entrepreneurs
9th Social Business Youth Summit 2025 concludes with a bold call for action in Dhaka
The 9th Social Business Youth Summit (SBYS) 2025, held at the InterContinental Dhaka on February 1-2, brought together over 350 entrepreneurs, changemakers, policymakers, youth leaders, and ecosystem builders from around the world to co-design solutions for critical global challenges, including food security, health and education, climate change, gender equality, and sports for social change.
The two-day summit, curated by YY Ventures, co-hosted by Impact Hub Dhaka, and powered by The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bangladesh, was part of the Festival of Youth 2025: Creating a New Bangladesh, an initiative of the Chief Adviser’s Office, said a media release issued on Tuesday.
The theme of the summit was, "Change the Country, Change the World," and it featured a powerful keynote from Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, who emphasized the urgency of youth-led, social business-driven innovation in shaping a better future.
“The world, as it stands today, has no escape route from the crises created by the old system— we need to design a new engine. And social business is key to that change. This room is full of enough people to change the world, not by numbers alone, but through the power of imagination, thought, and execution. I’m not saying everything else should disappear; I’m simply saying: Make space for social business. People will naturally join in because they experience immense joy in solving others' problems. This is a unique expression of commitment—one that leads us toward a world of three zeros. That is our path, and it is achievable,” said he.
The summit commenced with a warm welcome from Sadia Hossain, Director of the Board of YY Ventures and Impact Hub Dhaka, who said that this summit is meant to be a springboard for collective leadership rooted in respect, empathy, courage, and a commitment to leave no one behind.
Thijs Woudstra, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bangladesh, delivered the Opening remarks underscoring the importance of cross-sector collaboration in empowering young entrepreneurs.
9th Social Business Youth Summit in Dhaka Feb 1-2
He said, “The Netherlands has been active in Bangladesh supporting youth for a long time, for example, supporting young entrepreneurs to build a sustainable business. Public and private organization have to work together on this, because youth is the best investment for the future.”
In the fireside chat, Jurriaan Middelhoff, Ambassador-at-Large for Youth, Education and Employment, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of the Netherlands, mentioned, "Young people are our most important stakeholder in many countries, like Bangladesh. Therefore, we take a "Youth at Heart" approach in our work, investing in youth, entrepreneurship and creating job opportunities. An important aspect is to ensure that youth voices are involved in a meaningful way in decision-making processes."
The first day of SBYS 2025 also featured discussions on scaling youth-led social businesses, ensuring food security, and zero waste lifestyles. A workshop was held on the global 3ZERO Club initiative, along with a special feature on the Social Fiction Storytelling Competition. Panel discussions explored youth-driven social business, linkages between education, employment and entrepreneurship, and innovations in sustainability.
The Orange Corners Bangladesh Showcase also spotlighted emerging Bangladeshi entrepreneurs, providing them with a platform to present their innovative business solutions to drive social impact. A special segment was the launch of the Orange Corners Innovation Fund (OCIF) to empower young entrepreneurs to grow and scale their impact enterprises in Bangladesh.
The second day of SBYS 2025 featured dynamic discussions on harnessing AI for social impact, the role of business in accelerating the green transition, and the power of sports in driving social justice. One panel of experts explored talent development for social innovation, while another delved into potential ways of building a world of three zeros. Breakout sessions were held on equity in healthcare, inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystems, and gender equity for a balanced world.
Youth Summit Highlights Demands for Policy Focus on Youth Expectations
The event concluded with an inspiring closing keynote by Lutfey Siddiqi, Chief Adviser’s Special Envoy for International Affairs, who urged participants to turn their ideas into sustained action.
“Young people and nation building. How do we put it all together? We make sure that we— and I include myself in young people— do not let other people set the agenda for us. If someone says it’s one or the other, we should ask: why can it not be one and the other? If someone says we should focus so much on the past rather than the future, we should flip it around. We should spend more time on the future— more dreams than memories,” said he.
Osman Dhali, Chief Operating Officer of YY Ventures, closed the summit with a call for collaboration across different sectors and actors beyond the event.
1 week ago
Corruption obstacle to business investment, creation of new entrepreneurs: Workshop
Entrepreneurs representing Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) at a regional workshop here on Sunday said corruption is one of the biggest obstacles to business investment and the creation of new entrepreneurs in Bangladesh.
