STARTUPS
Palak appears as a guest shark on Shark Tank Bangladesh
Shark Tank Bangladesh aired a special cricket-themed episode over the weekend, showcasing four sports-related businesses. The episode also had the Minister of State for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, Zunaid Ahmed Palak as a guest shark.
Press Release / iFarmer selected for Visa Accelerator Program 2024
iFarmer, a Bangladesh-based agri-tech startup, has been selected for Visa's Accelerator Program in Asia Pacific for 2024. According to a press release, the other selected startups were from Hong Kong SAR, Singapore, the United States, and Vietnam.
Bangladesh moves up 6 spots in global startup ecosystem index 2024
Bangladesh has ascended 6 places to rank 83rd in the recently published 'Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2024' report by StartupBlink, a global startup map and research centre. In the report, Dhaka also climbed 71 spots to secure the 140th position among top 1,000 listed cities. Dhaka was also ranked 7th in South Asia for the Agtech industry.
Press Release / Fintech startup Elevate secures investment worth $5 million
Elevate, a fintech startup based in London and Dubai, has secured an investment of $5 million aimed at expanding its presence in South Asian markets, including Bangladesh. The startup offers a simplified method for receiving USD payments from international employers and platforms such as Upwork, Fiverr, Paypal, Deel, and Toptal.
Press Release / ShareTrip partners with Malaysian Health Tourism Council
ShareTrip is partnering with the Malaysian Health Tourism Council (MHTC) to offer Bangladeshi patients medical tourism services in Malaysia. According to a press release, this partnership aims to provide patients with healthcare facilities, specialised treatments, and wellness programs at affordable rates.
AamarPay unveils new fintech super app
AamarPay, an online payment gateway company in Bangladesh, has introduced a new fintech super app. The announcement was made at an event held at the BASIS Auditorium in BDBL Bhawan, Kawran Bazar, Dhaka, on Saturday.
Elon Musk's AI startup xAI now worth $24 bln
Elon Musk's AI startup, xAI, has recently raised $6 billion in Series B funding, culminating in a total post-money valuation of $24 billion, according to the company.
Building a cybersecurity company from scratch
Security is one of the major aspects in our life that we think about on a daily basis. In today's environment, cyber risks are just as significant as physical ones. The demand for cybersecurity, a word used to describe defence against threats related to the internet, has grown dramatically as society becomes increasingly digitally oriented.
Apon Bazaar raises USD 1.5 mil in investment
Apon Bazaar, a local ecommerce marketplace, has recently raised an investment of USD 1.5 million in a pre-seed round. As per Apon Bazaar, this investment came from several local and foreign investors, including Startup Bangladesh and the US-based venture capital firm Village Capital.
Shothik AI gets selected for Google for AI Startup Cloud Program
Shothik AI, a Bangladeshi AI-based startup has recently received USD 350,000 from Google for AI Startup Cloud program and USD 100,000 from Amazon.
Visa Accelerator Program's 4th edition announced
Visa has today announced the fourth edition of the Visa Accelerator Program, with an open call for applications. As per the company, the initiative aims to enable Bangladeshi startups to unlock growth potential by collaborating with Visa’s payments experts.
How Bangladeshi startups fared in 2023
In 2023, amidst a landscape of global economic instability largely influenced by geopolitical tensions, Bangladesh's startup ecosystem has showcased a notable degree of resilience and adaptability, with pivotal shifts in the realms of investment and strategic approaches within the startup sector.
CrackPlatoon launches EV charging station in Cumilla
CrackPlatoon Charging Solution Limited, a Bangladeshi EV charging startup, has recently launched an electric vehicle (EV) charging station at "MIAMI Leisure Spot" on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway in Kalakachua, Burichang, Cumilla.
ShareTrip introduces seat selection feature
ShareTrip, an online travel agency in Bangladesh, has recently introduced a seat selection feature, in which travellers can pick their preferred choice of seats.
Magna Water: What even is it?
Recently, certain locally-based 'free water' startups have been making waves on Facebook. These initiatives promise to provide free, clean drinking water to the general public by integrating ads on the plastic bottles the water would come in. But how do these initiatives work and where is this bottled water coming from? We recently caught up with one of these initiatives, ‘Magna Water’—literally meaning free water—to talk about their plans, goals, and details regarding this project.
How does 'FreeWater' work?
What is FreeWater, and how does it operate? Let's take a look at this Texas-based beverage company and how it created a unique business model that is currently inspiring new Bangladeshi startups to adopt something similar.
Foodpanda fined Tk10 lakh for unfair market practices
The Bangladesh Competition Commission (BCC) has levied a Tk10 lakh fine on Foodpanda, an online food and grocery delivery platform, for violations of the Competition Act. This decision was made on Monday, following an investigation into allegations of unfair market practices.
'Tech for Palestine' initiative launched to support Palestinians
A coalition of over 40 founders, investors, engineers, and other tech industry professionals has recently launched a new initiative called 'Tech for Palestine'. The goal of this coalition is to build open-source projects, tools, and data that can aid the tech industry in advocating for the Palestinian people.
