Aseel App

Aseel App is an online marketplace where Afghan artisans can sell handcrafted products in the international market, receiving a more dignified wage than if they were to resort to selling their goods through channels traditionally available to them. After the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021 and the country’s subsequent collapse, the Aseel App team pivoted to utilize its already existing infrastructure to allow customers to, instead of buying a handmade product from Afghanistan, send humanitarian aid to Afghans. Aseel Buy Good encapsulates the initial vision of providing a space for artisans to sell their products. The second added element, Aseel Do Good, capitalizes on that same infrastructure to foster transparent and efficient channels of humanitarian aid.

To expand its platform to support other regions in need, such as Turkey, Aseel will need additional impact investors. However, they recognize the complexity of the dual-purpose platform (Aseel Buy Good and Aseel Do Good). Therefore, they seek to refine their pitch to potential impact investors showcasing their new narrative, as well as identify potential audiences and investors.

Aseel Do Good (the humanitarian aid component of the platform) helped over 250,000 people in the first year alone. Overall, Aseel has impacted a total of 500,000 people through both the Buy Good and Do Good elements of the platform, and aims to grow its impact to 5,000,000 people over the next five years. Recognizing the impressive technology and infrastructure of Aseel App and the opportunity to scale growth beyond Afghanistan, KIN facilitated a Catalyze Session with Aseel App, bringing together it’s founder and CEO, Nasrat Khalid, with a hand-selected group of five Knowledge Partners with extensive experience in global commerce and humanitarian aid. During the session, they helped Assel App identify gaps in their pitch and opportunities for reshaping the narrative, such as including a stronger focus on the app’s proven impact and innovative technology infrastructure. Communication between Nasrat and the Knowledge Partners continued throughout the weeks following the session to improve Aseel App’s data room, identify potential investors, and polish the pitch deck.