The negative impact of corruption severely affects SME entrepreneurs, they said, expressing their concerns at the workshop organised by the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS).
Representatives from various levels of the SME sector in the Khulna division participated in the meeting.
At the beginning, Executive Director of CGS Zillur Rahman mentioned that Bangladesh faces challenges at the sub-national level as a developing country due to a lack of education and training, which hinders the SME sector from fully understanding and following necessary processes.
SME entrepreneurs highlighted the need for accessible guidelines on important processes such as applying for trade licenses, conducting online business activities, and obtaining letters of credit.
"To address these issues, CGS is developing a "Good Governance Toolkit" in consultation with experts, business leaders, and SME entrepreneurs," Zillur said.
Additionally, he said the CGS is organizing these workshops designed not only to provide knowledge but also to gather feedback from SME entrepreneurs.
The toolkit includes topics such as the code of conduct, transparency pact, instructional materials, and recommendations for national and regional forum representation.
Read: ACC to investigate allegations of corruption in Third Terminal Project
During the workshop, entrepreneurs of Khulna highlighted that unlike in other countries, entrepreneurs in our country do not follow the practice of preparing initial documentation and necessary paperwork before starting a business.
This habit needs to change, especially for online businesses.
To avoid corruption, it is essential to complete all processes related to trade licenses and taxes before starting a business, they said.
They also mentioned that due to the complexities and high renewal fees associated with obtaining and renewing trade licenses, there is a tendency to issue new trade licenses, which need urgent resolution.
Ensuring women's empowerment in obtaining bank loans is also crucial, said the participants.
They called for the inclusion of advance payment for showroom rent in the toolkit and the determination of specific fees for it.
The discussion also brought up the suggestion to launch training programmes through forums to enhance business skills.
The need to reduce the influence of syndicates in business was emphasized.
Read more: AL drowned nation in corruption and misrule: Jamaat Ameer
Some entrepreneurs in online businesses are selling products at such low prices that it creates inconsistency for the same products being sold offline, the participants observed.
This competitive aspect has been proposed to be included in the toolkit.
4 weeks ago
Should reform education system to create generation of entrepreneurs: Prof Yunus
Highlighting the importance of education system's reform, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday said the country's education system must foster creativity to create a generation of entrepreneurs in the country.
"We should reform the education system in a way that it creates a generation of entrepreneurs. We need education, which helps students become creative people. Our young people must fulfil their creative potentials," the Chief Adviser said when he visited the Education Ministry at the Secretariat.
He said humans are born entrepreneurs. "Yet, our education system creates job seekers. It is a flawed education system."
The Chief Adviser chaired his first Cabinet meeting at the Secretariat and later visited the Education Ministry.
Prof Yunus said Bangladesh should not create an education system that emphasises only test scores.
"The perception that test score is everything must go," he said.
The Chief Adviser also called for narrowing generational gaps in Bangladeshi society, saying the country must understand the language of the new generation—their aspirations and their thought process.
"We must understand the language and the thought process of the youth. We need to know how the older generation can share their experience with the younger generation," he said.
"The distance between young and old generations gets bigger; it will create troubles. We must minimise the idea gaps between generations," the chief adviser said.," the chief adviser said.
He also stressed the need for fostering family values in our national curricula.
Education Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud and Education Secretary Siddiq Jobaer were present during the Chief Adviser's meeting with senior education ministry officials.
2 months ago
ICSB awards 43 private entrepreneurs for corporate excellence
The Institute of Chartered Secretaries of Bangladesh (ICSB) awarded 43 private entrepreneurs in recognition of excellence in corporate governance as well as transparency in overall management.
These companies were awarded in 14 categories in a ceremony held at a hotel in the capital on Saturday night.
Among them, Eastern Bank got gold medal Dutch-Bangla Bank got silver and BRAC Bank got bronze medals in the general banking category.
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In Islamic Banking, Shahjalal Islami Bank got the gold medal, Standard Bank silver and Global Islami Bank got the bronze medal.
In the non-banking financial institution category, IDLC Finance bagged the gold medal, Bangladesh Finance silver, and DBH Finance and National Housing Finance and Investments jointly bagged the bronze.
In the general insurance category, City General Insurance bagged gold, Green Delta Insurance bagged silver and People's Insurance bagged bronze. In the life insurance category, National Life won the gold medal and Pragati Life won the silver medal.
