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.
AI startup Hishab gets BDT 2cr investment from Startup Bangladesh
Hishab Technologies Limited, a startup focusing on telephony-driven conversational engines powered by generative AI has received an investment of BDT 2 crore from Startup Bangladesh Limited.
Bangladeshi blue-tech startup Seaqua raises USD six-figure investment
Seaqua, a Bangladeshi blue-tech startup, has raised USD six-figure foreign direct investment (FDI) from investors from the Middle East. Founded in 2022, Seaqua is a startup that aims to digitise Bangladesh's fisheries and aquaculture industry.
Most talked about startup stories in 2023
In 2023, the country's startup sector, known for its agility and forward-thinking approach, has seen remarkable growth and diversification. Here are the biggest startup headlines from 2023:
Startup Bangladesh invests BDT 1 crore in Alice Labs
Startup Bangladesh Limited, the government-backed venture capital firm, has recently invested BDT 1 crore in Alice Labs, an AI-based sales and support platform for online businesses.
OpenAI in plans to raise $100 bln funding
OpenAI, the company behind the popular chatbot ChatGPT, is planning on raising a new round of funding worth at least $100 billion, as per a recent report by Bloomberg News.
Internet Society Bangladesh Chapter elects new executive committee
Internet Society Bangladesh Chapter has elected a new executive committee for the term 2024-25. Mohammad Nadir Bin Ali, Registrar of Daffodil International University, was elected as President; and Md. Baraktul Alam, Head of Operations of Dour Broadband, was elected as General Secretary.
7 Bangladeshi startups in Holon IQ's top 100 edtechs in South Asia
Seven Bangladeshi startups have been named in Holon IQ's 2023 list of top 100 edtech startups in South Asia: 10 Minute School, Apar's, Shikho, and Sohopathi for the 'tutoring and test prep' category; Science Bee and CodersTrust for the 'STEAM' category; and Edutechs in the 'Management Systems' category.
Pathao co-founder Elius’ new startup raises USD 3.8 mln
Wind.app, a fintech startup founded by Hussain Elius, former CEO and co-founder of the Bangladeshi ride-sharing platform Pathao, has recently received USD 3.8 million in pre-seed funding.
Bangladeshi startup Drutoloan raises USD 125k in pre-seed round
Druto Fintech Limited, a Bangladeshi fintech startup, has recently secured USD 1,25,000 in a pre-seed funding round. The investment comes from both local and foreign backers such as Ridwan Hafiz, CEO of GoZayaan, and Razy Shah, co-founder of Singapore's 2Stallions Digital Marketing Agency, as well as other investors.
Orange Corners Bangladesh hosts investor meet
Orange Corners, an initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, has recently hosted its first-ever Investors Meet, jointly organised by the Embassy of the Netherlands in Bangladesh and SAJIDA Foundation.
