Women Empowerment • Female Entrepreneurs • Business Mentorship • Digital Transformation • Social Impact • Financial Literacy • SME Support • Malaysia • Lizard Global • The Asia Foundation • Mastercard • Strivers' Hub
The client
The Asia Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving lives across Asia through initiatives in education, women’s empowerment, environmental sustainability, and community-based development. In partnership with Mastercard, they launched the Strivers' Hub, a program focused on supporting female entrepreneurs—particularly in the micro, small, and medium enterprise space—in Malaysia. While the initiative emphasizes women-led businesses, it is inclusive of all entrepreneurs working toward financial independence and business growth.
The program offers both online and offline components. Digitally, it serves as a resource hub where users can find educational content, sign up for mentorships, access financial tools, and learn about available grants and government support. A smart assessment feature helps users identify their business stage and recommends personalized resources for their growth journey.
Offline, Strivers' Hub hosts roadshows and events that go beyond typical business talks. Female founders and CEOs share real, emotional stories about balancing entrepreneurship with personal life. Public figures and mentors provide hands-on training and networking opportunities, creating a space where meaningful connections and learning can flourish.
The challenge
The Asia Foundation wanted to create a platform that provided easy, centralized access to essential resources. Recognizing the unique challenges women face—especially married women juggling home and work responsibilities—the platform aimed to offer a convenient and supportive space that addresses time constraints and information overload.
Our solution
To address the need for a centralized, accessible support system for women entrepreneurs, Lizard Global partnered with The Asia Foundation to develop a comprehensive website—a full-fledged digital ecosystem tailored to guide women through every stage of their entrepreneurial journey. The platform offers access to a wide range of business resources, including event listings, mentorship opportunities, and financial support such as grants and government funding. At its core is a guided questionnaire and assessment tool that personalizes the user experience by recommending content and resources based on each individual’s current business stage and specific needs. Users can also explore educational materials covering essential topics like starting a business, crafting effective business proposals, and achieving sustainable growth. Designed with simplicity and efficiency in mind, the platform provides a user-friendly interface that helps reduce decision fatigue—making it especially valuable for busy women who are balancing business with other responsibilities.
Our Involvement
Software Development
UI/UX Design
Data Analytics
Lizard Global played a crucial role in bringing the Strivers' Hub platform to life by providing end-to-end digital expertise. The team led the software development, building a robust and scalable backend architecture that supports seamless performance across devices. In parallel, they crafted a user-centric UI/UX design that prioritizes accessibility and ease of navigation—key for time-constrained users like busy women entrepreneurs. Every interface element was thoughtfully designed to reduce friction and enhance engagement, making it easy for users to find resources, sign up for mentorships, or explore funding options. In addition, Lizard Global integrated data analytics capabilities to track user behavior and platform performance, enabling continuous optimization and tailored content delivery. Their holistic approach ensured that the Strivers Hub is not only visually appealing and easy to use but also strategically built to grow and evolve alongside its community of users.
Smart Business Assessment
Users begin their journey by completing a simple questionnaire designed to assess their business stage and individual needs. This allows the platform to tailor content and recommendations, making the user experience relevant, targeted, and time-efficient.
Curated Resources Library
The platform provides easy access to practical resources on starting and growing a business, from creating a business plan to understanding market positioning and scaling operations.
Mentorship Sign-up & Program Access
Users can register for mentorship programs that connect them with experienced entrepreneurs, public figures, and business leaders who offer guidance and support throughout the user’s journey.
Financial Literacy & Grant Information
The site features detailed information on financial tools, government grants, funding opportunities, and budgeting tips to help entrepreneurs grow sustainably and make informed financial decisions.
Event Hub & Networking Opportunities
A calendar of both virtual and physical events allows users to attend talks, workshops, and training sessions—creating opportunities to connect, learn, and build a supportive network with fellow entrepreneurs and mentors.
Down the line
Although this program is not designed for long-term operation, it has the potential to continue its mentorships and community-driven support independently beyond its initial scope.
Conclusion
This marks the first time the Mastercard Strivers' Hub program has been launched in Malaysia, after having proven successful in other markets. The partnership between The Asia Foundation, Mastercard, and Lizard Global brings a powerful and much-needed resource to the Malaysian entrepreneurial ecosystem—especially for women striving to build and sustain their businesses.
