LAHORE: Pakistan must move beyond celebrating the number of women entering entrepreneurship and begin measuring whether their businesses survive, generate sustainable revenues, create employment and provide genuine financial independence, according to internationally recognised technology entrepreneur, author and data scientist Mahe Zehra Husain.
In an in-depth interview with The Scoop, Husain, who currently serves as Chief Data Scientist at Ballogy and is the author of Women Rising: A Practical Guide to Building a Business You Love, challenged conventional definitions of entrepreneurial success, questioned the suitability of venture capital for every business and called for fundamental changes in Pakistan’s financial and entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Drawing on more than 14 years of experience building technology ventures, Husain argued that Pakistan possesses considerable entrepreneurial and technological talent but continues to struggle with structural barriers that prevent promising businesses, particularly those established by women, from achieving sustainable growth.
She identified limited access to capital, inadequate professional networks, social expectations, weak institutional support and insufficient commercial expertise as some of the biggest obstacles confronting Pakistani entrepreneurs.
Her central argument is that entrepreneurship should not be reduced to raising investment, expanding rapidly or building businesses at the expense of personal wellbeing. Instead, successful enterprises must combine financial sustainability with the ambitions, circumstances and priorities of their founders.
Pakistan Must Move Beyond Symbolic Support For Women Entrepreneurs
Husain believes that Pakistan’s approach towards female entrepreneurship requires a fundamental shift from participation-based initiatives to measurable economic outcomes.
“The barriers are interconnected. Women often have less access to capital, fewer opportunities to build professional networks and less freedom to take the risks that entrepreneurship inevitably involves,” she told The Scoop.
She explained that caregiving responsibilities, household expectations and restricted mobility can limit women’s ability to develop enterprises, while questions surrounding credibility frequently force female entrepreneurs to demonstrate their professional competence repeatedly.
According to Husain, establishing a small business and developing an enterprise capable of surviving, employing people and expanding into larger markets are entirely different challenges.
Many women successfully convert personal skills into income-generating activities, but moving beyond that stage requires access to finance, mentorship, professional networks and institutional support.
“We need to make those next steps more accessible through mentorship, business education, fair access to finance and networks that connect women to real opportunities, not simply inspirational conversations,” she said.
Her observations highlight the need for Pakistan to reassess entrepreneurship programmes that emphasise training and participation without adequately addressing the commercial obstacles faced by women attempting to establish sustainable businesses.
Banking System And Venture Capital Need To Rethink Financing Models
Discussing Pakistan’s financial institutions and investment environment, Husain expressed concern that many women entrepreneurs remain dependent on personal savings or financial assistance from family members.
Such dependence, she explained, can restrict the size and potential of a business regardless of the commercial viability of its underlying idea.
“When women rely primarily on personal savings or family support, the size of their business is often limited by the resources available to them rather than the potential of the idea,” she observed.
Husain called for transparent lending criteria, financial products tailored to smaller enterprises and credit assessments that place greater emphasis on viable business models rather than conventional collateral requirements.
She also questioned the tendency to treat venture capital as the preferred route for entrepreneurial success.
“Venture capital is a useful model for businesses that need substantial upfront investment, operate in large markets and have the potential to grow rapidly. But it is not the right model for every business, and we should stop treating it as the ultimate measure of entrepreneurial ambition,” she said.
According to Husain, venture capital investment frequently carries expectations concerning rapid expansion, investor returns and eventual exits. These requirements may not align with the objectives of entrepreneurs seeking long-term profitability, independence or manageable growth.
She advocated greater recognition of alternative financing models, including bootstrapping, customer-funded expansion, grants, business loans, revenue-based financing and strategic partnerships.
A profitable consultancy, creative enterprise or smaller technology company, she maintained, can represent a successful business without pursuing venture-backed expansion.
Her argument challenges the assumption that the scale of investment raised should determine an entrepreneur’s credibility or ambition.
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Women Rising Challenges Traditional Definitions Of Success
Husain’s latest book, Women Rising: A Practical Guide to Building a Business You Love, represents her 23rd publication and draws on more than four years of work.
Combining personal experiences, research, practical exercises and a workbook-based approach, the publication encourages women to evaluate their individual strengths, values, circumstances and ambitions before deciding what kind of enterprise to establish.
Husain explained that the inspiration behind the book came from observing the disconnect between conventional entrepreneurial advice and the realities of women’s lives.
“We’re often told to move faster, work harder and scale bigger, as though everyone has the same resources, responsibilities, support systems and appetite for risk. That simply isn’t true,” she said.
Rather than presenting a universal formula for success, the book encourages readers to develop businesses suited to their personal and financial circumstances.
