STARTUPS
“Godmother of AI” raises USD 230 mln for AI startup
An artificial intelligence researcher, Fei-Fei Li also nicknamed as the “Godmother of AI” has raised USD 230 million for AI startup “World Labs” along with her three colleagues to develop AI technology that can comprehend how the three-dimensional physical world works, the company announced on Friday.
Bangladeshi Stanford graduate’s AI startup receives $750K funding
Story Engine Inc., an AI startup co-founded by Bangladeshi Stanford graduate Sheikh Srijon, has received $750,000 in pre-seed funding from the reputed venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (A16Z). The startup, founded by Sheikh Srijon, Zhizhuo Zhou, and Wanrong He, aims to revolutionise the realm of webtoon and anime creation through generative AI technology.
Press Release / Optimizely earns 'Great Place To Work' certification
Optimizely earns 'Great Place To Work' certification, celebrates culture of innovation and employee well-being
AI startup by OpenAI co-founder raises $1 bln
Safe Superintelligence (SSI), a new AI startup co-founded by Ilya Sutskever, former chief scientist and co-founder at OpenAI, has raised $1 billion in cash. In an interview with Reuters, SSI announced its goal to build "safe AI systems that far surpass human capabilities".
Bangladeshi-born founder’s Australian startup acquired for $16 bln
AirTrunk, a data centre group founded by Bangladeshi-Australian entrepreneur Robin Khuda, is set to change hands in a USD 16.1 billion (AUD 23 billion) deal.
Footsteps co-founder Shah Rafayat named Asia 21 Next Generation Fellow
Shah Rafayat Chowdhury, co-founder of the social venture organisation Footsteps, has been selected as one of the 38 young leaders to join the Asia 21 Next Generation Fellows for 2024.
2 Bangladeshi startups in Forbes Asia 100 To Watch list
Two Bangladeshi startups - Tiger New Energy, a company offering battery-swapping technology for electric vehicles (EV), and iFarmer, an agritech platform - has recently made it to the Forbes Asia's 100 to Watch list for 2024.
Shikho was blacklisted from government funding, says CEO
Shahir Chowdhury, the founder and CEO of the Bangladeshi edtech startup Shikho, recently stated in a Facebook post that his company had been blacklisted from receiving government funding. According to Chowdhury, Shikho was close to securing an investment, which included BDT 5 crore from Startup Bangladesh Limited (SBL) as part of a larger USD 1.5 million funding round. However, SBL abruptly withdrew its support just before the agreement was to be signed, citing political reasons.
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.
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.