The Bicester Collection has announced the six winners of the Unlock Her Future Prize 2025 – South Asia Edition. Chosen from more than 2,400 applicants, the winners represent some of the region’s most promising women-led ventures spanning disability inclusion, food security, maternal health, climate innovation, and economic empowerment. Each receives up to US$100,000, extensive leadership and media training, and mentorship from Oxford University’s Saïd Business School. Supported by Ashoka and endorsed by UN Women, the Prize aims to close global funding gaps for women entrepreneurs.
A 2019 report by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) shows that if men and women were equally represented in entrepreneurship, global GDP could rise from 3% to 6%, equivalent to up to $5 trillion. Yet, according to Harvard Business School, fewer than 3% of women-led businesses receive venture capital funding. In 2022, The Bicester Collection — a chain of 12 internationally renowned luxury shopping destinations across Europe, China, and North America — launched the Unlock Her Future Prize to fill this gap. Since then, the Prize, part of The Bicester Collection’s DO GOOD philanthropic programme, has quickly become a global platform after its launch in the MENA region in 2022 and expansion to Latin America in 2023.
“Empowering these visionary women is more than celebrating their success; it’s about creating ecosystems that spark ripple effects, transforming societies.”Chantal Khoueiry, Chief Culture Officer, The Bicester Collection
The Prize occupies a hybrid space between philanthropy and acceleration, offering women founders access to capital, mentorship and networks that are often out of reach. Supported by the Ashoka group and endorsed by UN Women, it seeks to move promising ideas from intention to implementation in a significant shift in South Asia, where social infrastructure gaps remain stark between the genders.
When The Bicester Collection opened applications for the South Asia edition of the Prize earlier this year, it expected a strong response. What it received was more like a groundswell: over 2,400 women from across the region submitted early-stage ideas to address some of South Asia’s most entrenched social and environmental challenges.
This year’s jury — Desirée Bollier (Chair and Global Chief Merchant, The Bicester Collection), Dr Rubana Huq (Vice Chancellor, Asian University for Women), Priya Sigdel (Social Entrepreneur & Media Personality), Rishini Weeraratne (Editor, The Sun (Daily Mirror) and Head of Social Media, Wijeya Newspapers), and Paroma Chatterjee (CEO of Revolut India) — unanimously selected these six winners whose ventures address challenges that transcend class, geography, and access such as child education, disability inclusion, food security, water scarcity, maternal health, and economic inequality.
In India, Amritha Krishnamoorthy’s Stepping Stones Centre is working to expand specialised education and therapy for children with autism and developmental disabilities, a sector that remains chronically underserved. Fellow Indian entrepreneur Jhillika Trisal, through Cognitii, is pairing human expertise with AI-driven tools to make special-needs education more accessible for children and their families. Across the border in Pakistan, Nida Yousaf Sheikh’s H2O Technologies is offering a climate-responsive alternative to water scarcity, producing drinking water from atmospheric humidity in regions where access to clean water is deteriorating rapidly.
In Nepal, Sophiya Tamang’s Idea to Impact is addressing malnutrition and food waste simultaneously by converting surplus agricultural produce into fortified fruit purees. This model also increases women farmers’ incomes.
Bangladesh’s Nishat Anjum Palka is reshaping access to maternal and child health with Mommykidz, a digital community offering credible health information and essential care products in a safe, stigma-free environment. And in Bhutan, Yangchen Dolkar Dorji’s LEAD+ is investing directly in grassroots and women-led enterprises, providing funding, mentorship and market pathways for businesses largely excluded from formal systems of support.
Each winner will receive up to US$100,000 in funding, along with leadership training, academic mentorship from Oxford University’s Saïd Business School, media guidance, access to The Bicester Collection’s global network of partners, and a 12-month mentorship programme with international experts through Ashoka. The organisation views this model — which focuses on early investment and guidance — as a way to help ventures move beyond pilot stages and develop long-term resilience.
The South Asia Edition also carries symbolic weight for The Bicester Collection. Its return to the UK coincides with the 30th anniversary of Bicester Village, marking a moment where the company is emphasising its shift from being solely a luxury retail destination to being an active participant in global social impact. Through its DO GOOD programme, it positions the Prize as part of a broader effort to support women and children worldwide.
Since its inception, the Unlock Her Future Prize has supported entrepreneurs across 39 countries, contributing solutions to 16 Sustainable Development Goals. Its next chapter will take shape in 2026, when the initiative expands to East and Southeast Asia, opening applications to women innovators across 15 countries, including Indonesia, Japan, Mongolia, South Korea and Vietnam.
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