Bangladesh startup ecosystem is growing fast. Still, there are lots of areas where we need serious improvement like funding infrastructure, local incubators, mentors network, angel investors, and more, but compare to last year the scenario has gotten a lot better. The general perception about entrepreneurship and startup has changed a lot. The number of startups has increased dramatically and there are startups that have received international funding as well. We have seen few active local VCs also to invest in startups.
It is true that Bangladesh startup ecosystem is still in its infancy and we have a lot to catch up with. But the progress we have made is pretty good.
Here is a list coworking spaces, incubators, venture capital firms directly or indirectly helping the startup ecosystem to grow. This is no ranking and the list is in particular order.
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1. hubdhaka
hubdhaka is the Dhaka's first proper coworking space for freelancers, startups and entrepreneurs. Located in Mirpur, it started back in 2014 and has become one of the epicenters of city's happenings in startup space. It holds events and workshops for independent professionals and startups on a regular basis.
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2. Founder Institute
Founder Institute, the Silicon Valley-based entrepreneur training and startup launch program, runs a local chapter in Dhaka. It has started its second batch recently. Started back in 2014, 5 startups came out from its first batch and two of them received seed investment from Fenox Venture Capital this year.
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3. Moar
Based in Banani, Moar is a newcomer in coworking space. Founded by Nabila Nowrin and Nahid Sharmin, Moar aims to become a destination for independent professionals and early stage companies who essentially don't need an office round the year and also don't want invest a lot in maintaining an office.
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4. BD Venture Limited
BD Venture Limited started back in 2012 when we did not have equity funding rules. It started as a limited company under RJSC and invested out of its own capital. So far the first invested in three local companies.
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5. Bangladesh Venture Capital
Founded by Sabur Khan of Daffodil Group, Bangladesh Venture Capital Limited aims to provide early stage growth fund to startups. However, we could not find any portfolio information of Bangladesh Venture Capital Limited.
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6. Bangladesh Startup Lab
Bangladesh Startup Lab is an upcoming accelerator program. Started by Better Stories Limited and supported by US State Department, BSL is especially designed for young and women founders. Application for Bangladesh Startup Lab is open now.
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7. Startup Incubator of Janata Tower STP (Software Technology Park)
This upcoming incubator program is a collaboration between CT Division of Bangladesh Government, Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority (BHTPA) and BASIS. This is going to be the first government supported incubator in the country and it promised to provide free office space, mentorship support, and all. Application for a selection competition for the incubator is open now.
This list is not complete. If you know any entity we missed here, please add in the comment.
