The Unlock Her Future Prize, an annual startup competition for female social impact entrepreneurs powered by The Bicester Collection, is making its debut in South Asia in 2025, following its success in MENA in 2023 and LATAM in 2024.
Supporting women entrepreneurs in South Asia
Each year, the global initiative travels to different regions to support women in launching and scaling system-changing startups. The 2025 prize invites women from South Asia with impactful startup ideas aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Startups can be at the idea/validation stage with a tested prototype or at the launch/growth stage. Eligible startups are under three years old with less than $1 million in revenue.
Winners receive up to $100,000, an Oxford executive program, coaching, mentorship, and global exposure through The Bicester Collection.
The Unlock Her Future Prize launched in 2022. Research shows gender equality in entrepreneurship could boost global GDP by $5 trillion (Boston Consulting Group). Yet, according to Harvard Business School, fewer than 3 percent of women-led businesses receive venture capital funding.
Empowering women entrepreneurs globally
Now in its third year, the Unlock Her Future Prize advances gender equality, supporting changemakers and addressing the funding gap.
With $600,000 in grants and eight impactful startups, winners will join a prestigious alumnae network of visionaries. The 2024 LATAM Edition winners include Valentina Agudelo (Salva Health, Colombia), Thamires Pontes (Phycolabs, Brazil), and others. The 2023 MENA Edition winners include Noor Jaber (NAWAT Health, Lebanon), Sara Lalla (EcoCentric, Iraq/UAE), and others.
“At The Bicester Collection, we’re dedicated to creating destinations where experiential retail meets purpose. With flagship locations across Europe, China and the US, we unite our guests and partners to drive meaningful change and make the lives of others better. Unlocking the potential of women, both locally and globally, is central to our mission. Female entrepreneurs need access to capital, education and influential networks. Through our philanthropic program, DO GOOD, we provide the tools to help them succeed. The Unlock Her Future Prize empowers women to launch businesses, transform communities and create sustainable growth that leaves a lasting legacy for generations to come.” -Chantal Khoueiry, Chief Culture Officer at The Bicester Collection
Advancing women’s leadership through entrepreneurship
“Ashoka is committed to [building] a world where everyone has the power to give, contribute to change, and be a changemaker! We are also witnessing a historic moment of advancing leadership roles of women and girls in our society. We are very excited about this timely and much-needed partnership with The Bicester Collection to help women entrepreneurs to create an ‘Everyone A Changemaker’ society and be role models for all aspiring female changemakers.” -Shruti Nair, Leader, Ashoka Innovators for the Public, South Asia
“It is a delight to be partnering with The Bicester Collection for this initiative and to support the development of female entrepreneurs who want to make a difference. I’m passionate about giving women an equal chance when it comes to founding their startup and this competition is an important milestone in a long-term mission by so many of us across organizations to create a level playing field. I look forward to welcoming the finalists of the Unlock Her Future Prize 2025 South Asia Edition to the Oxford entrepreneurial ecosystem and taking them on the next stage of their journey.” -Kathy Harvey, Associate Dean, Oxford University’s Saïd Business School
Unlock Her Future Prize 2025: South Asia finalists to pitch in October
A Selection Committee of international business leaders and social impact experts will choose the finalists for the Unlock Her Future Prize 2025 South Asia Edition, presented in partnership with The Bicester Collection, Oxford University’s Saïd Business School, and Ashoka South Asia – the leading global voice on social impact. Finalists will be invited to a pitch day in the region in October, where they will present their startups to a panel of high-profile women from South Asia.
The winners will be announced in November 2025 during a ceremony in the UK with Bicester Village, forming part of The Bicester Collection’s thirtieth anniversary celebrations.
Applications for the Unlock Her Future Prize 2025 South Asia Edition are now open until 10 March 2025. For more information and to apply, visit: thebicestercollection.com/en/do-good/unlock-her-future-2025.
About The Bicester Collection
Created in 1995, The Bicester Collection has reimagined the boundaries around the worlds of luxury retail, hospitality, live music and sports entertainment, curating extraordinary experiences for the world’s most discerning guests. The Bicester Collection’s 12 Villages, in Europe, China, and the US, are world-renowned as iconic, open-air shopping destinations.
Each offers the world’s best brands at incredible value, as well as celebrated restaurants and peerless services. For over 25 years, The Bicester Collection Villages has aimed to improve the lives of communities, guests, and partners. Through its DO GOOD program, 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.
The Bicester Collection brings together extraordinary live music and sports experiences at the first third-generation UBS Arena serving the New York metro area (home to the New York Islanders ice hockey team), a pioneering concert venue featuring the Isles Lab Team concept store. The Collection’s award-winning hotel destinations, Mission Pacific Beach Resort and The Seabird Ocean Resort & Spa (with its Michelin-starred restaurant, Valle; celebrated Sunny’s Spa & Beauty Lounge; and locally curated boutique The Ozone), are vibrant destinations in Southern California’s hidden gem, Oceanside.
Experience the Bicester Collection in the real world. To be actual, not virtual. Discover more at TheBicesterCollection.com.
About Oxford University’s Saïd Business School
Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford is a vibrant and innovative business school, embedded within a 900-year-old world leading university. They create programs and ideas that have global impact and reach. They educate leaders, changemakers and innovators across every industry and sector. Their groundbreaking research and exceptional teaching transforms individuals, who transform businesses, which transforms the world. They create impact from within and are proud to have achieved a 51% majority female intake for our full-time MBA class in 2024. www.sbs.ox.ac.uk
About Ashoka South Asia
Ashoka has worked for 40 years as a leading global organization in entrepreneurship and social innovation. In Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, it unites 800+ changemakers dedicated to creating large-scale, positive change.
They mobilize a global movement to build an “Everyone a Changemaker” world where all can co-lead transformative solutions. Find out more at https://www.ashoka.org
Want to learn more about the process of creating a startup just like the ones in the Unlock Her Future competition? Click here to read about the first steps of starting a business.
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