“A business should support the life you want to lead, rather than require you to sacrifice that life to keep the business running,” she remarked.
However, Husain was equally clear that personal satisfaction cannot replace commercial discipline.
“A business that cannot pay its bills is not sustainable, no matter how meaningful its mission might be,” she said.
She argued that entrepreneurs must understand their markets, establish what customers are willing to pay and develop business models capable of generating sufficient revenue to sustain operations and future expansion.
At the same time, she questioned whether an enterprise should be considered successful if its founder remains permanently exhausted or deeply dissatisfied.
For Husain, the objective is not to choose between profitability and personal fulfilment, but to create businesses in which both can coexist.
Artificial Intelligence Could Transform Opportunities For Pakistani Women
As Chief Data Scientist at Ballogy, Husain works at the intersection of artificial intelligence, data analytics and sports technology.
She believes AI could significantly reduce the financial and operational barriers associated with establishing businesses, particularly for women who lack the resources to employ large teams.
AI-powered tools, she explained, can support market research, marketing, customer service, data analysis and product development, enabling smaller enterprises to perform functions that previously required substantial financial investment.
“A woman who cannot afford a large team can use these tools for research, marketing, customer support, data analysis and prototyping,” she said.
Nevertheless, Husain warned that technological advancement could also deepen existing inequalities if access to education, digital infrastructure and technological skills remains uneven.
“There is a risk that those who already have access to education, capital and technology will benefit disproportionately, while others fall further behind,” she cautioned.
She emphasised that digital literacy, responsible AI adoption and the confidence to experiment with emerging technologies must accompany wider access to technological tools.
The important question, she argued, is not simply how rapidly businesses adopt artificial intelligence, but whether its benefits are reaching entrepreneurs who have historically been excluded from economic opportunities.
How AI Could Help Pakistan Discover Sporting Talent
Husain also discussed the growing application of artificial intelligence in sports development, drawing on her work at Ballogy, a technology platform focused on youth and amateur athletes.
At Ballogy, AI-powered smartphone technology is used to track basketball shooting performance and provide athletes and coaches with measurable insights into progress and areas requiring improvement.
She believes similar technological approaches could offer significant opportunities for countries such as Pakistan, where sporting talent frequently exists beyond established institutions and training facilities.
Affordable performance-tracking technology could enable coaches to identify promising athletes earlier and monitor their development more consistently.
However, she stressed that technology cannot compensate for deficiencies in coaching, nutrition, sporting infrastructure and competitive opportunities.
“AI cannot replace the human eye or the coach who understands an athlete; it can give them better information with which to make decisions,” Husain explained.
She also emphasised the importance of responsible data collection and interpreting performance information within the appropriate sporting context.
Why Pakistan’s Technology Talent Struggles To Build Global Businesses
Despite recognising Pakistan’s considerable pool of engineers and technology professionals, Husain believes technical expertise alone is insufficient to establish internationally competitive enterprises.
She identified weaknesses in product strategy, market understanding, sales, marketing, execution and international networking as important challenges facing Pakistani technology companies.
“Pakistan has talented engineers, creative problem-solvers and people capable of building excellent technology. The challenge is that technical ability alone does not make a globally competitive business,” she said.
Husain observed that entrepreneurs sometimes devote substantial attention to developing products while underestimating the commercial effort required to acquire customers, build trust and establish a presence in international markets.
Access to growth capital and experienced global networks also remains a significant constraint.
She encouraged Pakistani entrepreneurs to consider international customers from the earliest stages of business development rather than treating global expansion as a distant objective.
“We have the talent. The opportunity is to connect that talent with stronger commercial thinking, consistent execution and the networks required to turn good products into enduring companies,” she added.
Her assessment suggests that strengthening Pakistan’s technology ecosystem requires more than producing technically qualified graduates. Entrepreneurs also need the commercial capabilities and market connections necessary to compete internationally.
Three Reforms Pakistan Needs To Support Women-Led Businesses
Asked what immediate interventions she would recommend to Pakistan’s policymakers, financial institutions and business leaders, Husain identified three priorities.
The first is accessible finance, including appropriately structured business loans, credit guarantees and seed funding for women-led enterprises at different stages of development.
The second is practical business support that connects women with experienced mentors, customers, professional networks and export opportunities rather than restricting assistance to classroom training or motivational programmes.
The third is investment in infrastructure that enables meaningful economic participation, including digital access, financial literacy and support for women managing caregiving responsibilities alongside entrepreneurship.
Importantly, Husain argued that policymakers must judge the success of these initiatives through measurable business outcomes.
“We should measure success through outcomes, not participation figures alone,” she said.
