Scaling up startups

With an aim to boost growth of IT-based entrepreneurship, youth organisation Young Bangla and Microsoft's Bangladesh chapter yesterday pledged to launch a platform for providing  potential startups with all sorts of assistance.

On the last day of a four-day summit -- Young Bangla Microsoft Summit -- at IEB auditorium in Dhaka, five start-ups, out of 250, were awarded with cheques worth Tk 5 lakh each, alongside other support for expansion.

Yesterday, 20 teams presented their ideas in front of judges, including Radwan Mujib Siddiq, trustee, Center for Research and Information (CRI); Nasrul Hamid Bipu, state minister for power, energy and mineral resources; Sonia Bashir Kabir, managing director, Microsoft Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Laos; and Sabbir Bin Shams, executive director, CRI.

The winning ideas are developing software for Bangla sign language (team BSL), connecting veterinary doctors with rural farmers (gorur doctor), using urban farming technologies to supplement traditional farming (micro beats), making lives better for senior citizens (blaze warrior) and introducing bicycle service “CHOLO” to avoid city traffic (finance wizard).

Radwan Mujib said, “We always intend to build bridge between youths and policymakers so their [youths] voice gets properly reflected in national policies.”

Sonia Bashir said 100 volunteers engaged as campus ambassadors under the network will be made Microsoft's brand ambassador.