Entrepreneur says 17th venture is going to be next big thing

Local entrepreneur Belon Mahmud has announced on social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Uber, Foodpanda, Pathao, and Twitter) that his next venture is going to be the next Big Thing. This will be Mahmud's 17th venture, following his first 16 ventures that gave him some popularity or notoriety, depending on who you ask.     

This reporter was lucky enough to interview the fabled Mahmud at a cafe in the tristate area last Thursday. When asked why he is not on TikTok, where all the current social media market potential is, he appeared a little distressed before quickly recovering.

"You will see something from me very soon. That's all I can share right now," he said with a grimace, which may also have been an attempt at a mysterious smile.

"I will most likely become a millionaire any day now, with the enhanced product I'm releasing soon," he stated.

He declined to go into the specifics of the product. "It's a modern and enhanced product made for the future, that's all I can tell you at the moment. Don't be surprised if you see me on the Forbes 69 under 96 list," added Belon Mahmud, who will turn 39 this year.

After some thought, he added, "But if you don't see me on the list it might be because the magazine was taken over by a bunch of demagogues and has since become trash."

At this point in the conversation, a man walked into the cafe and joined a group of people there, not noticing Mahmud at all.

"That's Akkas Abbas Akash, he's a traitor," a rather irritated Belon informed yours truly.

Akash was the co-founder of Belon Mahmud's first venture, EggOn. EggOn used to buy broken eggs from grocery stores and sell them to individuals who would then use these to egg the houses of people who crossed them.

While the business quickly gained popularity, it ultimately failed due to limited profitability. It is rumoured that the business shut down for good after someone used EggOn products to egg Mahmud's house.

Akash currently heads the South Asia division of HechkiDC Bank.

"So what if he owns a Mercedes now? I am my own boss and will be rich real soon, and he is a corporate slave on a fixed salary. He betrayed me and decided to get an MBA. I will never forgive him," said Mahmud, who failed his SSC exam 19 times. 

On the issue of wages, this correspondent asked Mahmud about allegations regarding his failure to pay people he employed in his previous 16 ventures.

He scoffed at this, claiming that he isn't some shark exploiting employees by promising to pay them in exposure. "I will pay them in real money of course, once I start making some."

Some of his previous employees have been waiting for 15 years.

It is worth noting that Mahmud has made such announcements before without any actual products materialising. "I don't like to use the word failure. Everything that I have ever done has been leading up to this moment. It's all part of a grand plan that has been in the works since I was a wee sperm cell," said Belon Mahmud.