StartUp Cup ‘17 kicks off
StartUp Cup, the international business model competition, is back for the second year in Bangladesh. On March 6, the organisers announced that a special bus will travel across the country to pick up the winners of the seven divisional rounds. Launched by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands, India-based impact investment firm Aavishkaar and BetterStories Limited, this year's cup is themed 'Nurture locally, scale nationally.'
The tailor made 'immersion' bus will travel across all the divisional cities, with the exception of Dhaka. The aim of the competition is twofold: first, to identify and coach promising entrepreneurs from rural areas who are addressing social challenges. By offering targeted training to these budding companies, they are better able to present themselves to potential investors and are better positioned to launch successful companies. Secondly, to create a startup ecosystem across the seven divisional cities that, once seeded, will hopefully be able to grow and sustain itself. The ecosystem will support startup entrepreneurs in early stages, and when mature, become a driving force for the growth of SMEs and startups, influencing policy, and transforming the rural private sector.
The launching ceremony of Bangladesh StartUp Cup 2017 was graced by Leoni Cuelenaere, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; Kabir Bin Anwar, Project Director, a2i & Director General (Admin), Prime Minister's Office; and Selima Hossain Allen, Project Director, Bangladesh StartUp Cup 2017.
"What continues to strike me is the resilience of the people, the entrepreneurs, of Bangladesh. They are, despite often challenging conditions, taking advantage of the continuing levels of economic growth to improve their lives. This results in a vibrant private sector, and a vibrant private sector reaches more consumers and drives better innovation to solve tough problems," said Leoni Cuelenaere at the event.
To apply, visit: bangladesh.startupcup.com or call 01754141188. Applications are open till March 25, 2017.