In the pharmaceuticals and chemicals category, Beximco Pharma got gold, Square Pharma got silver and Renata Limited and Navana Pharma jointly obtained bronze.
Matin Spinning got gold, Paramount Textiles silver, and Hua Well Textiles bronze in the textiles and ready-made garments category.
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In the Food & Allied category, Unilever Consumer Care obtained gold, Golden Harvest Agro Industries silver, and Olympic Industries got bronze.
ADN Telecom won the gold medal, Amra Technologies Silver and IT Consultants obtained the bronze in the Information and Communication Technology category.
In the engineering category, Walton Hi-Tech Industries won gold, Runner Automobiles won silver and Singer Bangladesh won bronze.
In the manufacturing category, RAK Ceramics won gold, Marico Bangladesh won silver and Lafarge Holcim won bronze.
In the fuel and power category, United Power Generation and Distribution Company obtained gold medal, Linde Bangladesh silver, and Doreen Power and MJL Bangladesh jointly obtained bronze.
In the service category, Eastern Housing won gold, Unique Hotels & Resorts silver and Index Agro Industries obtained bronze.
Apart from this, Robi Axiata won gold and Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company got silver in the telecommunication category.
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Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, Senior Secretary of the Ministry Tapan Kanti Ghosh, and ICSB Secretary Md Abdullah, among others, spoke at the function.
1 year ago
HSBC to support female entrepreneurs in Bangladesh
HSBC will launch the ‘Female Entrepreneur Fund (FEF)’ in Bangladesh on Thursday in acknowledgment of the challenges that female-owned businesses face.
Female Entrepreneur Fund (FEF) will be launched as part of HSBC’s global commitment to supporting female entrepreneurs.
The aim of the programme is to promote financial inclusivity for women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh through the FEF initiative by supporting: financial literacy, networking, and financing, said HSBC, one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organisations.
Read HSBC Bangladesh gets 1st female head of retail banking
Of HSBC’s clientele base - female led corporates, NGOs that help and promote female entrepreneurship, female led startups and some selected non-customer groups and individuals will be eligible to participate in the programme.
Participants will benefit from access to HSBC’s extensive local and global networks, opportunity to learn and share knowledge among a cohort of female entrepreneurs, workshops and master classes designed for specific needs.
Kevin Green, Country Head of Wholesale Banking, HSBC Bangladesh said finance has a pivotal role to play as a catalyst for change.
Read HSBC, IBA award young talents of Bangladesh with future skills
“Through programmes such as the Female Entrepreneur Fund, we are taking strides to bring financial independence and inclusivity to the communities that we operate in. This initiative will help us to connect our customers and communities with opportunities for growth”.
After a successful launch in 11 markets, Bangladesh joins a number of markets in Asia to the coverage of the programme.
2 years ago
PM urges the youth to acquire skills to become entrepreneurs
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said her government is focusing on developing skilled manpower to transform the country’s demographic advantage into dividends.
She said this while delivering her inaugural speech at the first meeting of the Governing Board of the National Skill Development Authority (NSDA) at her office (PMO).
Each year in Bangladesh, up to 22 lakh young people arrive in the labour market, she mentioned stressing the need for providing them training to hone their skills so they turn into entrepreneurs rather than only looking for jobs.
The premier said that the government wants to accelerate country’s progress towards achieving the Vision 2041 utilising the demographic dividend.
Also read: PM: Bangladeshi investors can set up fertilizer factories in Uzbekistan
She said that the youth of the country must be developed as skilled manpower.
“As the world is evolving continuously in technology, our aim is to build the future generations as the skilled hands to cope with up the changes,” she said.
She said Bangladesh having a huge number of young people has a demographic advantage over many countries of the world which are becoming lands of old people.
The PM said her government wants that the youth utilise their potentials in the world market as skilled manpower.
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“We want that future generations of the country will be equipped with modern technology-based knowledge. We want to create skilled manpower keeping the fourth industrial revolution in our mind,” she said.
Hasina put emphasis on training the manpower keeping in mind the demand in the world market.
She said that Bangladesh wants investment from home and abroad in which skilled manpower will play a key role.
She reiterated her call to reduce the country’s dependency on the remittance from the expatriates for foreign exchange reserves.
“We have to increase and diversify our production. We have to expand our export basket,” she said.
She asked the officials to search for new markets and find out their demands so Bangladesh can make export products accordingly.
