Mahnoor, Enterprise Challenge

Drawing on her science skills and newfound business knowledge, Mahnoor – who is still at school – is breaking through barriers to pursue big change with small creatures.

Fifteen-year-old Mahnoor has been named the King’s Trust Young Achiever for Asia, in recognition of her revolutionary approach to tackling food waste. A powerful example of how young minds can drive innovation, Mahnoor received her award from British High Commissioner Jane Marriott CMG OBE at the 2025 Enterprise Challenge Pakistan Finals in January.

A flying start

Flies on rotting food are generally considered a pest and a health hazard. But Mahnoor has found an ingenious way to harness the power of fly larvae and food waste to create new products.

Appalled at the waste she had seen in the local market, where heaps of discarded fruit and vegetables were left to rot, Mahnoor came up with a business idea to tackle the problem.

Mahnoor’s fledgeling enterprise sees her using food waste to feed black soldier fly larvae. Alongside selling the larvae from her colony as organic chicken feed, she is also experimenting with a bio-tech procedure to extract chitosan powder from their cocoons.

Chitosan is a valuable polymer that is widely used in a range of industries including pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, and the market is growing fast.

‘It’s not yet available in Pakistan in powder form, so we’re pioneers in this aspect,’ Mahnoor explains. ‘Our approach not only reduces waste but also provides a sustainable solution for multiple sectors, benefiting the environment and our community.’

Enterprise and ethics

Mahnoor’s entrepreneurial endeavours were kickstarted during the Enterprise Challenge Pakistan (ECP) programme with our partner SEED Ventures, which equips school students with business skills and gives them the opportunity to develop and pitch their own business ideas, with a focus on initiatives with a positive social or environmental impact. Now in its eighth year, Enterprise Challenge Pakistan is the country’s leading entrepreneurship competition for students under 18.

‘ECP provided me with the knowledge of how to establish and run a business,’ Mahnoor explains. ‘It offered both a commercial sense and an ethical perspective, helping us understand how we could benefit society.’

Breaking through barriers

Mahnoor’s idea aims to use food waste productively to generate new sustainable income streams. But it is not only her idea that is inspiring, it is the way she has determinedly battled against discouragement and prejudice to bring it to fruition.

Over the course of the Enterprise Challenge programme Mahnoor progressed from a shy teenager to a confident and self-assured young entrepreneur and team leader. With widespread gender-based discrimination, girls in Pakistan still face many barriers to progressing in science and business fields. But keen to be a role model for her younger siblings, Mahnoor is breaking the mould and blazing a trail for others to follow. Now she and her team are progressing their business idea in real life.

‘In Pakistan, girls pursuing careers in STEM or business is uncommon…I had to convince my parents to allow me to chase my dreams and break the societal norms.’