The finalists will convene in Shanghai for an entrepreneurship boot camp hosted by NYU Shanghai, cross-market exchanges and a final pitch to a regional jury, with winners to be revealed Oct. 23.
The Bicester Collection is doubling down on impact in Asia, unveiling 11 East and Southeast Asia-based finalists for its 2026 “Unlock Her Future” Prize, all women founders using business to tackle local social and environmental challenges while advancing the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.
The finalists, who stood out from 1,500 that applied, hail from China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam and are all in charge of initiatives that span gender equality, technology, social welfare, education, craft preservation, and more.
After discovering six winners for last year’s South Asia edition, Bicester has chosen East and Southeast Asia as this year’s regional focus, an area described by Chantal Khoueiry, chief culture officer of The Bicester Collection, as “a region rich in entrepreneurial energy, but where many women founders still face barriers to funding, networks and opportunities to grow,” said Khoueiry.
Now in its fourth edition, the Unlock Her Future Prize has supported women founders from 39 countries, across 16 of the 17 U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, with a cumulative funding commitment of around $900,000.
This year’s winners will be eligible for funding of up to $100,000, alongside access to education, mentoring and a global support network
On the technology front, Indonesian venture Her Lens uses artificial intelligence to help community midwives expand cervical cancer screening in remote areas, while Korean platform Giboo applies AI to connect funders with high-impact social projects, aiming to get philanthropic capital to the issues that need it most.
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