The final awarding ceremony of the BLUE Business Idea Competition on Water and Waste Management was held in Dhaka, recognising locally-led innovations and underscoring the need to move solutions beyond ideas towards real-world implementation.
The competition was organised by WaterAid Bangladesh on Tuesday through its innovation and entrepreneurship platform BLUE, under the Swiss-supported GO4IMPact programme.
The initiative is implemented by a consortium led by WaterAid Bangladesh and Swisscontact Bangladesh, with field partners Rupantar and Eco Social Development Organization (ESDO).
The event brought together representatives from government institutions, financial organisations, the private sector, development partners, and the startup ecosystem, highlighting growing collaboration to address Bangladesh's water and waste management challenges.
Addressing the event as chief guest, Managing Director of the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Foundation Anwar Hossain Chowdhury said innovation in water and waste management must move beyond pitching to practical, scalable interventions, supported by stronger institutional linkages, access to finance, and collaboration with local government systems.
Md Tahmidul Islam, Director (Technical Services) and Country Director (in charge) of WaterAid Bangladesh, said youth-led innovation holds enormous potential but requires systemic support to translate ideas into impact.
"Platforms like BLUE create a bridge-connecting innovation with systems, finance and partnerships so that solutions can move from concept to scale," he said.
Country Director of Swisscontact Bangladesh Helal Hussain urged stakeholders to provide young entrepreneurs with clearer pathways for implementation, compliance and business readiness.
A panel discussion titled "From Ideas to Impact: Enabling Scalable Water and Waste Solutions in Practice" explored why many innovations fail to progress beyond the concept stage.
The competition received 315 business ideas from young innovators across the country, reflecting strong interest in addressing challenges related to water services and solid waste management.
Following a rigorous screening process, 60 teams were shortlisted, leading to regional pitching events and the selection of 10 finalist teams.
The finalists later participated in a three-day residential bootcamp focusing on business modeling, budgeting, impact planning and implementation readiness.
At the awarding ceremony, six top-performing teams received seed funding and trophies, while four finalist teams were awarded certificates and cash prizes.
All finalist teams will continue to receive mentorship, visibility and ecosystem linkages through the BLUE platform.
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