While the failure rate of startups in Bangladesh is relatively low compared to many countries, the biggest challenge has emerged as a lack of policy support. Entrepreneurs believe that with the right and timely policy support from the government, the country’s startup ecosystem will be able to transform into large companies, a press release said.
The country’s leading startup entrepreneurs made these remarks at a seminar titled ‘Building a Sustainable ICT Startup Ecosystem: Opportunities and Challenges’ held at Windy Town Hall on the second day of the Digital Device and Innovation Expo-2026 held at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Center in Agargaon, the capital.
The seminar, organized by the Information and Communication Technology Department in collaboration with Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority and Bangladesh Computer Samity (BCS), was presided over by ICT Department Secretary Sheesh Haider Chowdhury. The keynote address was presented by Startup Bangladesh Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Nurul Hai.
In the keynote speech, Nurul Hai outlined the country’s current startup infrastructure, challenges and opportunities. He said that to make Bangladesh’s startup ecosystem sustainable, five important parameters – talent conversion, capital depth, market access, trusted infrastructure and exit pathways – need to be ensured.
He highlighted the country’s digital development and said that currently, there are 187 million mobile phone users in the country, 129.8 million internet users, of which more than 115 million are mobile internet users. In addition, there are at least 239.3 million mobile financial service users.
Nurul Hai said that the main challenges facing startups in the country are capital and finance, market access, trust and compliance, and exit and repatriation. He also mentioned that the government has already taken various initiatives including startup investment, grants, fund of funds, and monitoring networks to address these challenges.
Then, the country’s leading entrepreneurs participated in the discussion in light of the main article. Shahir Chowdhury, co-founder and CEO of Shikho.com, said that startups are very important to make Bangladesh known globally. However, additional taxation on devices and high internet costs are becoming obstacles to the spread of startup services to the common people.
Bijon Islam, CEO of Lightcastle Partners, said, “The lack of an independent and central institution for the startup sector is a major problem. If such an institution is established, it will be easier to get policy support.”
Wasim Alim, CEO of Chaldal.com, said, “The budget for the ICT sector is relatively low. Yet this sector is making a major contribution to the GDP. Without increasing the budget, it is not possible to implement many important works in the ICT sector.”
Fahim Ahmed, co-founder and CEO of Pathao Bangladesh, said, “It is important to simplify the startup policy. Proper use of the budget must be ensured. Startup Bangladesh’s fund of funds initiative is giving entrepreneurs hope,” he added.
Fahim Mashrur, founder and CEO of BDJobs.com, said, “There are questions about the reliability of the data used to measure the number of mobile, internet and MFS users in the country. Making decisions based on incorrect or exaggerated data increases the risk of startup failure.”
Sadia Haque, co-founder and CEO of ShareTrip, said, “While the fund of funds initiative is positive, its implementation is complex. The desired results will not be achieved unless a coordinated initiative is taken to reduce bureaucratic complexity.”
Finally, the speakers called on relevant government institutions to come forward with a more collaborative attitude to develop the startup ecosystem.
