Spring Accelerator, an accelerator program that helps create businesses that improve economic outcomes of girls by creating product and service for them, announces its second cohort of businesses: 18 early, growth and mature-stage businesses from Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan.
The accelerator, a partnership among DFID, USAID and Nike Foundation with the support from Girl Effect, first launched in East Africa with 18 entrepreneurs in 2015. The participants go through a nine-month long acceleration program working with leading Human-Centred Design experts to create products or services that enable girls to learn, earn, save and stay safe, the four key areas of the program.
The program also provides up to £50,000 GBP in Prototype Development Funds for each participant to facilitate the implementation of their innovations. Participants conduct research within the ecosystem they work in order to understand the predicament and challenges girls face and they come with ideas and prototype to solve those problems.
These year’s businesses include two companies from Bangladesh: DrinkWell and Infolady. What follows is a complete list of participants businesses. [source: Spring Accelerator]
Docthers
Provides affordable and quality healthcare to marginalised communities, mostly in rural areas, via nurse-assisted video consultations. doctHERS is female doctor led, offering much-needed access to healthcare. Trained doctors in the South Asian diaspora participate in service delivery and capacity building of the organisation.
The Dot and The Line
Creating scalable, low-cost learning environments in Pakistan – enabling women to earn a dignified income while impacting learning outcomes for primary and middle school children.
DPL
A technology consulting and services company working for leading brands in the US, Nordics and throughout Pakistan, creating digital platforms that empower and enable Pakistanis to disrupt media consumption.
DrinkWell
Addressing Bangladesh’s arsenic water crisis, affecting over 20 million people, through entrepreneurship. Drinkwell sells and services water filtration systems in arsenic-prone areas to rural entrepreneurs.
EasyPaisa
Easypaisa is Pakistan’s leading mobile banking service, with over 20 million active customers and 75,000 touch points across the country.
Engro
Among the biggest and fastest growing companies in Pakistan, producing UHT milk, tea whitener, dairy drinks, cream, and frozen desserts.
Goats For Water
Provides off-grid, rural, Base of the Pyramid communities in Pakistan with solar water pumping and lighting solutions in exchange for livestock valued at the communities’ one year fuel expense for diesel-based pumps.
Infolady
A community-centric, mobile model empowering communities through women info-preneurship in Bangladesh. Travelling by bicycle, Infoladies provide health and wellbeing consultation at homes and elsewhere in safe spaces on a wide range of issues including sexual and reproductive health, technology and connectivity.
Jeevan Bikas Samaj
Jeevan Bikas Samaj (JBS) is a national level NGO in Nepal implementing a microfinance program for poor and vulnerable people. It has achieved significant outcomes in microfinance service, income generation, women empowerment, community development, human resource development, education, awareness, health and sanitation.
Kalpavriksha Greater Goods
Kalpavriksha Greater Goods (KGG) is a women led wholesale distribution network that sells solar lights and other clean technology to the rural community of Nepal.
Nexsource
An IT and software development service with an innovative model for telemedicine and health data in Pakistan, operated by entrepreneurs.
Paritran
A risk management and training institute, providing analytics, security guards and risk management solutions to individuals and businesses to meet the unique environment in Nepal. Amongst these services is Fight Back – a holistic training program aimed towards managing the risk of sexual harassment, physical assaults and rape.
R&D Innovative Solution
Creating economic opportunities among the farming communities of Nepal by converting low profitable traditional agriculture occupation into sustainable inter-connected entrepreneurial venture.
Rooster Logic
Rooster Logic, Nepal, provides syndicated market research and reports to organisations who conduct regular research and monitoring activities using technologically empowered young women as enumerators, and robust REMO system to produce real-time analysis and infographics.
Shreenagar Agro Farm
A leading agri-business company in Nepal providing seed, feed, services, and market linkages.
Smartpaani
SmartPaani provides sustainable water management solutions including rainwater harvesting, water filtration and wastewater treatment/recycling to tackle the increasing shortage of safe water in Nepal.
Sunaulo Parivar Nepal
Sunaulo Parivar Nepal (SPN) is an NGO responsible for implementing Marie Stopes International’s program in Nepal. SPN provides a wide range of services to meet sexual and reproductive health needs of women, men and young people.
Switch
A mobile tech company that provides mobile value-added services, mobile apps and mobile market research across Pakistan.
You may know more about Spring Accelerator here and about this year’s cohort here.
Image by Spring Accelerator.