Pakistan’s first female-led coworking space ‘Workshack’ was recently launched in Islamabad to accelerate women’s empowerment across the region.
This coworking opportunity is created by the Managing Director Parvin Khudadad, a single mother and an educationist for more than 30 years, and the CEO Tooba Saad Khan, an active Board Member of Industrus Private Limited and Ex-HR team member at the US Embassy Employees Association.
A range of amenities such as free internet, free tea & coffee, electricity with backup, daycare, valet parking, TIA-R 3 Cloud Solution, health coverage up to Rs. 500,000 per annum per user, corporate & b2b solutions, shuttle service, rooftop cafeteria, dedicated cloud support team, and 24/7 surveillance & security are housed within the space.
While availing these facilities, women will find a networked community of other ambitious women with like-minded goals.
Reflecting upon the need for women’s empowerment, the Managing Director, Parvin Khudadad, commented, “As a single independent mother, I could foresee that the restrictions associated with working women and the challenges they encounter won’t be that simple.”
“Therefore, I always wanted to create such a space for them where they could pursue their businesses and startups smoothly,” she added.
Emphasizing the significance of women’s development in Pakistani society, the CEO of the foundation, Tooba Saad Khan, stated, “Being a mother of a toddler, I always wished to start something of my own after my baby.”
“The strenuous work routine and time constraints led me to conceptualize the idea of a co-working space where mothers and women like me could work stress-free and have no barriers to entry,” she added.
Talking on the occasion at the opening ceremony, the Chief Business Officer of Jazz, Ali Naseer, said “Jazz has partnered with Workshack to provide Garaj Services for the female-led startups involved in the co-working space.”
“With organizations shifting to a more hybrid model, co-working spaces are able to provide extensive networking opportunities, fuel innovation and deliver a safe space for entrepreneurs where they are able to network, learn and boost their businesses,” he added.
Sardar Abubakar, Chief Finance & Digital Officer and SEVP of Mobilink Microfinance Bank, said, “Ecstatic that Workshack is catering to the needs of female entrepreneurs and budding startups through dedicated co-working spaces & business solutions. Really great focus, & innovation potential.”
Workshack is now open for business and as their first community welfare gesture, the much-needed female-led co-working space has contributed to the great cause of flood disaster and has announced to donate its first deposit of customers to flood victims.