The 6-part webinar series, ‘Shoto Borsho Shoto Asha – Rise Up’ Webinar Series being organized by High Commission of India, Dhaka, Startup Bangladesh, Ministry of ICT, Govt of Bangladesh, and StartUp India was inaugurated on 26 July 2021 by State Minister for ICT, Govt of Bangladesh Zunaid Ahmed Palak and High Commissioner of India, Shri. Vikram Doraiswami.
Speaking at the event hosted by Managing Director & CEO of Startup Bangladesh Limited Tina Jabeen, Zunaid Ahmed Palak welcomed the initiative and said that increased cooperation between the StartUp Sectors in Bangladesh and India would be mutually beneficial. High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami said that in the next 6 months, the RiseUp platform will bring together mentors, innovators, entrepreneurs, investors, etc from India and Bangladesh. He hoped that the platform will facilitate an effective cross-learning opportunity that will benefit talented entrepreneurs from both countries, especially young innovators. High Commissioner also recalled that during the recent state visit of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to Bangladesh in March 2021, the Prime Minister had invited 50 Bangladeshi entrepreneurs to visit India and connect with India’s start-up and innovation ecosystem. High Commissioner stressed that the RiseUp series could facilitate such linkages to jumpstart tangible cooperation.
Following the opening ceremony, a panel discussion on ‘StartUp Landscape in Bangladesh and India – Tech StartUps Transforming the Future’ was held. Fruitful deliberations on the topic were held by the eminent panelists working in the StartUp Space in India and Bangladesh. Mr. Yamini Bhushan Pandey, CEO of Startup Incubation and Acceleration Division at Indian School of Business(ISB), Mohali and Sharad Sharma, Co-Founder of iSPIRT Foundation, India, and member of National Startup Advisory Council were joined by Wasim Alim, Co-founder, and CEO of Chaldal and Rahat Ahmed, CEO of Anchorless Bangladesh. The discussion was moderated by Mr. Bijon Islam, Co-founder, and CEO of Lightcastle Partners.
The webinar will be followed by more discussions on the Regulatory environment for StartUps, overcoming hurdles to create a successful StartUp, Fundraising strategies, strategies for StartUps to go international, and a deep dive into StartUp Opportunities in Bangladesh and India. The Shoto Borsho Shoto Asha – Rise Up webinar series is also supported by Economic Reporters Forum, Bangladesh StartUp Consortium, and BD AIR.