The U.S.-Pakistan Women’s Council (USPWC) and USPWC member Paklaunch are accepting applications for up to 60 Pakistani women business owners to participate in the first cohort of the U.S.-Pakistan Women’s Council-Paklaunch Accelerator for Women Entrepreneurs.
USPWC aims to increase the volume of mid- to late-stage entrepreneurs focused on U.S.-Pakistan job creation through mentorship, pitch competitions, and enhanced industry awareness for women entrepreneurs.
The Paklaunch-Council accelerator for women entrepreneurs is a foundational step towards this goal. It aims to increase the pipeline of investment ready entrepreneurs, while enabling early-stage entrepreneurs to gain skills, networks, and information critical to launching and scaling companies, and graduating to late-stage companies.
The program will consist of six one-hour webinars, office hours, and will culminate in a pitch competition.
Program Content
- Immersive Webinars: Led by investors, business leaders and entrepreneurs from the United States and Pakistan, six immersive webinars will guide women business leaders on topics critical to helping entrepreneurs gain market share, differentiate and build a brand, and expand market access, among other topics. For a webinar schedule, please visit the website, linked here.
- Office Hours: Cohort participants will have access to office hours with successful U.S.-based entrepreneurs to help refine and develop a business pitch and ask questions related to developing and scaling a business.
- Pitch Competitions: Participants will submit business decks to a panel comprised of leaders from USPWC and Paklaunch and receive feedback on their business ideas. Finalists will have an opportunity to pitch their business ideas to leading U.S. and Pakistani investors convened by Paklaunch and USPWC.
- Certificate of Completion: Paklaunch and USPWC will issue a joint certificate of completion.
Note: Participants must attend all 6 webinars to be eligible to participate in the virtual office hours or pitch competition.
Target Audience
The first cohort of the U.S.-Pakistan Women’s Council-Paklaunch Accelerator aims to support early-stage women business owners in Pakistan and is sector agnostic.
Informational Webinar
On April 16 at 10pm PKT, Pakistani women business owners are invited to participate in an informational webinar led by Paklaunch and USPWC. Participation is highly encouraged but not mandatory. The webinar will be available on USPWC’s and Paklaunch’s Facebook pages following the event for those unable to attend in person.
To register for the informational webinar, please click here: Zoom Registration – Paklaunch Accelerator Informational Webinar
Program Requirements
Applicants must meet the following criteria to be considered for the program:
- A women business owner and citizen of Pakistan
- Currently living in Pakistan
- Fluent in written and spoken English
- Early-stage entrepreneur with a proven business model
Application Process
Each applicant must submit an application package to Paklaunch by no later than April 20, 2023. Finalists will be notified by April 25.
To complete the application: Paklaunch Accelerator Application Form
If you have questions, please email admin@paklaunch.com with a subject line: “Inquiry: U.S.-Pakistan Women’s Council-Paklaunch Accelerator
