According to a World Bank Report, only 11% of women in Pakistan utilize banking services and are four times less mobile than men. Standard Chartered Pakistan launched SC Women in Tech in 2019 to tap the economic potential of women in the workforce, with estimates indicating this could boost the economy by up to 30% by empowering women and girls to expand their skills, and gain access to information, finance, and assets.
SC Women in Tech offers women-led startups a chance to enter a comprehensive mentorship program, with the winners receiving a seed grant of PKR 1.5 million. In our third year, our challenge was to encourage women, especially working mothers, to enter the program.

REMOVING FUNCTIONAL BARRIERS

Based on previous years’ entries, our program’s biggest target was working mothers, who tend to run their businesses from home and are reluctant to scale due to lack of mobility, access to financial aid, caretaking responsibilities, etc. The pandemic also made matters worse. To make the program more accessible, we created a microsite, scwomenintech.com.pk, to conduct the entire event digitally.

OVERCOMING EMOTIONAL BARRIERS

Research also showed that women were less likely to participate due to issues of self-doubt and nagging Imposter Syndrome. Representation matters, and to inspire women founders to enter, we chose four Women in Tech alumni to be the face of our campaign, #SheStandsToChallenge. These role models came from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, age groups, and interests, but their message was one: Any woman who challenges self-doubt is unstoppable.

The campaign was launched on International Women’s Day with conversations around inspirational women and their impact on the socio-economic landscape of Pakistan. Our campaign was promoted in collaboration with female-only entrepreneurial groups and endorsements from women leaders in Pakistan’s tech industry. As a result, we saw a 36.17% increase in entries after the campaign rollout.