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.
Transforming Last Mile Delivery in Latin America
Delivery riders in Latin America struggle to earn a living on gas powered bikes. Nicole Bersatt, an industrial designer turned product leader, and Claudia Requejo, a commercial engineer, co-founders of Mobi (Orbit 2026), built an electric motorcycle subscription that gives riders affordable access to vehicles with unlimited battery swaps, insurance, maintenance, and 24/7 monitoring.
Mobi’s gets riders on the road in under 48 hours and reduces rider bike costs by up to 50%. The company operates in Peru, Bolivia and Paraguay. The company has been recognized as the most innovative startup in electromobility at Chile’s Innova Summit, and Nicole was named a WeXchange Women STEMpreneurs semifinalist, highlighting the team’s impact on safer, cleaner, more inclusive mobility.
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.
