Social entrepreneur and Miss Nepal Earth 2018, Priya Sigdel, has been selected as a jury member for the Unlock Her Future Prize 2025. The global start-up competition empowers women social entrepreneurs with bold ideas to create positive social and environmental change in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Launched in 2022 and supported by UN Women and impact partner Ashoka, the Prize aims to close a critical gap in global entrepreneurship, ensuring that women changemakers receive the recognition, resources, and support they need.

Winners receive up to USD100,000 in grants, alongside executive education, mentorship, and access to global networks.

As the Co-founder and President of HattiHatti Nepal, and with her active presence in the media, Sigdel has spent the past decade empowering marginalised women through upcycling fashion, skill development, and sustainable livelihoods.

“It is a surreal experience to be selected for a jury at platforms where I used to apply,” she shares. “But it is paired with the heightened responsibility and expanded role.”

Sigdel’s selection highlights Nepal’s growing presence in the global sustainability and social entrepreneurship ecosystem. “This selection also shows where we stand globally in terms of sustainability and social entrepreneurship,” she says.

In the 2025 finalists cohort, selected from over 2,900 applicants across South Asia, two entrepreneurs from Nepal have made it to the final pitch. Rubina Raut, founder of WUKA, a brand known for its line of reusable, leak-proof period underwear, has been selected for advancing SDG 5. Sophiya Tamang, founder of Idea to Impact, a company which turns surplus produce into fruit purées, was selected for supporting SDG 2.