“We have to find out our way for producing new items for international market,” she said.
She also advised Bangladeshi businesspeople to look for opportunities to invest abroad.
“Not only we will invite investment, we also can invest in other countries. For all these we need skilled manpower,” she said.
She urged the young generation to acquire skills in various fields – instead of just getting certificates - so they can start their own enterprises and create jobs for others.
She said that a good number of youths run after jobs after having certificates from their educational institutions.
“We want that the young generation will be made a skilled workforce,” she said.
The prime Minister vowed to develop Bangladesh as a prosperous country through implementing the programmes undertaken by her government overcoming all the obstacles.
She mentioned that works on developing the national skill portal is progressing aimed at promoting countrywide skill development as well as for coordination of all the information on training about skills.
The PM said that training on quality innovative skill development has been ensured to develop the manpower of the country to meet the demands in domestic and international labour markets.
Referring to the activities of the NSDA, Hasina hoped that it will undertake necessary measures to improve living standard of the common people and work for establishing a prosperous Bangladesh.
She said the NSDA will also play its role to remove the existing negative attitude in the society about skill development training.
She said the 21st century is witnessing the creation of new professions on the basis of the demand of modern industries due to 4th industrial revolution.
She mentioned that new sectors like E-commerce, cloud computing, robotics, block chain, artificial intelligence, nano technology and internet of things are becoming important day by day.
PM Hasina said the government is currently facing various challenges like the impact of corona pandemic and Ukraine war and consequent sanctions from the USA and the EU on Russia.
She mentioned that her government has been implementing the 8th five-year plan to materialize the 2021-2041 perspective plan and achieve sustainable development goals like MDGs.
Education Minister Dipu Moni, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun, Prime Minister’s Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman Fazlur Rahman, State Minister for Labour Begum Monnujan Sufian, State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain, Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam, Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Ahmad Kaikaus, PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim and FBCCI President Md. Jashim Uddin, among others, were present.
2 years ago
Grameenphone helps 11,000 mango farmers, entrepreneurs understand online business better
Telecom operator Grameenphone recently organised an F-commerce event for Kansat Aam Aroddar Shomobay Shomiti at Shibganj, Chapainawabganj.
The activity was simultaneously organised at Baneshwar in Rajshahi and Rangpur.
The nine-day campaign helped about 11,000 mango farmers and entrepreneurs to gain a better understanding of how to operate their businesses online.
Read: Grameenphone, NEG sign MoU on Philip Kotler's book
The primary market of mangoes in Bangladesh lies in the north of Rajshahi. Over the past few years, mango businesses for farmers in the north have been thriving over the digital sphere.
To help the community of mango farmers and businessmen reach greater heights, Grameenphone is empowering the mango farmers from the northern zone, enabling them to sell mangoes using F-commerce and optimum digital integration.
Sajjad Hasib, CMO of Grameenphone, said: "Now online marketplaces are minimising the middleman and maximising profit for the mango growers' communities at the grassroots level."
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Redwanur Rahman Moon, an F-commerce mango seller from Rajshahi, said: "People from all over the country stay eager to order mangoes for themselves and their families during this season. Despite huge demand, we struggle with many technical problems that bar our business from expanding to the level we wish to go. We are thankful to Grameenphone for equipping us with digital skills."
2 years ago
Social media prepaid card launched for women entrepreneurs
Bangladesh’s first-ever social media prepaid card was launched on Wednesday, aimed at encouraging women to start Facebook-centric businesses.
MasterCard, Mutual Trust Bank, and e-Courier have jointly launched the prepaid card at an event in the capital.
The card is designed specifically for women entrepreneurs so that they can benefit from Facebook-centric businesses.
READ: Contactless payment service to be available for debit, prepaid card users: BB
The card has a dual currency facility for entrepreneurs to use their Facebook page without any third-party payment assistance.
The e-courier will transfer funds directly to the client's prepaid card, so women entrepreneurs do not have to go to the e-courier to collect cash in person.
This card includes special discounts on e-commerce portals, jewelry shops, groceries, and clothing stores, specially designed for cardholders.
Read BYLC Ventures opens applications for the 5th cohort
Cardholders will have a dual currency transaction facility at more than 5,000 outlets in Bangladesh, Bogo (buy-one-get-one) at hotel locations, dining and lifestyle offer an easy subscription on streaming platforms (Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc.), MTB Green Pin services, SMS banking, POS services, ATM and QR-code transaction facilities.
