OnnoRokom Uddokta, an accelerator program with the ambition to transform Bangladesh's entrepreneurial ecosystem, introduced its inaugural cohort of startups and sustainable businesses at an event hosted in the Conference Hall of Hasan Tower in Dhaka's Farmgate on June 2nd. The inaugural cohort features 21 carefully selected startups and sustainable businesses representing diverse sectors, including agriculture, education, healthcare, and technology, critical to Bangladesh's economic development.
OnnoRokom Uddokta is a six-month accelerator program that will provide comprehensive mentorship, coaching, network, regulatory guidance, market connections, and potential funding access to the selected companies. The program is an initiative of OnnoRokom Group, a Dhaka-based conglomerate committed to building a better Bangladesh with businesses spanning education, technology, electronics manufacturing, e-commerce, education, and publishing.
The launch is an important initiative for Bangladesh's entrepreneurship development landscape, addressing the critical need for structured entrepreneurial support. More importantly, it is an interesting example where a successful local conglomerate is investing in entrepreneurship development.
With over 2 million young Bangladeshis entering the workforce annually, entrepreneurship has emerged as an important economic driver. OnnoRokom Uddokta directly addresses this challenge by providing startups and nascent businesses with mentorship, capital access, regulatory guidance, and market connections—resources traditionally scarce in Bangladesh's developing entrepreneurship ecosystem.
The six-month long program combines offline and online classes, one-on-one mentoring sessions, co-working facilities, and public gatherings. It includes 17 modules, monthly public gatherings with Q&A and brainstorming sessions, personalized growth assignments, and weekly co-working opportunities.
The program’s hybrid format ensures accessibility while providing hands-on support. Key components include:
The inaugural cohort of OnnoRokom Uddokta features 21 early stage businesses, showcasing the diversity of Bangladesh’s entrepreneurial landscape. Below is a brief overview of each participant:
Grow Organic (2023): Produces organic food products like black cumin seed mix, honey, and date palm jaggery, aiming to take local agriculture products to global markets.
Urbor (September 2025): A halal agro-fintech platform offering crowd investment and dynamic management to improve farmers’ production and provide higher returns to investors.
Adarsha Academy: Focuses on children’s character, supporting over 1,000 parents with online batches in Bangladesh, America, and Finland.
HelloDoctor.org (December 2024): Offers chat-based telemedicine and AI-agent development for doctors, with plans for a subscription-based app.
LustManager: Provides counseling for sexual addiction, combining spiritual growth, lifestyle changes, and mentoring, with 37,000+ registered users and 1,200 paid service users.
AidFast (October 2023): A doctor-led platform connecting patients with nearby doctors’ chambers, schedules, and services like booking, blood bank, and ambulance information.
Hayat Jaibo Sar (July 2024): Created a unique fertilizer called Hayat Jaibo Sar. Produces 4 tons of organic Trichoderma compost monthly as an alternative to chemical fertilizers.
Itqaan Online Preschool (IOP) (December 2024): An online preschool teaching Bangla, English, Math, Science, Arabic, and Deeniyat for early childhood education.
Deshghuri (2015): Offers ground handling services for Bangladesh tourism, including tour guides and hotel bookings.
I-infotech (October 2017): Develops custom ERP software, including modules for Purchase, Sales, Inventory, Accounts, and HRM, with a focus on SaaS-based “PintimeHR.”
Fresh Farmers (December 2023): Specializes in antibiotic-free poultry, managing 11,000 chickens and selling 300 monthly under their brand, with outlets in Bogra and Dhaka.
IIT (January 2022): Integrates Islamic and modern education, serving 800+ students with programs in school, madrasa, Islamic economics, and skill development.
Codeman Academy (SAAS): Offers AI-powered document analyzers, including AI-Powered Tender Analyzer and Smart To-Do List Analysis.
BRACE (January 2025): A pain management initiative using Silva Method and NLP for back, knee, and neck pain.
Viral Labs (November 2024): Provides video editing services and courses, working with brands like Runner and BYD, and training 300+ individuals.
Friday’s (December 2024): Focuses on Islamic lifestyle clothing both online and offline.
Believe One IT (bCloud) (2012): A software solution serving 30 clients with an average sale value of BDT 200,000, aiming for 60 clients in 2025.
Asta Life (May 2019): A pharmacist-led initiative with a blog reaching 135,000 annual users, offering medication reminders via an app with 1,000 downloads.
Ipedia (February 2022): A Wikipedia-type site for authentic Islamic information, currently developing in Bangla with plans for four languages.
Junior Ummah (April 2024): Creates Islamic books for children, with plans for cultural products like toys and an Islamic theme park.
Hulkenstein: Bangladesh’s first guideline-based edtech institution, focusing on structured educational solutions.
The number of active incubator and accelerator programs is an important indicator of the maturity and growth of an entrepreneurship ecosystem. Countries like the US, China, or India have incubators and accelerator programs in the thousands. Programs like Y Combinator and Techstars have changed the startup landscape in many of these markets.
Building a business is a tremendously difficult job. You can’t build a company all by yourself. You have to use every resource available to you, whether it’s emotional support, strategic or technical advice, or an introduction. This is where incubator and accelerator programs play important roles by providing initial support such as mentorship, connections, capital, space, and much more to fledgling startups and making them ready to face the world.
While startup accelerators are commonplace in Silicon Valley or Bangalore, in Bangladesh, they are few and far between. Unlike mature markets, Bangladesh’s entrepreneurs face fragmented mentorship, scarce early-stage funding, and regulatory hurdles.
Accelerator programs like OnnoRokom Uddokta can play a transformative by offering localized support—tailored mentorship, expertise, and access through OnnoRokom Group’s extensive network. By doing so, they can mitigate the risks that deter both investors and founders. The program’s emphasis on sectors that address local challenges, such as agriculture and healthcare, ensures that startups not only solve pressing issues but also have the potential to scale globally.
The road ahead for OnnoRokom Uddokta is challenging. But the program is an excellent feat for a local conglomerate to dedicate resources to entrepreneurship development. We will be closely following the development of the program.
