The She’s Next Hackathon 2025: Taking women entrepreneurs to the next level 

An exciting final pitch day saw ten teams pitch to a jury of experts who had the impossible task of selecting three winners. 

From an initial 1,750 registrations, the She’s Next Hackathon 2025 came to a close on October 3 with a finals day that saw 10 women entrepreneurs from across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Western Balkans pitch their innovative ideas to a jury of experts who were faced with the almost impossible task of selecting three winners. 

The first fully virtual, international innovation sprint designed to empower female entrepreneurs saw hundreds of inspiring women collaborate in teams to tackle real-world business challenges—guided by expert mentors and inspired by leading industry voices.  

“The’s Next Hackathon was a powerful programme that took the regional impact of the ‘She’s Next Empowered by Visa’ initiative to a new level,” said Cristina Doros, Senior Vice President Visa, Group Country Manager for Eastern and Southeastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus.   

“It provided both a platform for skills development and mentorship from experts, and a space where women across the region could share experiences, collaborate, and inspire each other to achieve their bolder goals.” 

Winners 

Despite the plethora of great ideas from 17 countries there could, however, be only three winners.  

The main winner, and recipient of the first prize of 10,000 US dollars, was Altogether, led by Bahar Nadir Ramazanova of Azerbaijan. Altogether provides AI-powered legal and business tools, compliance audits, and support resources to improve accessibility for people with disabilities around the world. 

Despite making up a significant portion of the global population, people with disabilities continue to face substantial barriers in accessing legal services and information, particularly in digital spaces. 

“The She’s Next Empowered 2025 Hackathon was both inspiring and transformative—it helped refine how we connect inclusion with innovation, bringing together incredible experts, mentors, and diverse founders to learn from,” said Ramazanova.  

“This recognition fuels my journey at Altogether to create inclusive, accessible legal solutions that empower individuals and businesses around the world.” 

The prize of 5,000 US dollars for the most innovative team went to Albania’s PressShield, led by Inva Hasanaliaj, in recognition of its creative approach and groundbreaking solution that provides journalists with mental health support, legal assistance, safe peer communities, and training resources to promote safety, resilience, and informed reporting. 

“The She’s Next Hackathon is more than a competition, it is a space where innovation met empathy,” said Hasanaliaj.  

“PressShield was inspired by one simple truth, when we protect journalists, we protect democracy itself. This recognition is not the finish line, but the first step toward building a safer digital world for those who keep the public informed.”    

The winner of the Best Social Impact category meanwhile was Unfold, led by Karine Hambaryan of Armenia, who received 5,000 US dollars for addressing critical social challenges and promoting positive change in communities.  

Unfold’s mission is to support women over 50 through a hybrid community platform that offers social and creative activities that foster empowerment, well-being, and intergenerational connections in Armenia, with plans to expand to other countries in the future. 

“It was the stories of women in my family and those around me that inspired me to create Unfold,” said Hambaryan. “The She’s Next Hackathon seminars and mentorship gave me the confidence to share my idea and believe in its impact. This recognition is a reminder that women are never alone and our connections make us stronger and more creative.” 

Diversity and collaboration 

This enthusiasm is warranted. Virtual hackathons such as She’s Next offer more than prize money; they provide legitimacy, networks, and visibility—three resources that female founders often struggle to secure through traditional channels. Those 1,750 registrations from such diverse countries across a wide region demonstrate the intensity of competition and value of collaboration. 

“I was proud to be part of the jury and see the impressive diversity of projects that took to the virtual stage in the grand final,” said Natalia Voitovych, Senior Director Visa, Head of Merchant Sales and Acquiring for Eastern and Southeastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus. 

“The finalist teams presented bold and innovative ideas, and the three winning teams stood out with viable solutions with enormous potential. The creativity, determination and entrepreneurial spirit that I observed gives me full confidence that these businesses will continue to grow and have a lasting impact on the industries and communities they are part of.”  

This high-impact grand finale had an impact across the region, drawing attention to both innovative business ideas and the importance of women as drivers of economic growth and social transformation.  

By spotlighting women-led businesses, She’s Next Hackathon 2025 highlighted the importance of equal opportunities in entrepreneurship, helping to break down barriers and inspire future generations of female leaders. 

“I believe empowering women entrepreneurs with the right knowledge, network, and visibility can transform entire communities,” said Başak Zorlutuna, an associate at e2vc, a venture capital firm, and one of the jurors. “I’m excited to be part of Visa She’s Next Hackathon which inspires bold thinking, collaboration across regions, and creates opportunities for women to shape the future of entrepreneurship.”