Sumeena Karki | Nepal
Entrepreneur, scientist, consultant, women’s advocate, award-winner, sustainability champion. Sumeena is them all.
In 2018, motivated by the need for a bridge between agricultural research and business Sumeena founded RARA BIOTECH, Nepal’s first all-female led biotech company. RARA BIOTECH transforms research-based outputs to consumable products creating positive impacts on society that support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Entrepreneur, scientist, consultant, women’s advocate, award-winner, sustainability champion. Sumeena is them all.
In 2018, motivated by the need for a bridge between agricultural research and business Sumeena founded RARA BIOTECH, Nepal’s first all-female led biotech company. RARA BIOTECH transforms research-based outputs to consumable products creating positive impacts on society that support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Currently RARA BIOTECH is focussed upon agriculture and livestock farming with the vision of cementing their reputation as a ground-breaking national leader providing brand quality products, technologies and services to minimise problems in agriculture. Current projects include the development of a rapid-pregnancy detection kit for cattle and research looking at different natural and optimised mushroom cultivation methods.
In addition to providing strategic direction and research leadership to her own company, Sumeena is a Research Champion (Agriculture and Biotechnology) at the World Innovations Forum, Nepal and an agriculture consultant currently working with a mushroom farm in Vietnam.
Sumeena grew up in Chitwan, a mixed city of both urban areas and villages. She credits her inclination towards impactful work to her paternal and maternal grandparents who were farmers on one side and business owners on the other. This gave Sumeena insights into the hardships experienced by each. Paired with a strong belief in the power of manifestation, the support of her family and a natural entrepreneurial streak, Sumeena became intensely solutions-focused and is now intent on honing her own leadership capability so that she may inspire others to also become problem-solvers.
In the future Sumeena plans to utilise her knowledge to transfer skills to farmers that will enhance entrepreneur ecosystems in Nepal with a focus on 5 key areas: Skill Development, Collaboration, Job Creation, Economic Empowerment and Women in Leadership.
Sumeena and Rara Biotech colleague in the field, Kirtipur, Central Nepal
Rara Biotech wins at the Swiss-Nepal Technology Transfer
From The GEAReD Blog…
International Women’s Day: Nepal
As a child growing up in Nepal, Sumeena Karki was forever asking questions and challenging what girls could do. Today, she's continuing that tradition on a much grander scale as a ground-breaking scientist, entrepreneur and Meryl Williams Fellow.
Public Diplomacy Grant Awarded
A recent grant from the Australian Embassy in Nepal to enable field-based training to 20 women farmers making essential oils from medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) using biotechnology.