Groundbreaking startup CIRCLE, is bringing She Loves Tech 2020, a women-centric global technology startup competition, back to Pakistan for the fourth time.
This year CIRCLE will be hosting She Loves Tech Pakistan in 10 cities including Azad Kashmir, Sukkur, Multan and Faisalabad – while working with different NGOs, academic institutes, incubators and ecosystem partners across the country.
Last year CIRCLE team of six women embarked on a journey using trains, buses and public transport to promote She Loves Tech and encourage women to believe in themselves. The team was received with enthusiasm reinforcing the fact that the roads do belong to women.
Yishel Khan of DOT Mind Unlocked won the Pakistan She Loves Tech National competition in 2019 and traveled to China to represent the country and compete with 20 startups from across the globe at the Global finals in Beijing.
Yishel has worked with children who have mental disorders, which is why she is so clear about her mission.
“We at DOT use a data-driven approach. We have developed a wearable headset that reads brainwave activities and uses artificial intelligence to predict different mental health conditions and provide therapy through games”
She Loves Tech provided networks, exposure and capacity building workshops to Yishel. She is now in the midst of a conversation with manufacturers in China for their headsets leading to a launch in the market. The DOT team has been spreading awareness on COVID-19, and released an app called Breathe. This app will help people cope with stress and anxiety during these unprecedented times.
HBL, Pakistan’s leading bank is partnering again with CIRCLE to advocate for women’s equality in the field of technology and to make a case for Pakistan to invest in its women. And UNDP furthers its focus on youth development esp promoting women by supporting CIRCLE for She Loves Tech Pakistan.
CIRCLE Founder, Sadaffe Abid shared her excitement:
“This year we aim to impact 10,000 young women and girls through She Loves Tech Pakistan which will include pitches, digital boot camps, workshops and more. Investing in women is smart economics. Pakistan must build policies and ecosystems to support women.”
Deep dive into She Loves Tech Pakistan 2020
This year CIRCLE is hosting 10 local rounds that will all happen virtually making it possible for women anywhere in Pakistan to join from the comfort of their home. Further, the goal is to reach 10,000 young women and girls through the startup competition, the pitches, panels, inspiring talks, digital boot camps and workshops especially designed for women.
The 2020 edition of She Loves Tech will be happening in 30+ locations including China, Germany, Singapore, Hong Kong etc.
CIRCLE is bringing key incubators and stakeholders on board to execute the local rounds of the competition.
Our ecosystem partners include Momentum, NIC Karachi, Collabs, NIC Islamabad, NIC Peshawar, Tech Valley, NIC Quetta, Durshals, Sukkur IBA, SUIC amongst others who are partnering with CIRCLE to host the rounds and support in the outreach efforts.
20 startups from the local rounds will pitch in the semifinals and then the country’s top 10 will compete in the final round. Prior to the final, top mentors will be assigned to the finalists who will be able to hold office hours with the mentors on topics ranging from marketing, business planning, fundraising etc.
Eligibility Criteria
Early-stage startups that have a viable product beyond a conceptual stage are eligible to apply. Male entrepreneurs can also apply if their technology startup is impacting women positively or technology startups that have at least one woman entrepreneur in the founding team. A startup can figure out their eligibility by answering the following questions
- Are a significant proportion of end-users or consumers female?
- Are products specifically designed with women users in mind?
- Does the product itself address a problem that disproportionately affects women?
Prizes:
This year there will be a lot of cash prizes, investment opportunities and a chance to connect with VCs. If you are successful in the national round then you will an opportunity to win:
- $15,000 equity free cash prize
- Special media feature
- Special mentorship session with Top VC-Partner
- Pass to THK forum
- Customized boot camps
- Lots of investment opportunities
And a lot more!