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Seven Bangladeshis make Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Class of 2023 list. Forbes initially published the ’30 under 30′ list in 2011, recognizing the thirty movers and shakers under the age of thirty. From 2016 to 2022, 25 Bangladeshis were included in the list for their outstanding accomplishments in various categories.
7 Bangladeshis under 30 were honored this year for their accomplishments in three categories: consumer technology, media, marketing and advertising, and social effect.
7 Bangladeshis Make Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2023 List
Here is a quick rundown of the Bangladeshis who made it to Forbes 30 Under 30 this year.
Aziz Arman
- Founder, Jatri
- Category: Consumer Technology
Aziz Arman’s co-founded Jatri leverages technology to facilitate mass mobility in Bangladesh’s chaotic transportation scenario. Last year, the Dhaka Bus Owners’ Association decided to deploy the startup’s e-ticketing system for 5,650 public buses, assuring users receive fair pricing.
Aside from that, the firm offers chartered and rental car services. Reflect Ventures, Brain-Too-Free Ventures, and SBK Tech Venture contributed 1.2 million dollars to the firm’s pre-seed series A financing round in 2021. Its total funding is currently around $5.25 million.
Rubaiyat Farhan and Tasfia Tasbin
- Founders, Markopolo.ai
- Category: Media, Marketing & Advertising
Markopolo.ai is a startup that provides digital marketing solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises, allowing them to quickly develop ad content and cross-post it across many social media networks. The subscription-based program uses artificial intelligence to forecast ad success and peak posting conditions.
It also provides a large user dataset to help firms automate and optimize social media marketing, create content, and reach out to responsive audiences. Accelerating Asia, a Singapore-based venture capital firm, led a $700,000 pre-Series A investment in the company last year.
Jahnnobi Rahman
- Co-founder, Relaxy
- Category: Social Impact
Relaxy, a tech-based wellness platform focused on increasing the accessibility and quality of mental health care in Bangladesh, was co-founded by Jahnnobi Rahman. It aims to deliver digital solutions to an increasing number of young people suffering from mental health issues.
Relaxy offers various free services, such as mood checks and meditations, and generates revenue through low-cost virtual therapy sessions. The platform has approximately 15,000 users and was chosen as the second runner-up in Huawei’s ICT Incubator 2022.
Diptha Saha
- Co-founder, Agroshift Technologies
- Category: Consumer Technology
Agroshift Technologies is a platform for agricultural supply chain management that enables businesses to source directly from farmers, cutting consumer prices and supporting farmers in achieving a fair price. Agroshift employs a micro-fulfillment model, working directly with farmers and merchants to obtain daily essentials and providing RMG workers with direct access to high-quality, low-cost fresh veggies.
Using the same infrastructure, it also supports the local micro-retailers of these factories. The platform recently won the H&M STITCH for RMG Global Innovation Challenge and $1.8 million in a pre-seed round sponsored by Shorooq Partners and Anchorless Bangladesh.
Anowar Sayef and Saraban Tahura
- Founders, Turtle Venture Studio
- Category: Social Impact
Turtle Venture Studio, founded by Saraban Tahura Turin and Anowar Sayef Anik, strives to promote innovative entrepreneurs by offering investment, coaching, access to a worldwide network, and strategic support. It is the country’s first venture studio, and its first batch of local startups was just unveiled.
Since 2018, it has worked with over 90 entrepreneurs, supporting them in raising over $15 million in initial investment rounds. Aside from running accelerator programs for women in technology, the platform also runs a program called ‘Young Turtle’ to support student entrepreneurship.
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Other Bangladeshis Who Made Previous Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia List
7 Bangladeshis have been chosen for Forbes’ 30 under 30 Asia Class of 2022. The prominent business journal Forbes published its seventh annual 30 Under 30 Asia list.
The list features young entrepreneurs, leaders, and trailblazers from across Asia, all under 30, with 30 chosen for each category.
Bangladeshis on the previous year’s list include:
Shah Rafayat Chowdhury and Mohammad Taqi Yasir
- Cofounders of Footsteps
- Category of social impact
Footsteps Bangladesh co-founders Shah Rafayat Chowdhury and Mohammad Taqi Yasir were named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 List for Asia in the Social Impact category this year.
Footsteps Bangladesh was founded in 2013 to create social businesses that “empower marginalized communities across Bangladesh to access water and sanitation while addressing climate change and public health challenges.” The organization addresses difficult socioeconomic challenges in our communities to shift community mentalities away from aid dependency and toward self-sufficiency to build resilient and sustainable communities.
Shawn Mendes’ eponymous charity teamed with Footsteps in 2021 to supply safe drinking water to schools. Footsteps have affected approximately 300,000 lives in Bangladesh through clean water access, disaster relief, capacity building, waste management schemes, and health programs.
Reyasat Chowdhury and Jawwad Jahangir
- Cofounders of Shuttle
- Category of social impact
Shuttle, a Dhaka-based firm that provides secure transportation services, was co-founded by Chowdhury and Jahangir. The company employs technology to transfer people more effectively, allowing it to charge less than competing ride-sharing companies. In 2018, the shuttle began as a secure transportation solution for women in Dhaka, then expanded by adding more routes in the capital city and serving a wider demographic.
