The top seven participating digital startups selected for the 3rd Cohort of the program were announced at the grand ceremony. Zunaid Ahmed Palak, State Minister, ICT division was present at the event as Chief Guest, said a press release.
N M Zeaul Alam, Senior Secretary, ICT DIvision, Erik Aas, Chief Executive Officer, Banglalink, Taimur Rahman, Chief Corporate & Regulatory Affairs Officer, Banglalink, Hosne Ara Begum, Managing Director, Bangladesh Hi-tech Park Authority and other high officials of the organizations were also present on the occasion.
Following a call for application in November 2019, promising digital startups applied for the programme through online submissions. The top seven startups - Save Up IT Ltd., Karukotha Software, Ghautaan, ANTT Robotics, Messbook, Off-shore and Booktionary.com - were selected based on the uniqueness, scalability, and effectiveness of their digital ideas.
They will be provided with infrastructural, logistic and mentoring support at IT Incubator located in Janata Tower, Kawran Bazar. Their initiatives are based on a digital directory of discount offers, e-commerce for craft artists, event-related skill sharing, STEM education promotion, residence management for students/bachelors, e-commerce connecting travelers with buyers and digital book exchange, respectively.
Banglalink also announced the names of the two startups - Teach It and EasySense – from the second batch, who got the opportunity to participate in the upcoming 4YFN (4 years from now) event at Mobile World Congress, where they will showcase their startups and pitch their ideas in front of international investors.
IT Incubator is a part of ‘Make Your Mark’, the flagship Corporate Responsibility program of Banglalink’s parent company VEON. The renowned global telecom operator is committed to facilitating the development of the IT sectors of all the societies around the world it operates in.
Speaking on the occasion, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, State Minister, ICT division said, “I feel really delighted to be with the talented young entrepreneurs, who made their way to this stage through their commitment, hard work and innovation. If we succeed to find out and empower such promising entrepreneurs, they will feel more encouraged to embark on new digital initiatives. Banglalink and my fellow colleagues from Bangladesh Hi-tech Park Authority truly deserve our appreciation for standing by the entrepreneurs and showing them the right direction.”
Erik Aas, Chief Executive Officer, Banglalink said, “We firmly believe that when such promising young entrepreneurs are provided with necessary guidance and assistance, they can contribute to building a prosperous Digital Bangladesh. Banglalink IT Incubator has turned out to be an exemplary digital platform helping many passionate entrepreneurs carry their initiatives forward. Banglalink will continue to support them as part of its pledge to play a leading role in expediting the development of the IT sector.”
Launched in July 2016, Banglalink IT Incubator was inaugurated by Sajeeb Wazed Joy, ICT Advisor to Prime Minister and Houlin Zhao, Secretary General, International Telecommunications Union. Banglalink IT Incubator has so far incubated 16 startups from its first two editions.