Venus IT: Reaching for the stars
In conversation with Raqib Hossain, the Managing Director of Venus IT Ltd.
How did you initiate your journey in this sector?
The journey started with the personal philosophy to somehow contribute to the development of Bangladesh. It became evident to me that innovation and IT would be the best way to materialise my philosophy. So, we started developing our product “Alokito software” which is an education institution management software providing a one stop solution for schools/colleges in their managerial functions. We entered the market in 2018 with our product and have been thriving ever since. In addition to this, our services includes: SEO, Web development, App development, E-commerce development etc.
What were the obstacles that you had to overcome?
The main challenge or obstacle in our way was funding. To maintain an IT based firm and to ensure top quality service, substantial financial backing is required. Other than this, another challenge was gaining customer trust and their fear regarding our product use and getting constructive feedback from their end.
What would you say has been your best achievement?
I would say my best achievement was “Alokito software” as mentioned before. You can call it my passion project as it serves my ulterior motive of contributing to the education and IT sector of Bangladesh. Also the fact that we completed, launched and got positive feedback about it helps us to understand that we've indeed done something impactful.
How would you describe the IT industry in Bangladesh?
I would like to start by saying that this industry alone has tremendous potential in terms of gaining economic stability, increasing services, increasing employment etc. What's encouraging is that the government initiatives regarding this particular sector has been very helpful for companies like us.
What expectations do you hold in the future?
Since it's a booming industry we expect that the demand for IT services and products that we provide, develop and deliver will rise. A more consolidated expectation would be to see more standardised policies for IT products as to their acceptance by a standardised metric and the overall monitoring of the developments in this industry.
What do you think will help you to grow your business?
We believe that the intention to serve the development of the industry would help grow our business. This intention could lead us to develop more one stop management software solutions like the “Alokito software” but let's say for different fields for example, the corporate sector.