by Sobia Ali
Twenty-five women entrepreneurs have completed a six-week training programme under She’s Next Karachi, an initiative supported by HBL and Visa, with Katalyst Labs serving as the execution partner. The graduates received certificates at a ceremony held at Katalyst Labs in the final week of October.
The programme aimed to help women strengthen their businesses through practical training, expert guidance and improved access to entrepreneurial knowledge. Participants attended six in-person sessions, each lasting two hours, with trainers tailoring the content to gaps identified through participants’ initial assessments.
The initiative comes amid persistent challenges for women entrepreneurs in Pakistan, including limited access to finance, gender bias and lower participation in the formal business sector.
Addressing Barriers Facing Women Entrepreneurs
Women remain underrepresented in Pakistan’s entrepreneurial landscape. Business Recorder reported in August 2025 that approximately 1% of Pakistani women engaged in entrepreneurial activity, while women-led firms accounted for less than 5% of registered enterprises.
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Women’s participation in the labour force also remains significantly below men’s, according to figures cited by UNDP Pakistan and the report.
Access to finance presents another challenge. In a written reply to the National Assembly, the finance minister stated that women and women-owned businesses held 13% of total commercial loans and 9% of private-sector credit as of March 2026.
The Visa and HBL Women SMB Digitization Index also highlighted obstacles faced by women entrepreneurs. According to the index, 79% reported experiencing gender bias, while 90% wanted payments training from a major financial institution.
She’s Next seeks to address some of these challenges by helping women entrepreneurs strengthen their business capabilities and navigate an increasingly digital marketplace.
HBL, Visa and Katalyst Labs Support Women-Led Businesses
HBL and Visa operate She’s Next as a platform for women entrepreneurs, with Katalyst Labs responsible for programme execution in Karachi.
Katalyst Labs, founded in 2021 by entrepreneur Jehan Ara, operates as a technology accelerator and innovation hub. Ara previously led the Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) from 2007 to April 2021 and received the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz in 2023.
HBL and Katalyst Labs formalised their partnership on 24 May 2021 to run a cohort-based fellowship for women entrepreneurs and professionals. She’s Next Club Karachi developed from that collaboration.
The fall 2026 cohort completed its training at the Katalyst Labs office through interactive sessions led by six practitioners with experience building businesses and careers. Five of the six trainers were women.
Six Sessions Focus on Practical Business Skills
The programme covered key areas of entrepreneurship, from managing finances and building a brand to raising investment and adopting digital tools.
1. Startup Financials
Naveen Ahmed, Green Finance Lead at Renewables First and a CFA charterholder, opened the programme with a session on startup financial management.
She covered financial statements, cash flow, cash management, pricing, costs, profitability, forecasting, budgeting, unit economics, business metrics, tax compliance and record-keeping. The session also addressed financial planning as businesses scale.
2. Marketing and Branding
Madiha Sultan Tai, CEO of Karachi-based chocolate and dessert brand Lals, led the second session.
She guided participants through marketing strategy, target audiences, customer acquisition, social media, paid advertising, budget management, brand positioning, search engine optimisation, analytics, conversion and the use of artificial intelligence in marketing.
Lals opened its first shop in Zamzama in 2006 and received La Liste’s Pastry Discovery Gem Award in Paris in 2024.
3. Team Building and People Management
Sadia Dada, a transformation executive and communications specialist with more than 20 years of enterprise leadership experience, led the third session.
Her training addressed recruitment, talent acquisition, team structure, business scaling, leadership, delegation, accountability, employee motivation, retention, conflict management and the challenges of managing remote and flexible teams.
4. Startup Pitching and Fundraising
Dr Sara Saeed Khurram, co-founder and CEO of Sehat Kahani, delivered the fourth session on pitching and fundraising.
Sehat Kahani is a telemedicine platform that connects patients with online doctors while creating flexible work opportunities for women doctors.
Khurram helped participants understand how to develop an investment narrative, prepare a pitch deck, deliver presentations effectively and identify and approach potential investors.
5. Sales Strategy and Growth Hacking
Ziana Sakhia, CEO and co-founder of Bechlo.pk, led the fifth session, focusing on sales development and business growth.
Drawing on more than 12 years of experience in e-commerce, she discussed customer identification, acquisition, go-to-market planning, sales channels, revenue generation, conversion, customer retention, supply chains and logistics.
Sakhia also emphasised the role of entrepreneurship in helping women achieve greater financial independence.
6. Digital Transformation
Hanzala Raja, founder and CEO of Highfy, delivered the final session in the last week of October.
Highfy is an e-commerce business specialising in beauty and personal care products that Raja started while studying at LUMS. He was the only male trainer among the six programme facilitators.
His session explored process automation, digital business tools, AI applications, online sales, e-commerce, customer relationship management, digital payments and financial operations.
Graduates Receive Certificates at Katalyst Labs
The graduation ceremony brought together representatives of HBL and Visa, several programme speakers and members of the Katalyst Labs team.
Abdul Azeem Qureshi, Head of Cards Product at HBL, and Issam Mohammad, Product Manager representing HBL and Visa, presented certificates to the graduates alongside Jehan Ara, founder and CEO of Katalyst Labs.
The 25 graduates operate businesses across a range of fields, reflecting the diversity of women-led enterprise in Karachi.
By combining practical business training with industry expertise, She’s Next Karachi aims to help women entrepreneurs strengthen their operations, improve digital adoption and pursue opportunities for sustainable growth.
