Early-stage investor Village Capital has invested $200,000 in three women-led startups operating across the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, the firm said on Wednesday, as it seeks to address persistent funding gaps faced by female founders in emerging markets.
The investments were made through the Futuremakers Women in Tech Financing Facility, a philanthropic initiative backed by Standard Chartered, and target alumni of the bank’s Women in Tech programme. The facility provides early-stage capital to help women entrepreneurs scale technology-driven solutions in underserved markets.
The beneficiaries are BeMe, a Pakistan-based digital mental health platform; Dabchy, a Tunisia-founded second-hand fashion marketplace operating across North Africa; and FreshSource, an Egyptian agri-tech company focused on improving fresh produce supply chains.
“These companies are building context-specific solutions in sectors that urgently need innovation,” said Meredith Storton, senior manager for investments at Village Capital. “This initiative is not just about capital, but long-term ecosystem support.”
Addressing structural funding gaps
Access to capital remains a major barrier for women-led startups in the region. In the Middle East and North Africa, only 8.7% of startup funding in 2024 went to companies with mixed-gender founding teams, according to data from Wamda. In Pakistan, the share of funding raised by women-led startups fell from 34% in 2021 to 8% in 2022, according to Invest2Innovate.
Standard Chartered said the financing facility aims to help close these gaps by providing catalytic capital alongside mentorship and ecosystem support.
“Empowering women is critical to sustainable economic growth,” said Regina Mukiri, regional head of community impact and engagement for Africa, the Middle East and Pakistan at Standard Chartered.
Portfolio companies
BeMe, based in Pakistan, offers online access to certified therapists for users in Pakistan and the Pakistani diaspora, addressing a shortage of mental health professionals through culturally tailored digital care.
Dabchy operates a peer-to-peer marketplace for second-hand clothing and lifestyle goods in Tunisia and Egypt, promoting circular consumption in a region dominated by fast fashion. The platform has more than 750,000 users and over 4 million listed items, the company said.
FreshSource, an alumnus of Village Capital’s accelerator programmes, connects Egyptian farmers directly with institutional buyers using a data-driven logistics platform, aiming to reduce food waste and improve market access for smallholder farmers.
Village Capital said the funding will support operational expansion, technology development and market growth for the three startups.