{"id":5110,"date":"2016-06-06T14:33:16","date_gmt":"2016-06-06T08:33:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bbf.digital\/new\/?p=5110"},"modified":"2017-09-09T22:59:39","modified_gmt":"2017-09-09T16:59:39","slug":"gp-accelerator-startups-meet-investors-on-demo-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bbf.digital\/new\/gp-accelerator-startups-meet-investors-on-demo-day","title":{"rendered":"GP Accelerator Startups Meet Investors on Demo Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

The five startups of the GP Accelerator program presented their businesses to more\u00a0than 100 attendees including investors and professionals at Demo Day, on Tuesday\u00a0May 31 at Grameenphone\u2019s head office, popularly known as the GP House.<\/span><\/p>\n

The event began with a startup introductory session called \u2018Startup Bazaar\u2019. In that\u00a0session, the attendees were able to meet and chat with the top five startups from\u00a0GP Accelerator team. Later, the CEO of Grameenphone, Mr. Rajeev Sethi, officially\u00a0inaugurated the Demo Day.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Sethi said, \u201cI congratulate the first batch of GP\u00a0Accelerator for completing the program. Grameenphone is working towards building\u00a0components of digital lifestyle for its customers. I believe that young entrepreneurs\u00a0of such startups could be our partner in ushering the digital era in Bangladesh by\u00a0developing locally appropriate apps and services.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In October 2015, Grameenphone partnered with SD Asia to launch the \u2018GP\u00a0Accelerator\u2019 in search for five talented tech startups in Bangladesh. After a rigorous\u00a0scrutiny, GP Accelerator team selected the top five startups to participate on\u00a0February 7 th at the GP house. This is the first of its kind mentoring program for\u00a0startups in Bangladesh where a reputed corporate entity is involved.<\/span><\/p>\n

The top five startups (Ennovision, Sheba, Repto, Kandy, and Share) received seed\u00a0funding of more than BDT 1 million each, and got the opportunity to work inside the\u00a0GP House \u2013 with full logistical support. The teams were also mentored by SD Asia\u2019s\u00a0panel of start-up ecosystem experts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ennovision Limited is a web design company that serves as the one-stop solution\u00a0for businesses looking to create a solid online presence through their websites.\u00a0Kandy is an intelligent personalization mobile advertising application that puts\u00a0delightful content on users\u2019 lock screens, and time-saving tools, giving a useful lock\u00a0screen experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

Share is a carpooling application, looking to disrupt the way people commute\u00a0around Dhaka city.\u00a0Sheba is a service platform for solving day-to- day household problems.\u00a0Repto \u2013 Education Center is an online course marketplace, where you can create\u00a0courses with state-of- the-art web tools and sell your courses online.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kazi Mahboob Hassan, Head of Transformation, said, \u201dGP Accelerator is a program,\u00a0meant to keep energy high, investors intrigued, and build towards an unbelievable\u00a0startup ecosystem in Bangladesh that sustains itself. If successful, these companies\u00a0have the potential to change the way things work around us. We celebrate not just<\/span><\/p>\n

the success part of their cycle but also the inevitable downturns. Today\u00a0Grameenphone has reached another milestone to clearly demonstrate its\u00a0commitment with the vision of \u201cempowering societies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

SD Asia arranged several mentorship sessions, pitching seasons for the top five.\u00a0Every week the five startups from the Grameenphone Accelerator attended sessions\u00a0on crucial business topics. Relevant experts and mentors were invited to be the\u00a0guest speakers for these learning sessions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mustafizur Rahman Khan, CEO and Founder of SD Asia, sees the Demo Day as an\u00a0opportunity for the startups. \u201cSD Asia is very fortunate to have Grameenphone as a\u00a0partner in starting the accelerator program. We believe the program has not only\u00a0help the startups to become better but also help GP to understand the potential of<\/span><\/p>\n

data-driven companies in Bangladesh. With the current program finishing, we look\u00a0forward to welcoming next batch in August,\u201d he stressed.\u00a0The attendees at Demo Day were highly impressed by the business ideas and<\/span><\/p>\n

presentation of the startups. They thanked Grameenphone and SD Asia for\u00a0arranging such a program that beacons opportunities both for the startups and the\u00a0investors.<\/span><\/p>\n

Faisal Kabir, Project Head of GP Accelerator, said, \u201cWe are very happy that the first\u00a0batch of GP Accelerator has graduated. While joining the program Demo Day was\u00a0the end goal for the startups. We believe each startup has put more than 100% to\u00a0come up to where they are today. Partnership with SD Asia has helped to ensure<\/span><\/p>\n

startups are on track and being guided to scale up faster. We had a lot of new\u00a0learning experiences and unplanned scenario management during the last four\u00a0months. Hopefully, our learnings will be helpful to support the business\u00a0development of GP Accelerator second batch better than before.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

GP Accelerator Demo Day was an event where Bangladeshi startups found exposure\u00a0with investors, both local and international. Investors, entrepreneurs, and social\u00a0media specialists from over the world attended the event and brought the\u00a0Bangladesh startup ecosystem to their attention.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

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