Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) launched a tech incubator called The Nest I/O organized a startup Weekend Women edition last week, where more than 200 women entrepreneurs participated. The motive of this event was to help them start their own tech businesses.
An idea entitled “Safe Nest” presented by a group won the competition. Safe Nest is a project in which safe housing communities are built for women who live alone in the city. This proved to be one of the most necessary start-up as Pakistan is ranked to be the third-most dangerous country for women. (Source)
The Nest I/O has held three editions of Startup Weekend Women in Karachi. The event not only focuses on elevating the local women but also provides them with the opportunity to showcase their talent internationally at Techstars Global Startup Weekend Women, which is going to held in Singapore on March 2020.
In the Nest I/O, there were almost 200 applicants. Only 70 of these women got shortlisted to present their ideas on marketing, designing, and businesses.
In the competition, “CalmWalay” won second place. The service is supposed to provide servants for households with proper screening and no hassle. The service also gives vocational training to new hires through different workshops. The third place was won by an application named “Carpoolers”, which mainly focuses on university students to reduce their travel costs.
Special credit was given to another startup named “Little Rebels” designs funny gender-neutral clothes for kids. And “Decentra Cars” a car buying and selling service through blockchain technology, which is more safe and secure.
In total 36 ideas were presented in the event, 56-hours long decision-making process of the crowd and then judges, decided the final winner of the day. the panel was consist of 4 judges including Samra Muslim, Founder at Walnut Communications, Naz Khan, Managing Director at X-Petroleum Limited, Misbah Naqvi, Managing Partner at i2i Ventures, and Jehan Ara, President P@SHA and Founder of The Nest I/O.
President of Parent company P@Sha and founder of The Nest I/O Jehan Ara said, “The main focus of Startup Weekend Women is to change the ratio of gender attendance during tech events. We have been hosting Startup Weekend since 2017 and we always make sure that we have a gender balance in all our events, but we still find that hosting Startup Weekend Women is very helpful for women because it gives them that comfort to show up and engage in a more meaningful way, to build and develop ideas with actual output.”