Among the indicators she proposed were business survival rates, revenue growth, employment generation, market expansion, access to affordable financing and women’s increasing control over their income and commercial decisions.
Such measurements, she believes, would help determine whether public policies are genuinely improving the conditions under which women establish and operate businesses.
E-Commerce, Digital Services And AI Offer New Growth Opportunities
Looking towards the next decade, Husain identified artificial intelligence-enabled services, software development, education technology, health technology, digital commerce and creative industries as promising sectors for Pakistani women.
She also highlighted the potential of Pakistan’s textile and handicraft industries to reach international customers through improved branding, digital marketing and online distribution.
Technology, she explained, can enable women to establish businesses without depending entirely on physical locations, large workforces or traditional commercial networks.
A specialist can provide services to overseas clients, an artisan can reach customers beyond her immediate community and an educator can develop digital products for international audiences.
However, Husain warned that these possibilities will not automatically produce financial independence.
Women must also have access to reliable payment systems, appropriate infrastructure, commercial knowledge and the skills necessary to compete in international markets.
“The real measure of progress will be whether more women can turn that access into sustainable income, ownership and long-term economic security,” she said.
International Recognition Opens Doors But Cannot Replace Performance
Husain’s entrepreneurial and professional achievements have earned her international recognition, including the Silver Stevie Award, the Enterprising Women Award and the Women in IT Asia Award.
Discussing the influence of these honours, she acknowledged that international recognition can strengthen credibility and facilitate access to professional networks, collaborations and business opportunities.
However, she cautioned entrepreneurs against confusing awards with sustained commercial achievement.
“An award is an introduction, not a substitute for delivering good work,” she said.
According to Husain, the long-term value of professional recognition depends on the quality of an entrepreneur’s work, the strength of their relationships and their ability to fulfil commitments.
She encouraged emerging entrepreneurs to document their achievements, actively seek opportunities and make their work visible rather than assuming that professional excellence will automatically attract recognition.
From Software Entrepreneurship To Real Estate And Creative Ventures
Beyond her role at Ballogy and her work as an author, Husain has pursued entrepreneurial interests across technology, creative industries and property development.
She previously spent 14 years building and managing her family’s software business, an experience that contributed to her understanding of business operations, organisational resilience and commercial sustainability.
She is also the founder of Kinetic Developers and is spearheading FivePines, a luxury villa and residential plot community in the pine forests of the Murree Hills, developed in partnership with FiveRivers Developers.
Her creative work includes books on drawing, mixed media art, book repurposing and prompt-based art journals. She is also a Certified Zentangle Teacher.
These ventures reflect a professional career spanning analytical disciplines, technology, creativity and entrepreneurship.
Husain describes her approach as bringing together structured thinking and creative imagination, with a consistent interest in helping women develop independent entrepreneurial identities.
Entrepreneurship Is About Better Decisions, Not Simply More Businesses
Reflecting on the impact she hopes Women Rising will achieve, Husain said she would consider the publication successful if it helped women make better-informed decisions about their professional and financial futures.
These decisions could involve launching a business, modifying an existing enterprise, adopting a more sustainable working model or reconsidering a commercial opportunity that conflicts with personal priorities.
She suggested that the book’s impact could be assessed through reader surveys, practical exercises, businesses launched or adapted and follow-up discussions about decisions influenced by its guidance.
However, she also offered a less conventional measure of success.
“But I would also consider it a success if a woman decides not to pursue a business model that would make her miserable. Better decisions, not simply more businesses, are part of the point,” she said.
A Message To Pakistan’s Next Generation Of Women Entrepreneurs
Looking ahead, Husain expects to continue working across technology, creativity and business, with a particular interest in creating practical opportunities for women entrepreneurs who lack access to established professional networks.
For young Pakistani women with promising business ideas but limited financial resources, connections or confidence, she recommended beginning with small, practical steps rather than waiting for ideal circumstances.
She advised aspiring entrepreneurs to identify genuine market problems, speak with potential customers, test ideas on a limited scale and determine whether people are willing to pay for the proposed products or services.
Building professional relationships and seeking specific forms of assistance can also help entrepreneurs overcome initial obstacles.
“Confidence often comes from taking action and seeing what you can do, rather than waiting until the fear disappears,” she said.
For Pakistan, Husain’s broader message extends beyond encouraging more women to enter business. It calls for an entrepreneurial environment in which women can access finance, develop commercial expertise, adopt emerging technologies and build enterprises capable of surviving beyond their initial years.
Ultimately, her vision challenges policymakers, financial institutions and business leaders to recognise that the success of female entrepreneurship should be measured not merely by the number of businesses established, but by their sustainability, economic contribution and the independence they create for the women behind them.