The Women’s Entrepreneurial Center of Resources, Education, Access, and Training for Economic Empowerment (WECREATE) Center held its ‘Graduation Celebration of StartUp Academy Flight I’ in Islamabad September 21 to mark the completion of a 15-week program that takes aspiring female entrepreneurs from idea to business implementation. The graduates pitched their new businesses to community leaders, potential investors, and the press during the event.
Graduates of the program lauded the efforts of the WECREATE | PAKISTAN Center and said this program helped them develop the necessary skills to start and grow their own businesses. U.S. Embassy Economic Counselor Robert Garverick commented he was very impressed by the graduates’ business plans and by the efforts of the WECREATE | PAKISTAN Center to promote female entrepreneurship in Pakistan. “I look forward to seeing these women’s businesses grow and prosper. I expect these StartUp Academy graduates soon will be mentoring the next generation of female entrepreneurs in Pakistan.”
The StartUp Academy is a 15-week program designed to accelerate the startup process by walking female entrepreneurs through the universal steps required to build a company or to take their early-stage businesses to the next level. The WECREATE | PAKISTAN Center is now accepting applications for Flight 2 of the StartUp Academy; women from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply by the October 15, 2015 deadline. Additional details are available online at http://pakistan.wecreatecenter.com/.
The WECREATE | PAKISTAN Center, the first incubator in Pakistan designed specifically for female entrepreneurs, is playing an important role in advancing gender equality in entrepreneurship. The resources, training, and mentorship provided through the center enable Pakistani women to move from the informal sector to the formal sector while generating momentum for measurable economic and societal change. The center is supported by the U.S. Department of State in partnership with StartUp Cup INC, The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) Islamabad, Change Mechanics, and the Hashoo Foundation.
