The Founder Institute, the world's largest pre-seed accelerator, on Tuesday announced that it was accepting applications from startup founders, ideators and innovators for its fourth accelerator program.
In an effort to ensure the health and safety of the program's mentors, partners, and participants, this Founder Institute cohort will be held completely online, allowing anyone to build a business alongside some of Dhaka's top entrepreneurs and investors from the comfort of their home, said a press release.
Any aspiring entrepreneur or team interested in building a technology business is invited to apply to the Bangladesh Virtual 2020 Founder Institute.
Since launching in Dhaka in 2015, the program has created 16 promising technology companies in the region like HandyMama – leading e-services company, Styline -leading modest fashion e-commerce and many more.
The Dhaka Chapter will once again be led by local startup leaders, Bijon Islam, founder and CEO, LightCastle Partners, Minhaz Anwar, founder and Chief StoryTeller, BetterStories,and Sajid Amit, associate professor and director at the Center for Enterprise and Society (CES) at University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB.)
The implementing organizations for FI in Bangladesh are BetterStories Limited, Center for Enterprise and Society, ULAB and LightCastle Partners.
This year’s accelerator will feature many of the region’s top startup investors, founders, and executives as mentors.
Sajid Rahman, co-founder and CEO of Digital Health Services, Tina Jabeen, investment adviser at Startup Bangladesh and Anita Ghazi Rahman, founder and partner, The Legal Circle are the three senior directors of the semester in Dhaka.
This semester will be backed by Pathao and Shohoz, two iconic success stories of Bangladesh, who will offer their CXOs’ time as virtual CFOs, CMOs, CTOs.
They will provide access to their apps for products ready to serve with or sell, and a pack of support toolkits including marketing, tech, and legal so that the founders can focus fully on building their business.
Shohoz Founder and Managing Director Maliha Quadir said: “What Shohoz has - the best of talents in the region and the best of experience of building a startup from the ground up - will all be at the disposal of the freshly anointed founders.”
Welcoming the new batch of founders, Hussain Elius, founder of Pathao said: “We are ready to bet on the best founders in the country and provide all the support you need to get you traction. There is no better time than now to bring your solutions to Bangladesh."
This semester of FI in Dhaka will feature the “PraavaHealth Impact Fellowship” for a deserving impact entrepreneur accepted into the cohort.
Announcing the fellowship, the Founder of PraavaHealthSylvana Q Sinha said: “Praava is excited to be a part of the journey of Bangladesh's next generation of entrepreneurs, who will help to build a better future for all of us. In healthcare in particular, the COVID 19 crisis sweeping the world, has highlighted the weaknesses in our health systems and a need for new ways of thinking and delivering care."
The Founder Institute Bangladesh Virtual 2020 pre-seed accelerator program is set to begin on October 27.
BDST: 1732 HRS, AUG 13, 2020
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