Biplob Ghosh Rahul, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of e-Courier, said, “E-Courier is pleased to launch for the first time a co-branded prepaid card for women entrepreneurs in a joint venture with MasterCard and Mutual Trust Bank.
E-Courier is the first private logistics and courier brand in Bangladesh, which has been supporting women entrepreneurs and their endeavours through sophisticated and specialized logistics solutions for the past eight years.
Read Sonia Bashir, 2 other Bangladeshis among 100 Global Tech's Changemakers
Syed Mohammad Kamal, country manager, MasterCard Bangladesh, said, “The pandemic has had a significant impact on consumer spending growth on e-commerce channels like Facebook.”
The women entrepreneurs are contributing to the F-Commerce sector in Bangladesh that is why this card was introduced, he said.
Syed Mahbubur Rahman, MD & CEO, Mutual Trust Bank (MTB), said, “MTB has always played a leading role in implementing innovative payment solutions.
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“Introducing co-branded prepaid cards jointly will ensure various financial benefits. This will further facilitate the expansion of trade and commerce in Bangladesh's growing F-commerce sector,” he added.
2 years ago
BYLC Ventures opens applications for 5th cohort
Bangladesh Youth Leadership Center (BYLC) Ventures has launched a new cohort for young entrepreneurs to help them make their mark in the business world.
After completing four cohorts, BYLC Ventures started taking applications for its fifth cohort on May 19.
BYLC Ventures was launched in 2019 to help young founders give shape to their entrepreneurial initiatives.
Also read: BYLC Ventures: Cohort 4 winners announced
The accelerator programme's goals include funding the most promising founders in Bangladesh and supporting their leadership capabilities, business acumen, and business ideas.
The winning teams of BYLC Ventures Cohort 5 will receive seed funding of Tk8 lakh with the option of a further Tk20 lakh in additional investment.
They will also have access to a co-working space, mentoring, and a rigorous accelerator curriculum for six months.
Read: BYLC Career Expo 2022: Learn Leadership Skills, Use Them, and Move Up in Your Career
Twenty startups have received seed funding and training from BYLC Ventures since its inception. They created employment opportunities for over 300 people and generated combined revenue of more than Tk3 crore.
"Young entrepreneurs continue to struggle to find a strong footing and get the right support to take their business forward," says Barisha Rabbe, senior manager at BYLC Ventures.
"We provide the ideal platform for young entrepreneurs. Apart from mentorship and networking support, we help them grow and scale up their ideas into sustainable businesses," he added.
Read BYLC launches Volunteer Awards 2021
Applications for the fifth cohort are open until June 24.
2 years ago
Keep provision for creating entrepreneurs in upcoming national budget: Webinar
The upcoming national budget should include a special programme to encourage new initiatives and create more entrepreneurs, speakers at a webinar said on Wednesday.
They also underlined the need for a special incentive or tax exemption facility of at least five to eight years for new entrepreneurs so educated youths can build a career in business.
Prof Dr Muhammad Mahboob Ali, Programme coordinator, Department of Entrepreneurship Economic, at Dhaka School of Economics, said both state-owned and private sector banks have to come forward with soft credit for new young entrepreneurs.
He suggested designating a day as ‘Entrepreneurship Day’ to be observed specially in educational institutions to inspire learners to take up innovative career.
READ: Webinar underlines digital innovation to boost agro production
Prof Dr Anisul M.Islam, University of Houston, Texas ,USA joined the webinar virtually as the chief guest, Prof Dr Susanta Kumar Mishra, School of Management, Centurion University of Technology & Management, Bhubaneswar, India and Prof Dr Parul, Institute of Management & Technology, Faridabad, India took part in the program as special guests.
Prof Islam called for ensuring good governance for expansion of enterprising activities in Bangladesh, which had been applied in the USA for developing entrepreneurship.
Without developing entrepreneurship Bangladesh cannot make employment for its huge educated population and would remain deprived of the skilled service of the population if they may migrate to developed countries, he said.
Sara Tasneem, assistant professor and Rehana pervin of DScE, Dr. Nadia Binte Amin, Umman Nahar Azmee and Md.Mahbubur Rahman, president and secretary of Entrepreneurial Economists, among others, spoke at the webinar.
2 years ago