Women In Business

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. 

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. 

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: 

  • Develop and/or improve their business model, execution plan and existing processes 
  • Present a strong case for potential financing from Accelerate Prosperity and/or other financial institutions

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 

Components of Women In Business

Women In Business will bring together all the essential elements of the incubation program, starting with:

Business Training, Coaching and Advisory Services

Relevant business training, coaching and advisory sessions that allow an entrepreneur to develop and/or improve their business model and execution plan and present a case for potential financing. It also helps the entrepreneurs to document their business and meet all legal and compliance requirements to be able make their business ready for external financing.

Post Financing Technical Assistance

The following are key aspects of post-financing Technical Assistance:

a- Continued business mentoring, coaching and advisory from successful entrepreneurs, investors and AP’s business coaches.
b- Marketing, bookkeeping, and legal services from top-of-the-line services providers, completely free of cost.
c- 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.

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.

Instrument: Patient debt Ticket Size: Up to PKR 30 Million Interest Rate: Net 8-12% Term:Up to 10 years Other Requirements:Mortgage land or building Financing Select businesses who complete the incubation program successfully pitch for APs financing

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

Selection Criteria

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.
Business Criteria A unique and innovative business model with potential for causing or contributing to a transformative effect in the 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 relevant sector and the idea/ business being proposed, with significant skin in the business. Selection Criteria

Applications Closed for 2023