Lahore Businesswomen Azima Dhanjee takes home grand prize at the TiE Global Pitch Competition for Women

By: WE Staff | Thursday, 15 December 2022

At the TiE Global Summit 2022 in Hyderabad, pitches were pouring down. The event hosted the Women's Global Pitch competition and was one of the largest expos for entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and mentors. The semi-finals and finals were held over two days, and there was a $100,000 grand prize as well as smaller equity-free cash prizes.

A  Pakistani businesswoman from Lahore named Azima Dhanjee took home the top prize of $100,000. She made a presentation to a distinguished jury, a group of investors, and a sizable audience about her firm, ConnectHear, which is based in Lahore but registered in Denver, US. A social enterprise called ConnectHear promotes deaf inclusion and accessibility to sign language in Pakistan. Azima saw the difficulties hearing people with hearing loss have in everyday communication and inclusion because she was born to and reared by deaf parents. Professional sign language interpreting services are offered by ConnectHear through both in-person and video-based channels.

Amy Beckley of Colorado took first runner-up honours at the international pitch competition for her startup, Proov. After two IVF cycles and seven miscarriages, Amy gave birth to Cash, her first child. The second time, she realised she only required a straightforward supplement that only cost $200. She developed Proov, a collection of at-home pregnancy-related hormone tests, after realising that IVF has a very high cost-low success rate ratio. Women can use Proov tests to measure all menstrual hormones on a daily basis and take photos of each test using the free Proov Insight app. In order to understand their ovulation status and receive daily insights and an ovulation Insights score, they can then follow the in-app prompts throughout their cycle.

The app then generates a customised action plan to improve wellness or create a fertility plan.

The TiE Global Summit 2022's pitch fest received 1,267 applications from 46 different countries, was reviewed in 36 regions, and featured groups from 16 different countries. Nandita Shetty's Lactation Labs, based in Austin, came in second. The startup checks breast milk for toxins from the environment as well as basic nutrients like calories and protein, as well as vitamins and fatty acids. The outcomes are then presented in a user-friendly report that is written to resemble a food label, with professionals outlining how the findings affect the child, making recommendations for improving milk quality, and offering the option for a private consultation.

Nalini Aparanji of Taare Zameen Par, who provides mobile planetariums and science labs to rural schools, was one of the other finalists.

Saudi-Arabia-based Hadeel Ayoub is the creator of BrightSign, the only glove in the world that instantly translates any sign into any language. The Baby Garage is an online marketplace that links buyers and sellers of used and new baby products, and it is run by Egyptian native Farah Ahmed Farag.

Vani Kola, the founder and managing director of Kalaari Capital, MR Rangaswami, the founder of Indiaspora, CEF, and Sand Hill Group, Gopal Srinivasan, the CEO of TVS Capital Funds Limited, and Nirupa Shankar, joint managing director of Brigade Group, served on the jury for the Global Pitch Fest finals.