.
Financing
Select businesses who complete the incubation program successfully pitch for APs financing.
Instrument:
Patient debt
Ticket Size:
Patient debt
Interest Rate:
Net 8-12%
Ticket Size:
Up to 10 years
Other Requirements:
Mortgage land or building
The Complete Journey of an Entrepreneur
Business Criteria
- A unique and innovative business model with potential for causing or contributing to a transformative effect in the health sector, specifically in terms of improving quality of services, increasing access, convenience and/ or affordability.
- A clear market niche, sound target market and customer base.
- Realistic competitive advantage in terms of price, quality and easy/ large access.
- Strong revenue and profit models, potential for scalability and growth.
- Strong value chain effect.
- The business demonstrates positive environmental and sustainable development (impact) effect.
Personal Criteria
- Strong entrepreneurial traits, including (but not limited to) leadership qualities, risk taking, street smartness, ability to do more with less etc.
- Coachable team, including (but not limited to) openness to advisory, learn, ability and openness to constantlyiterate, adapt and evolve based on changing conditions, realities or assumptions etc.
- Past experience in doing business, or as an employee in a similar industry, or subject matter expertise relevant to the product/ service.
- Strong interest in the health sector and the idea/ business being proposed, with significant skin in the business.
Selection Criteria
