Pakistani entrepreneur wins grand prize at TiE Global Pitch Competition for women

It was raining pitches at the TiE Global Summit 2022 in Hyderabad.

One of the largest expo for entrepreneurs, VCs and mentors, the event also hosted the Women’s Global Pitch competition. The semi-finals and the finals were organised over two days, with the grand prize worth $100,000 along with other equity-free cash prizes.

Azima Dhanjee, a Pakistani entrepreneur from Lahore, won the grand prize of $100,000. She pitched her startup, ConnectHear, registered in Denver, US and operating from Lahore via Zoom, to an eminent jury, a group of investors, and a huge audience.

ConnectHear is the largest Disability tech platform for Deaf/HoH individuals in South Asia. Started by a Child of Deaf Adult, ConnectHear leverages A.I. based technology to enable access to independent communication and information for the marginalised groups to improve their quality of life and make them a part of the global economy.

Since its launch, ConnectHear has served more than 1,000,000 minutes of sign language interpretation and worked with 100+ companies.

The company has been recognized by The Diana Awards, World Summit Award, Draper University and Forbes for its impact and growth. 

The first runner-up at the global pitch fest was Colorado-based Amy Beckley, who won it for her startup, Proov.

After seven miscarriages and two rounds of IVF, Amy gave birth to her first child, Cash. The second time around, she realised she just needed a simple supplement that just cost $200. Realising that IVF has a very high cost-low success rate, she built Proov, a suite of at-home pregnancy-related hormone tests.

Paired with the free Proov Insight app, women can measure all menstrual hormones daily with Proov tests and snap a photo of each test within the Insight app. They can then follow the in-app prompts throughout their cycle to understand ovulation status and get daily insights and an ovulation Insights score. Finally, the app generates a personalised action plan to maximise wellness or develop a fertility strategy.

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Telangana minister KT Rama Rao inaugurates TiE Global Summit 2022

The pitch fest received 1,267 applications from 46 countries, vetted in 36 regions and groups from 16 different countries pitched at the TiE Global Summit 2022.

The second runner-up was Austin-based Lactation Labs founded by Nandita Shetty. The startup analyses breast milk for basic nutritional content like calories and protein, as well as vitamins, fatty acids and environmental toxins. The results are then delivered in a user-friendly report that reads like a food label, with experts explaining how the results affect the child, offering suggestions for enhancing the quality of milk, and providing the option for a personal consultation.

The other finalists were:

• Nalini Aparanji of Taare Zameen Par, who brings mobile planetariums and science labs to rural schools.
• Saudi-Arabia-based Hadeel Ayoub, Founder of BrightSign—the only sign language glove in the world that can translate any sign into any spoken language, instantly.
• Farah Ahmed Farag from Egypt runs the Baby Garage, an online platform that connects buyers and sellers for preloved and new baby products.

The jury members at the finals of the Global Pitch Fest included Vani Kola, Founder and Managing Director of Kalaari Capital; MR Rangaswami, Founder, Indiaspora, CEF and Sand Hill Group; Gopal Srinivasan, TVS Capital Funds Limited; and Nirupa Shankar Joint MD at Brigade Group.

(The report has been updated to correct the prize money amount and include a detailed description of ConnectHear.)