The Unlock Her Future Prize, an annual start-up competition for female social impact entrepreneurs powered by The Bicester Collection, is making its debut in South Asia in 2025, following its success in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) in 2023 and Latin America (LATAM) in 2024. If the phrase Bicester Collection sounds familiar to you, that could be because their 12 “Villages” are popular tourist destinations for luxury retail at off-season prices. Yes, this is the same company that gives us Bicester Village in London, La Vallee Village in Paris and other shopping villages in other locations. Through its DO GOOD programme, The Bicester Collection aims to drive sustainable social change in support of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, with a focus on unlocking futures for women and children, wherever they’re born. This includes their Unlock Her Future start-up competition.

The global initiative focuses on a different part of the world each year to identify and support female social entrepreneurs who want to launch and scale system-changing start-ups. The 2025 edition of this prestigious prize welcomes applications from women who are residents of the region of South Asia. This would include Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Applicants should be at least 18 years old, who will pitch their inspiring start-up idea that will generate a positive and sustainable impact on society, based on the guidelines set within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Applicants for the competition can be at any stage of their endeavour, be it start-ups at the idea/validation stage, where they have a big idea for a new product or service with a tested prototype that is being validated, or at the launch/growth stage, for start-ups operating under three years and with less than USD $1 million in revenue.

What Is The Value Of The Unlock Her Future Prize

To ensure that the winners’ ideas truly take off and extends positive results to their communities, it’s a given that the prize money needs to be substantial enough to create a big impact and meaningful change. Thus, the winners will each receive a business grant of up to USD$100,000 to launch and scale their start-up, an executive education programme with our academic partner, Oxford University’s Saïd Business School, bespoke leadership coaching to achieve their personal and professional goals, access to expert mentors and exposure through The Bicester Collection’s global network.

In the past, approximately USD$600,000 has been committed with eight start-ups already launched. Past winners include Valentina Agudelo from Venezuela of SalvaHealth – an AI-based device for breast cancer detection; Thamires Pontes from Brazil of Phycoloabs, that creates sustainable threads and fibers from seaweed; Sara Lalla from Iraq and United Arab Emirates of EcoCentric, a sustainable food ordering app; and Nubayr Zein from Egypt and United Arab Emirates of Leaukeather, an ethical plant-based alternative to exotic leather; among others from the MENA and LATAM editions.

The Impact Of The Unlock Her Future Prize On Communities And Society

The Unlock Her Future Prize launched in 2022 following staggering research that showed if men and women were equally represented in entrepreneurship, global GDP could rise from 3% to 6%, equivalent to up to $5 trillion (The Boston Consulting Group). Yet, according to Harvard Business School, fewer than 3% of women-led businesses receive venture capital funding.

Now in its third year, as part of The Bicester Collection’s DO GOOD philanthropic programme, the Unlock Her Future Prize continues to build on its positive global impact and further advance gender equality across the world, championing tomorrow’s changemakers by supporting their business ventures and targeting the funding gap.

For now, there is no news yet if the competition will be open to female social enterprise startups in Asia, but do stay tuned to their DO GOOD page for any updates next year! If you are a resident of one of the listed countries under the banner of South Asia, though, do apply here. Good luck!