Seven women-led companies win RS1.5mn each in seed grants

Standard Chartered Bank Pakistan, in partnership with INNOVentures Global (Pvt.) Limited, announced Thursday the seven winners of the #SCWomenInTech Programme 2021. 

Out of the top 25 teams, seven teams were selected as winners and were awarded Rs1.5 million in seed grants.  

Standard Chartered reported that more than 350 applicants had applied for the programme, out of which the top 25 teams were shortlisted. 

Shortlisted teams went through the #SCWomenInTech programme for three months where they were offered coaching, mentoring and business management skills to grow their businesses to the next level. 

The winners will be supported by Standard Chartered with extended mentoring and a milestone-based disbursement of the amount for a period of 9 months.

Winning Companies 

The winners for Standard Chartered Women in Tech (WiT) 2021 are: 

Civixa - A startup seeking to automate the process of classifying objects and developing algorithms for easy use in artificial intelligence applications. 

Out Class - An online platform for the Pakistani tuition market, providing high-quality teaching and delivery.

Storytellers Club - A traditional venture providing co-curricular and extra-curricular storytelling and play for kids aged between two to ten years, seeking to establish an online presence post COVID-19.

Abey Khao - An innovative venture providing economic opportunity to the deaf by starting food carts that sell through sign language. The venture is now looking to build a digital ordering system.

Cheezain Etc. - An eCommerce store and one-stop-shop for trendy home accessories. 

MediQ - A digital health application that provides access to online consultations, as well as, other related services. The app is now looking to scale up its operations. 

SLOSH AI - A software tool that automates the reading and diagnosis of chest x-rays for radiographers and other service providers.

The programme 

The programme was first launched in October 2014 by Standard Chartered Americas as a local community project.

Standard Chartered launched WiT in Pakistan in March 2019. Since then, 70 businesses have gone through extensive training, coaching and mentoring sessions.

The Standard Chartered Women in Tech (WiT) program supports female-led entrepreneurial teams with business management training, mentoring, and seed funding.

The accelerators were designed to help address gender disparity in the technology sector and to use technology to tackle social challenges faced by communities.