Only 1.56% of the disproportionately few startups founded by women are technology-based, making female-founded technology startups extremely rare.
The disparate gender gap among startup founders is an aspect that should raise some concerns. According to the Global Gender Gap Report, Pakistan is ranked 153rd out of 156 countries for having the largest gender gap.
Only 1.56% of the disproportionately few startups founded by women are technology-based, making female-founded technology startups extremely rare. However, rarity does not imply non-existence, as our country is home to many individuals who are not only driven and courageous but also technologically savvy enough to compete on a global scale.
Many women, particularly in Pakistan, who want to launch their own startups, particularly in the technology sector, find inspiration in Maham Haroon.
At the intersection of artificial intelligence and cyber security, Maham Haroon founded KuberSignal as a lone founder. KuberSignal aims to protect an individual’s data privacy and further develops tools and services to assist in fending off expanding cyberthreats.
Keep in mind that Pakistan was named the 7th-worst country for cyber security in 2019 and that there is a severe shortage of qualified cyber security professionals in Pakistan.
In addition to her extensive credentials in highly specialised fields like cyber security, AI, data science, and robotics, Maham stands out for her conviction that anything is “figure out-able” and only needs the first step.
As the recipient of the President’s Gold Medal in Robotics and AI from NUST, a Computer Science degree from UMass Amherst in the USA with a focus on Machine Learning Research, and a certification in Business from the Isenberg School of Business in the USA, she has had an impressive career.
She recently earned the prestigious Certified Ethical Hacker certification from EC-Council, a globally renowned organisation, for which she achieved a combined score of above 95% on the two challenging exams.
Aside from her academic accomplishments, Maham has held various leadership positions, served as a mentor, and been a judge or industry expert at numerous international competitions, including the highly coveted Globee Cyber Security World Awards.