Shikho secures $1.3 million, largest round raised by a Bangladeshi edtech startup

Shikho, a Bangladesh-based edtech startup aiming to make high-quality education accessible and affordable, today announced the completion of a USD 1.3 million seed round of financing. This is the largest round raised by a Bangladeshi edtech startup yet. The round was led by Anchorless Bangladesh, a New York-based early-stage venture capital firm dedicated to Bangladesh, and LearnStart, the seed fund of Silicon Valley-based edtech investment specialists Learn Capital. It also had participation from Southeast Asia-focused venture capital firm Wavemaker Partners and Ankur Nagpal, founder and CEO of a leading American edtech called Teachable. This will be the first time Wavemaker Partners have invested in a Bangladeshi venture and the sixth deal for Anchorless Bangladesh since 2020, who have been very active in the local ecosystem; other investments include funding to Maya, AliceLabs, Loop Freight, and Gaze.

Founded in April 2019, Shikho is building a digital learning ecosystem centred on modernising the delivery of the Bangladeshi National Curriculum and making it fit for the 21st century. Combining expertise across content, instruction, media, and technology, Shikho utilises multi-layered gamification and modern learning methods to make online learning enjoyable, engaging, and effective for students of classes 9-12. It addresses each part of the Bangladeshi student journey—covering daily lessons, homework, exam prep, tutoring, and skill development—in an affordable, convenient, and cohesive way. 

Shikho is led by a team of experienced educational and technical talent. The team includes co-founders Shahir Chowdhury (CEO), a seasoned financial and business professional; and Zeeshan Zakaria (COO), an experienced educator with a decade of hands-on educational leadership. "By building a digital learning ecosystem that caters to the modern Bangladeshi student and democratises access to a world-class and enjoyable learning experience, we believe Shikho will have a powerful and lasting impact for generations to come," said Shahir Chowdhury, co-founder, and CEO of Shikho.

The market is primed for growth, and we believe the team at Shikho is well-fit to lead the charge and take education to the next level," said Rahat Ahmed, founding partner, and CEO at Anchorless Bangladesh.

Prior to this round of financing, Shikho raised USD 275,000 in pre-seed financing from LearnStart and strategic angel investors.