U.S. Seed funding for women entrepreneurs

The United States (U.S.) has provided seed funding to women entrepreneurs to grow their businesses in Pakistan.

According to a statement issued by the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan on Thursday, more than 30 participants from the second Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) program, sponsored by the United States, competed for seed funding for their business start-ups on October 28.

A panel of judges, comprised of Pakistani and American businesswomen, selected the top four proposals after reviewing participants’ business plans and hearing their pitches.

The four winners of the seed-funding competition, Amna Afridi, Nayab Gohar, Khush Bakhat Hussain, and Asia Umar Khan, will receive $5,500, $4,500, $3,500, and $2,500, respectively, to launch or grow their business in Pakistan.

Deputy Counselor for Public Diplomacy Jacqueline Deley congratulated the graduates during the closing ceremony, stating: “Your success is Pakistan’s success, and we are proud to support you to become Pakistan’s dynamic entrepreneurs, business leaders, and economic influencers.”

It is pertinent to mention here that the AWE is a three-month, rigorous course of online study using the DreamBuilder (https://dreambuilder.org) platform developed by Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management and the American company Freeport McMoran.

AWE is designed to cultivate entrepreneurial know-how, help women entrepreneurs connect with funding opportunities, enhance opportunities for business expansion, and increase the likelihood of entrepreneurial success.