Women Techpreneurs

Women Techpreneurs is an incubation program designed to address the pressing need for empowering aspiring women entrepreneurs in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral where they often face obstacles such as limited access to specialized support, financial constraints, and a scarcity of mentors in non-traditional sectors. Women Techpreneurs aims to break these barriers, fostering economic empowerment and cultivating a generation of business-savvy role models for future women leaders.

Women Techpreneurs

Program Goals

The goals of Women Techpreneurs are to:

Equip women entrepreneurs with the required skills and knowledge for launching and growing a business.
Improve investment readiness of women-led businesses by adopting sustainable business
models, using tools such as Business Model Canvas, Financial Model, and Pitch Deck.
Educate women entrepreneurs about the local and global market opportunities and create
market linkages
Help women entrepreneurs secure potential financing from AP and external investors

Who Is This Program For?

Aspiring and existing women entrepreneurs with potential business ideas around following identified problems in Hunza and Chitral regions:

Chitral

The Chitral region faces a critical challenge in the limited diversification of cash crop production. The current reliance on a narrow range of crops poses economic vulnerabilities and inhibits the exploration of new market opportunities. 
The women hold great talent in the handicraft sector but the lack of modern fusions in the design and insufficient knowledge of digital integration in the businesses has kept them away from the potential market. 
Insufficient healthcare facilities, telehealth facilities and a notable absence of accessible pharmacies is a pain point in the region. This scarcity undermines the delivery of essential medical services and disrupts the timely availability of medications.

Hunza

Poor town planning exacerbates challenges, creating logistical and supply chain issues that hinder efficient operations for local businesses. 
Limitations in sustainable accommodation options, transportation, and recreational facilities for the tourists, leading to challenges in providing a seamless and enjoyable experience. 
Lack of technology integration in the conventional/traditional businesses.

Components of Women Techpreneurs

Women Techpreneurs will bring together all the essential elements of the acceleration 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.

Who Can Apply?

Female entrepreneurs aged 18-35
Region: Hunza and Chitral
Startup must be led or co-led by a woman.
Startup must be in the ideation, development and launch stage, pre-revenue, or early stage.