There is no shortage of skilled women entrepreneurs — it’s only a matter of being intentional about discovering them and supporting their entrepreneurial journeys.
Through its “She’s Next” campaign, Visa, a renowned leader in digital payments, is on a mission to enhance the economic opportunities for women-owned businesses and to foster inclusive growth.
Since 2020, Visa has dedicated around $3 million to fund over 250 grants and coaching opportunities for women small business owners through the She’s Next program. Winners received a $50,000 grant with customized training and technical assistance to improve their business and digital skills.
This article spotlights the innovative entrepreneurs who emerged as winners of She’s Next in the GCC.
Qatar
In Qatar, Maya Habib is the founder of The Guilt-Free Kitchen, a kitchen dedicated to producing gluten-free and minimally processed baked goods.
“The market is filled with ultra-processed products not just in Qatar but in the world. We at The Guilt Free Kitchen are trying to change that,” Habib shared.
For Habib, winning the She’s Next competition came at the right time. The grant allowed them to significantly increase production capacity and invest in their facilities. They have also recently signed an agreement to franchise the kitchen in Saudi Arabia.
Kuwait
Yuser Al Mutawa and Yasmeen Alkandari, are the co-founders and CEOs of SEEDS Co, a leading sustainability company offering consultancy, training & workshops focused on green buildings and sustainability.
“We realized the importance of buildings being eco-friendly and fulfilling the three pillars of sustainability—society, economy, and environment—simultaneously.
We haven’t seen this principle applied here in Kuwait or heard much about it,” Alkandari said.
This prompted them to create an online platform to connect sustainability experts and entities providing green building products and services to potential clients in Kuwait. After three and a half years, SEEDS Co. shifted its business model and now provides green building and sustainability consultancy.
SEEDS Co. is currently engaged in a major sustainable project at Kuwait International Airport’s new terminal. “We are collaborating on various projects with local firms and have landed a key project in Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk region,” Al Mutawa stated.
Saudi Arabia
When Alia Alghobeen founded PTWay, there was no employment framework for part-time workers in Saudi Arabia. Today, the PTWay platform hosts over 2,800 active companies and around 300,000 part-time job seekers.
Commenting on her She’s Next win, Alghobeen stated, “Being part of the She’s Next initiative and winning has significantly impacted my career, enhancing my confidence and visibility.
“As a working woman and entrepreneur, people began linking my name with work. It also led to a Ministry expressing interest in collaborating with PTWay. We have partnered with a local bank interested in financing our projects and secured investment from a fund to support our new project, PayWay,” she added.
Oman
During her MBA studies in Tokyo, Yasmeen Al Alawi was impressed by the abundance of fresh food in Japan. Upon her return to Oman, she noticed a lack of healthy food options available there.
This gap prompted Yasmeen to start her healthy food blog, which attracted a community of people keen on buying the products she featured. This endeavor eventually evolved into Sprout, a popular health food café.
“The She’s Next initiative was a significant boost for our business. We reinvested the prize money into our operations. We hired a marketing expert who enhanced our brand visibility with targeted campaigns,” Al Alawi said.
As she looks ahead, she plans to open two more locations, franchise within the rest of the GCC region, and broaden their corporate catering services.
Bahrain
Aida Al Mudaifa, the She’s Next initiative winner in Bahrain and founder of Early Riser, produces healthy granola and nut butter.
Participating in She’s Next greatly benefitted Al Mudaifa’s business.
“If I hadn’t received that prize money, I would have had to use my own funds and possibly take out a loan. However, the cash really enabled us to expand our operations smoothly, implement automation, and even branch out to other retailers,” she stated.
About She’s Next
She’s Next is a global advocacy program committed to expanding opportunities for women-owned small businesses through funding, training, and mentorship. Winners in each country have the chance to receive a $50,000 grant, an exclusive mentorship program, and free membership to the AWS Connected Community where they can engage with on demand content and trainings, get AWS free credits and more. Applicants also get the chance to win the People’s Favorite Award prize of $10,000, determined by public vote.
You can find more details about She’s Next here: Visa She’s Next | Visa (visamiddleeast.com)
