BUETEN Summit 2026 concludes with focus on entrepreneurship and innovation

FE Youth Desk
The Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology hosted the two-day BUETEN Summit 2026 recently. The event successfully brought together students, alumni, entrepreneurs, faculty members, industry leaders and policymakers in a collaborative effort to promote entrepreneurship and innovation within Bangladesh's engineering sector.
Organised under the theme "Connect. Innovate. Lead.", the summit's opening ceremony featured Professor ABM Badruzzaman, vice-chancellor of BUET, as the chief guest, with Mr Abdul Awal as the special guest and Dr AKM Masud, director of Students' Welfare at BUET, as the guest of honour.
In his opening address, Professor Badruzzaman emphasised the growing importance of entrepreneurship in transforming engineering knowledge into real-world impact. He highlighted that initiatives such as the BUETEN Summit create valuable opportunities for collaboration between industry and academia. Dr Masud praised the enthusiasm demonstrated by BUET students and noted that such events play a crucial role in complementing academic learning with practical exposure.
The first day featured four parallel sessions addressing entrepreneurship development, policy dialogue for startups, industry-academia collaboration, and sector-specific innovation opportunities. The sessions saw active participation from faculty members, entrepreneurs and professionals, leading to in-depth discussions about addressing real-world challenges through engineering-based solutions.
A major highlight was the Success Stories Session, which featured prominent entrepreneurs sharing their journeys. The panel included Kazi Zahedul Hasan, managing director of Kazi Farms Group, Rabiul Alam, director of Energypac, Ms Naznin, director of Solaric, and Shuvo Rahman, director of iFarmer. These speakers discussed their entrepreneurial journeys, the challenges they faced, and the valuable lessons they had learnt.
A central component of the summit was INNOVISTA 2026, an idea competition that showcased the innovative thinking of BUET students. The competition attracted 57 teams, from which seven finalists were selected to pitch their ventures. With a total prize pool of Tk 180,000, the competition demonstrated the university's commitment to nurturing entrepreneurial talent.
Team Rent Now emerged as champions, claiming the top prize of Tk 100,000 with their innovative marketplace concept for unused student items. Their platform allows students to rent out their belongings for specified periods, addressing both sustainability and affordability concerns. The first runners-up, Team Hydra, secured Tk 50,000 for their sustainable water filtration bottle, whilst Team Shekhar Shathi took home Tk 30,000 as second runners-up for their educational initiative supporting autistic children.
As part of the BUETEN Summit 2026, several key panel discussions took place on January 24. One session, "Embracing Innovation: AI, Global Influence, and the Growing Competence of Bangladeshi Architects", featured panelists Ar Golam Mohiuddin, AKM Saleh Ahmed Anik, Ar Asif Salman, and Dr Asma Naz, with Prof Mujtaba Ahsan as the keynote speaker and Prof Shahriar Iqbal Raj moderating. Another discussion on the "Policy Roadmap for Indigenous Machinery Manufacturing and Reducing Import Dependency" included panelists Prof Md Ehsan, Engr Mushfiqur Rahman, Engr Farah Zabeen (Urmee), Engr Md Shahed Hassan, and Engr Md Noor AAlam, moderated by Engr Md Hasmotuzzaman. A third panel, "Local Talents, Global Networks - Leveraging BUET Alumni for High-Tech Outsourcing", was moderated by Raisul Kabir and featured Zunaid Kazi, Dr Badrul Munir Sarwar, Munawar Hafiz, Prodip Das, and Ferdous Mahmud Shaon.
Dr Shazzad Hosain, convenor of the Organising Committee, emphasised the critical role of entrepreneurship in job creation and sustainable economic growth. He explained that the BUETian Entrepreneurs Network (BUETEN) is being developed to provide comprehensive support to aspiring entrepreneurs through mentoring, access to investment opportunities, market linkage and structured policy dialogue.
The organisers expressed sincere gratitude to the BUET Entrepreneurship Development Club (BUET EDC) for hosting the summit and acknowledged their significant efforts in organising and managing the event.
With strong participation and engaging discussions throughout both days, the BUETEN Summit 2026 contributed meaningfully to strengthening collaboration amongst BUET students, alumni, entrepreneurs and policymakers. The summit concluded with a closing session on the evening on January 24, followed by a cultural event and dinner. The collaborative spirit evident throughout the event suggests it has laid important groundwork for future initiatives supporting Bangladesh's growing startup ecosystem.