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"The Khadijah Program is our Women Entrepreneurship program, it's named after the first Muslim woman trader who was the wife of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). What Single Window offers to them during these programs is access to information on how to access finance, how to establish business-to-business connectivity, and how to market their products on their digital platforms." Pakistan Single Window (PSW)'s Khadijah Program intends to help thousands of export-ready Pakistani women entrepreneurs who are looking towards new markets. Part of this encompassing vision is the Khadijah Accelerator Program, designed by USAID's Pakistan Regional Economic Integration Activity (PREIA) and implemented by DAI. The Khadijah Accelerator Program aims to provide a sense of community and support for women-led businesses, helping them achieve their export ambitions. Beyond facilitating women exporters, PSW also aims to use its tech expertise to become an everyday enabler of women's participation in the workforce. Aftab Haider Shaista Ayesha - #women #exporters #trade #business #connections #markets #regional #digital #pakistan #USAID #VCastOnline

“I can stop opening spaces today and we can survive for the next 20 years without a penny of capital. Why? Because we’ve built a proper business.” COLABS is the market-leader in Pakistan's flexible workspaces, having raised funding in excess of $5 million so far, and gearing up for international expansion. Since its seed round, COLABS has grown its revenue and workspace capacity by five times and achieved net profitability. What makes the business unique in the category is its multiplier effect - building a community of startup founders and business leaders who can interact to unlock greater impact with the power of collaboration. COLABS stands out as the only co-working space to raise VC funding from Pakistan’s top investors, including Indus Valley Capital, Zayn VC, Shorooq Partners, Fatima Gobi Ventures, and Waad Investments. Omar Shah Ali Shah Aatif Awan - #entreprenurship #founders #vcfunding #startups #scale #profit #impact #global #pakistan #VCastOnline

"People are genuinely good. We don’t give them much leeway and we try to judge them according to ourselves. We should give people the margin, leeway, and the opportunity to better themselves and walk the right path," says Zafar Masud, CEO of The Bank of Punjab on the goodness of people. Sharing his insights after experiencing a plane crash, he highlighted the selfless acts of strangers who rescued him from the debris. His experience shows the compassion that exists in Pakistanis and how they come forward to help. - #humanity #kindness #perspective #zafarmasud #goodpeople #community #compassion #VCastOnline

Khaldoon Bin Latif, CEO of Alfalah Investments, shares his thoughts on refueling aspirations for millions of Pakistanis. - #aspirations #refueling #decisionmaking #hope #dream #design #independence #pakistan #VCastOnline

"It's about a dialogue to me. How do we dialogue on important issues?," says Nilofur Farrukh, Managing Trustee of Karachi Biennale Trust emphasizing the power of art as a bridge to open conversations on challenging, often silenced topics in post-colonial societies. In a landscape filled with unspoken boundaries, art can offer a dialogue that enables us to question, reflect, and connect over issues that deeply affect our collective experience. - #art #expression #postcolonial #freedom #conversation #society #KarachiBiennale #KB24 #VCastOnline

Khawaja Iqbal Hassan, shares his thoughts on the impact a leader's attitude can have on an organization. - #leadership #experience #impact #attitude #settingthetone #corporates #pakistan #VCastOnline

“Our policy has an inherent anti-export bias, we want to curtail our imports but effectively that means that we're actually reducing the exports. All taxes on imports are also taxes on exports.” Central Asia represents a significant market for Pakistan’s exports; which can be realized through meaningful exchange of information between businesses in the region. A cornerstone of USAID’s Pakistan Regional Economic Integration Activity (PREIA) has been to facilitate these business-to-business linkages, allowing a greater flow of trade. The recent implementation of TIR (Transports Internationaux Routiers) Convention has eased some of the logistics barriers in cross-border trade into Central Asia. However, the true quantum of Pakistan’s exports cannot be realized without directed policy reviews on tariffs and the cost of doing business as an exporter. - #exports #trade #region #taxes #policies #infrastructure #business #economy #pakistan #USAID #VCastOnline

"People from across Pakistan should come and meet with artists. Bring your children along and start talking to them about the challenges they’ll face in the future," says waheeda baloch, Curator of Karachi Biennale 2024. She believes that art can spark important conversations about social issues, helping us think about change. Real transformation happens when we keep these discussions going. Karachi Biennale Trust - #art #socialchange #dialogue #future #karachibiennale2024 #community #changemakers #VCastOnline

"To the younger workforce, I would like to say that try and understand what the role of a leader entails. Should it be those gender-based norms that we grew up seeing? Don't shed a tear, be tough, have a demeanor of steel; Is that what it takes to be really a leader?" Mehvish Waliany, CFA, CEO of Alkaram Studio, talks about the evolution of what it means to be a leader today. Naveen Naqvi - #leadership #values #traits #evolution #changes #gender #corporates #ceo #pakistan #VCastOnline #VCastStudio

Jazz is partnering with National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) and National Information Technology Board - NITB, Govt. of Pakistan to develop Pakistan's first local Al Large Language Model focused on Urdu and including datasets for Pashto and Punjabi. This project will help to empower individuals, businesses and organizations in Pakistan with Al tools in their native languages, enhancing digital inclusion and preserving linguistic and cultural heritage. - #digitalinclusion #AI #technology #linguistics #languagemodel #Pakistan #VCastOnline