Over 20,000 women have signed up for the ‘Shuttle for Women,’ and the firm claims to have completed over a million rides. Shuttle launched a $750,000 seed round headed by Accelerating Asia last year. Robi Axiata, Impact Collective, and Bangladesh Angels Network are among the investors. To now, $1 million has been raised.
Zafir Shafiee Chowdhury and Mir Shahrukh Islam
- Cofounders of Bondstein Technologies
- Category of Industry, Manufacturing & Energy
Bondstein Technologies received the Asia Pacific ICT championship prize in 2019, beating competitors from China, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, and India, among others, for a “remote power monitoring solution” that can monitor generators, how much electricity they consume, and so on.
In 2015, the business also collaborated with the government to develop a method to prevent exam paper leaks. “The exam paper solution is a testament to how you can use IoT solutions to solve national problems,” Shahrukh remarked.
Shuvo Rahman
- Founder of Alice Labs
- Category of Enterprise Technology
Shuvo Rahman founded Alice Labs in 2018, and its core SaaS product MyAlice enables e-commerce firms to collect and automate customer assistance across many channels.
MyAlice claims to be able to automate 70% of interactions and cut service costs by 30% by using machine learning to study consumer behavior and assist businesses in communicating with clients in their native language. It serves approximately 50 clients in Asia, including household names like Coca-Cola, Giordano, Nestle, and Unilever. Anchorless Bangladesh and HOF Capital just invested $500,000 in Rahman.
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9 Bangladeshis Named in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2021 List
9 Bangladeshi youths were named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2021 list. The list features 30 young entrepreneurs, leaders, and trailblazers from across Asia, all under 30, navigating the challenging environment created by the Covid-19 pandemic and discovering new opportunities amid the new normal.
According to a press release, the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Class of 2021 showcases brilliant and inventive millennial and Gen Z leaders who have endured and prospered despite global uncertainty, with 30 honorees picked for each of the ten categories.
Shehzad Noor Taus Priyo, and Motasim Bir Rahman
- Cofounders, Gaze
- Enterprise Category
Priyo and Rahman, serial entrepreneurs and innovators, Gaze, a Singapore and Bangladesh-based AI business founded in 2018, provides image recognition solutions for online transactions. Dhaka Metropolitan Police is one of the company’s customers, and it has raised approximately $1.0 million in finance.
It won the Bangladesh Business Innovation Award for Best Startup in 2019 and the Startup World Cup in Bangladesh in 2020. At 21, Priyo submitted his first patent with IBM Research, while Rahman established NogorBalok, Bangladesh’s second-most popular social networking platform, at 14.
Mir Sakib
- Founder, Cramstack
- Enterprise Category
Mir Sakib founded Cramstack, a startup that employs artificial intelligence to automate extracting information from unstructured data to deliver business insights. While working at a pharmaceutical business, Sakib thought of creating a search platform allowing users to access enterprise data sources as easily as a Google search. Cramstack also provides data extraction and processing tools for PDFs and pictures.
Its clientele includes the government of Bangladesh, BCG, UNDP, and the National Bank, as well as companies in the power, banking, industrial, healthcare, and retail sectors. During the epidemic, it offered government data from healthcare professionals and immigration officials to aid in the tracking and containment of the coronavirus. It has attracted over $1 million in funding from Rockstar (Netherlands), Grameenphone (a Telenor subsidiary), and angel investors.
Rijve Arefin and Shomy Chowdhury
- Cofounders of Awareness 360
- Social Impact Category
Rizvana Hredita and Md Zahin Rohan Razeen
- Cofounders of Hydroquo+
- Social Impact Category
Ahmed Imtiaz Jami
- Founder, Obhizatrik Foundation
- Social Impact Category
Morin Talukder
- Cofounder of Pickaboo
- Social Impact Category
Why Forbes 30 under 30 Recognition is Important?
The Forbes 30 Under 30 recognition is considered important for several reasons:
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Recognition of Talent and Achievement: The Forbes 30 Under 30 list recognizes young leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs making significant contributions in their respective fields. This acknowledgment can help validate their hard work and success to date.
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Increased Visibility: Being listed in Forbes 30 Under 30 significantly raises a person’s profile. It brings attention and credibility from peers, leaders in the industry, and potential investors, employers, or partners.
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Networking Opportunities: The recognition can open up networking opportunities with other accomplished individuals in the same or different industries. This can lead to potential collaborations or partnerships to further their career or business.
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Career Boost: The distinction can serve as a career boost, as it often leads to increased opportunities. It can also provide leverage when negotiating job offers, funding rounds, or business partnerships.
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Motivation: For many, making a list is a personal goal that can provide validation and motivation to continue pursuing their passion and making a difference in their field.
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Inspiration to Others: Those who make the list serve as role models for other young professionals, encouraging them to strive for excellence in their respective fields.
