Thrust on promoting startup ecosystem

A virtual session on 'Promoting The Startup Ecosystem in Bangladesh: The DACH (Germany, Austria & Switzerland) Connection'' was held on Wednesday.

It was arranged by Bangladesh-German Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BGCCI) with the Bangladesh Angels Network on the Bangladesh startup ecosystem and leveraging the DACH connection to create stronger regional co-operation and accelerate the startup ecosystem in Bangladesh, said a statement.

The webinar was chaired by the Executive Advisor & CEO of the BGCCI, Ambassador Shahed Akhtar and included a panel discussion with reputed speakers including Mr. Hannes Kirchhoff, Chief Technical Officer at ME SOLshare; Mr. Julian Weber, CEO, Selise; Mr. Zahin Razeen, Founder and CEO, Hydroqou+; Mr. Tarun Patwary, BGCCI Sr. VP & MD, Kuehne+Nagel; Mr. Md. Muin Uddin Mazumder, BGCCI Sr. VP & MD, Sanofi; and Ms. Farzanah Chowdhury, BGCCI Director, MD & CEO, Green Delta Insurance

Mr. Nirjhor Rahman, CEO of Bangladesh Angels Network moderated the discussion with the panelists Mr. Hannes Kirchhoff, Chief Technical Officer at ME SOLshare, Mr. Julian Weber, CEO, Selise; Mr. Zahin Razeen, Founder and CEO, Hydroqou+. The entrepreneurs shared their respective experiences and explained how their solutions contribute to the climate adaptation plan.

While discussing what has been some of the biggest challenges in building the local talent pipeline, the panelists echoed the immense potential of the Bangladeshi talent pool. They emphasized on creating an environment for brain workers so that local talents get enough facility and contribute to the research and development especially the engineering and hi-tech sector.

Commenting on what are some of the reasons driving brain drain in the country, Mr. Julian Weber stated that the cost of living is the driving factor for brain drain. For income levels of USD 15k per household and year, Bangladesh is extremely expensive due to built-in costs from import duties and complexities.

The chief guest Ms. Farzanah Chowdhury; BGCCI Director; MD & CEO, Green Delta Insurance shared her perspective on how the Bangladeshi startup ecosystem is growing and the scope of propelling the growth exponentially. "Bangladesh has a young generation. Youth brings innovative ideas and that is actually key to the success".

The special guests' Mr. Tarun Patwary, BGCCI Sr. VP & MD, Kuehne+Nagel, and Mr. Md. Muin Uddin Mazumder; BGCCI Sr. VP & MD, Sanofi also imparted their valuable insights to map out the path for developing the entrepreneurship landscape through collaboration. "We need to create interlinkages between industries, especially the IT and software industry, so we can utilise our resources in the best possible way", stated by Mr. TarunPatwary.

Moreover, Mr. Md. Muin Uddin Mazumder; BGCCI Sr. VP & MD, Sanofi Bangladesh stated that BGCCI, will be making active efforts to attract foreign direct investments for entrepreneurs operating in Bangladesh.

Ambassador Shahed Akhtar, Executive Advisor & CEO, BGCCI concluded the session by sharing his thoughts on the potential of the Bangladeshi startup ecosystem and how leveraging the bilateral relationship can accelerate the growth as a whole.