Female entrepreneurs from Pakistan are in contention for a prize, potentially securing $100,000 in financial backing.
The Unlock Her Future Prize 2025, an initiative by The Bicester Collection as part of its DO GOOD programme, is shining a spotlight on visionary female social entrepreneurs from South Asia. This competition aims to identify and support women change makers with inspiring not-for-profit business ideas or early-stage ventures of less than three years.
The competition's goal is to generate positive social, economic, and environmental impact across communities and beyond. The Bicester Collection, a group of luxury shopping destinations, is focusing its philanthropic efforts on this cause, partnering with Oxford Saïd Business School as the academic partner.
One of the finalists for the Unlock Her Future Prize is Nida Yousaf Sheikh, whose innovative justice tech nonprofit, Mehfooz AI, uses generative AI to support domestic violence survivors. Mehfooz AI analyses evidence, detects bias, and generates trauma-informed legal briefings to accelerate protective outcomes and drive systemic reform.
Another finalist, Khushbakht Shah Jillani, is a child custody and divorce lawyer from Pakistan. Her startup, Mehfooz AI, aims to revolutionise the legal landscape by providing accessible, bias-free legal support to survivors of domestic violence.
India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and Maldives are also represented among the remaining finalists. Aiza Salik's MyHisaab, a purpose-led fintech app, empowers women and first-time earners to build financial confidence. H2O Technologies, another Indian finalist, provides off-grid systems for extracting safe drinking water using humidity, solar power, or wheel-driven technology.
The semi-finalists also include Shaista Khalid, CEO of FitHer, a virtual wellness platform for women offering AI-personalised workouts, nutrition plans, and expert coaching. Namra Khalid, founder and CEO of Community Climate Design, was also a semi-finalist. Community Climate Design empowers communities to lead climate adaptation by restoring saline lands, implementing nature-based flood defences, and strengthening disaster preparedness to reduce climate risk sustainably.
In addition to the financial support, the finalists and semi-finalists will receive comprehensive support to launch and scale their startups. Ten exceptional female-led startups will receive Rs1m (approximately $13,600) from Standard Chartered.
Two Pakistani startups, Haball and PostEx, have already made it to the Forbes Asia 100 To Watch list, showcasing the potential of these innovative ventures.
The founder and CEO of The Bicester Collection, who oversees the Unlock Her Future Prize program, is not explicitly named in the search results. However, their commitment to philanthropy and sustainability is evident in this groundbreaking initiative.
The winners of the Unlock Her Future Prize 2025 will be announced soon, and the impact of these visionary women on their communities and beyond is already palpable. Maha Shahzad, Founder and CEO of BusCaro, encapsulates this sentiment perfectly: "Safe, affordable commute is a basic right."
