The Startup Ecosystem of Bangladesh

Bangladesh is a country with a vast population in South Asia that borders India and Myanmar. The country has strong economic potential, which will require active support from the government to materialize. Top priorities should be improving infrastructure, including internet stability. The government should also work on policy support, arrangement of corporate venture capital, and improving industry-academia collaboration to support the growth of startups.
The public sector supports the ecosystem through various initiatives such as the IDEA Project, an accelerator offering ecosystem support services such as coworking spaces, funding and legal support. Moreover, as one of the challenges in Bangladesh is infrastructure, The Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority has built 4 Hi-Tech parks like Bangabandhu Hi-Tech City to elevate the growth of the local tech industry. There are several more such parks under construction.
The public sector is also active in the investment landscape of the country. Startup Bangladesh Limited is the government-backed VC, aiming to nurture a healthy startup ecosystem through partnerships with various ecosystem stakeholders such as Digital Bangladesh, Bangladesh ICT Division, and the Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority. Another active organization in Bangladesh’s investment landscape is Bangladesh Angels, an NGO that connects entrepreneurs with global and local investors. In the light of the facts and initiatives discussed above, Bangladesh’s startup ecosystems are a potential digital treasure in Asia that require systematic country-level branding to attract more foreign investments and generate exposure.