GEW 2015: GEN Ignite!-Episode 2

GEN Ignite! wishes to instill and nurture the spirit of entrepreneurship in the future generations of Pakistan so that youngsters don’t just look towards the job market as their only viable career option. It also aims to inspire and motivate potential female entrepreneurs into entering the very challenging, but rewarding, field of entrepreneurship.
GEN Ignite! was kicked off by Mavra Bari, Manager Communications and Outreach at WECREATE | PAKISTAN, who presented a comprehensive picture of WECREATE | PAKISTAN. Based on an affirmative action model, WECREATE | PAKISTAN is an incubator for women entrepreneurs who are interested in starting or expanding their business. She shared the astounding success WECREATE | PAKISTAN has experienced with their project Startup Academy Flight 1, which resulted in 13 out of 15 female participants successfully launching their businesses. This astounding rate of success demonstrates the positive changes WECREATE | PAKISTAN has made and will continue to make in the lives of Pakistani women in the future.
“It’s a dog eats dog world out there and one has to be a dog to be successful in this world,” emphatically stated Danielle Sharaf. She is the founder and CEO of Switch-ITC and was the first guest speakers at GEN Ignite! As a young tech entrepreneur, she lamented the dearth of female entrepreneurs in this field in Pakistan and the struggles she had to face to make a mark in the field because of her age and gender. She stressed that women entrepreneurs should keep in mind that failure is not the opposite of success but rather a learning opportunity and that Pakistani women should not let society pull them down. As an entrepreneur, she best epitomizes that the power of doggedness can enable you to make your mark in the toughest of situations and fields.
Zeba Hussain, Founder and Principal of Mashal Model Schools, was the second guest speaker at GEN Ignite! She shared her personal and professional struggles in an acute, open, and forthright fashion. Her life’s journey, varied personal and academic experiences are what led her to start Mashal Model Schools. The school is dedicated to providing street children of Nurpur Shah Islamabad with holistic education and ensuring other means of employment for them besides begging. She started her venture with just 2 children which mushroomed into over 400 young lives being changed for the better over the period of twelve months. Her inspiring story is a true testament to the struggles she faced and the power of good intentions.