Future…
Journey of Startup’s in Valley is unfolding …
Ms Mehvish Mushtaq
Developer of Business Directory App “Dial Kashmir”
It was a burning desire to become the ‘first me’ and not the ‘second someone’ that made the then 23-year-old Mehvish Mushtaq Hakak to develop the first app in the picturesque Kashmir Valley in the year 2013. She is recipient of Nari Shakti Puruskar for the year 2017.
Ms Nida Ramzan
Bakery Owner
“I was working as a computer teacher in a school and earning a decent salary. However, I was not satisfied and wanted to start my own unique venture. I got the idea of starting an all-women bakery,” Nida told The Sunday Standard. When she got in touch with Aseem Foundation in 2016-end, rest is story to success.
Bariq Wani
Youngest Entrepreneur & Founder of “Food Hung”
“When I returned from Mumbai, after a few days I tried to order food but couldn’t due to the non-availability of any platform in our area. The idea of developing the app struck my mind when I realized the need for a food delivery app in the valley”. In this era of technology, people can order their favorite food from the comfort of their homes. People of Kashmir physically visit a restaurant and there is no option of food delivery in far-flung areas.
Mehvish Zarger
First ever woman café entrepreneur in Kashmir
Me n U café represents is a paradigm shift in Kashmiri Business ownership. A woman of substance, Mehvish owns and runs the establishment in a City where women have just begun shedding traditional gender roles. “I do get a lot of trolls targeting me on Facebook and other parts of the internet, asking me to stick to my gender roles. Mehvish moves on to realise her dream of opening a second outlet in the City soon.
Rifat Masoodi
Batwoman of Kashmir
only woman manufacturer of cricket bats in the Valley. Rifat has been running her bat manufacturing business for more than 18 years in the Narwara locality of Srinagar. Rifat says, “In the beginning, people, including women, used to dislike my venture. But when they realised Kashmir needed business beyond tourism, apples and apricots, they agreed that there was no problem with cricket bats and women making them”.
Shafia Shafi
Artist
My name is Shafia Shafi. I am 26-years-old and I completed my Masters in 2019. I live in Srinagar’s Lal Bazar. My maternal home was also at Lal Bazar but they shifted to Kanitar. A month after I was born, my mother met with a horrible accident that kept me away from her. During that time, my maternal aunts looked after me and I stayed with them for an extended period of my life. I returned to my father’s house when I was in 8th standard.
Sheikh Asif
CEO & Founder of Thames Infotech
“I believe that a person who works hard, with dedication and honesty is always successful; he can never give up even when many a time one loses the courage to carry on. There were setbacks and at the time I did seem to lose courage, but I did not give up,”. He received the best website specialist grant in 2017 and 2018 from Three Best Rated United Kingdom, a top web designer by Good Firms in 2019, Top Digital Marketer 2021 by Indian Glory Award and selected for the fourth Highest Civilian Award Padma Shri 2022.
Huzaifa Bazaz
Owner of Style Hub by Huzaifa Bazaz
Huzaifa Bazaz a young entrepreneur and MBA graduate from Srinagar owns an online store by the name “Style Hub by Huzaifa Bazaz” and her online venture is not just a business but rather an emotion for her. She started her business six years back when she was pursuing her BBA. “The purpose of starting the venture was always to create space for more women in business. My ideology was to see more of females running the show,”
Ubaid Nazir
The Cycle entrepreneur of Kashmir
Ubaid Nazir, a young entrepreneur from srinagar came up with a brilliant idea to rent a cycle in. Kashmir. He founded a company named “Cieclo”. The first spot for this service has been established at Ghat No 1 of Dal Lake and in the coming days it would be expanded to other places as well in order to cover the entire Srinagar so that Tourists as well locals could use this facility for their daily use wherein they could pick cycle of their choice from any point and drop it at any point just by signing consumer form.