It is a proud moment for all Pakistanis that Esha Sheikh has made it to the Forbes next 1000 list. She announced this feat via an Instagram post. “So excited to officially announce that I have been chosen to be on the Forbes Next 1000 list! This first-of-its-kind initiative celebrates bold and inspiring entrepreneurs who are redefining what it means to run a business today.
“I feel extremely humbled, grateful, and honored to be representing Pakistani women on this global platform,” the post read, further adding,” I hereby, dedicate this honor to the women of my country. Ladies, no matter what, never stop believing in yourself and your power; my doors are always open to you for any help, mentorship, and guidance. We as women need to continuously keep passing the baton for an inclusive, diverse, and equal playing field. Together, let us conquer; let us rise, and let us break barriers. Let’s be limitless!”
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Esha Sheikh received her education from the United States of America and resides in Denver, Colorado. She launched Playpal while conducting a study on obesity with John Hopkins University back in 2014.
Playpal is a digital web and mobile platform that provides its users with an advanced health profile and preventative health analyses by keeping a track of their physical and cognitive data from various third-party integrations. At Playpal, health is quantified as a mathematical function “H(t)”.
It is called the “Health Capital Model”. Playpal records and processes its users’ actions to gauge and influence their health capital value. The impact of it can be viewed and verified through a decentralized blockchain linkage.
Based on this value, users’ healthy behavior is rewarded financially through Playcoins – Playpal’s cryptocurrency. The app also helps personalize health recommendations for users by using AI. Investors have invested a staggering amount of $2 million in Playpal.
Her idea of Playpal was a result of her own life story. She was obese as a child and was bullied as a result of it at school. She lost 65 pounds due to her father’s ‘incentivization model’ of unlimited toys if she lost weight. Undoubtedly, the seeds of desire to make an impact in the world by helping people monitor and improve their health were sown during her time at school.
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A woman making a name for herself in the technological sector – a field dominated by men – is something the world seldom witnesses. In her opinion, it is more about the barriers to entry than the ability to excel.
She has struggled to get her ideas noticed because of this gender bias but never gave up her pursuit of making a difference. That is precisely what has led her to the triumph she is witnessing today.