Emerging and frontier markets face persistent gaps: patients lack affordable healthcare, SMEs struggle to access credit, commuters face unsafe transport, and informal marketplaces create risk. Female founders are building technology-driven solutions that close these gaps and scale across the region.
Digitizing Healthcare Access
Healthcare in MENAP markets remains fragmented and costly. Dr. Saira Siddique founded MedIQ (Orbit 2023) to connect patients, providers, and payers via telehealth, electronic records, and AI-assisted services.
After a car accident left her hospitalized, she experienced firsthand how disconnected systems fail patients, shaping her decision to build MedIQ (We-Fi, 2023).
MedIQ began as Pakistan’s first virtual hospital, serving 16,000+ patients in six months. Expansion required navigating regulatory complexities and partnerships with insurers and providers.
Today, MedIQ serves 10M+ patients across Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, reaching EBITDA-positive operations. Backed by $6M in Series A funding, it provides affordable, high-quality care while reducing unnecessary hospital visits.
Expanding Access to Financial Services
SMEs in Southeast Asia face slow, restrictive loan processes. Lucinda Revell, co-founder of Boost Capital (Orbit 2022), created an AI-powered onboarding platform enabling seamless approvals via smartphones and chat.
Boost Capital addressed structural gaps in onboarding for underserved customers, integrating directly into existing financial systems.
Through partnerships and ecosystem programs, Boost Capital has enabled 10,000+ SMEs to access credit and processed millions of applications, expanding financial inclusion efficiently.
Safer, Reliable Urban Mobility
Urban commuting in Pakistan is unsafe and unreliable. Maha Shahzad founded BusCaro (Orbit 2023), a tech-enabled platform for corporates and institutions, to deliver safe, structured commuting.
Drawing from her own commuting challenges, she identified the gap in safe, reliable transport (Business Recorder, 2024). Scaling required building trust with corporate clients and commuters, while ensuring consistent service quality.
BusCaro serves 900,000+ monthly users and 80+ corporate clients. With $3.5M total funding and projected $8.6M annual revenue by 2025, it improves commuter safety and efficiency.
Bringing Transparency to Southeast Asia’s Motorcycle Marketplace
Pre-owned motorcycle transactions in Southeast Asia are often informal and risky. Sharmeen Looi, co-founder and CMO of iMotorbike (Orbit 2022), created a verified marketplace with listings, warranties, and inspection protocols.
Her early entrepreneurial experience — funding her university education through beauty pageants and selling prizes — shaped her resourcefulness (Tatler Asia, 2023).
iMotorbike serves 10,000+ customers across Malaysia and Vietnam, making transactions more transparent, secure, and reliable. The company raised $10M in Series A and was named in Forbes Asia’s 100 to Watch 2024.
Across sectors, Orbit’s female founders show how personal experiences have shaped their journeys.
