A total of seven Bangladeshis made it to Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2023 as Forbes announced the list today.
The list features 300 young entrepreneurs, leaders and trailblasers across the Asia-Pacific region, all under the age of 30, who are effecting positive change and driving innovation amid global economic uncertainty and a challenging environment.
The Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Class of 2023 features 30 notable honorees selected for each of the 10 categories.
Here are the Bangladeshis who made it to Forbes 30 Under 30 this year:
Aziz Arman
Founder, Jatri
Category: Consumer Technology
Arman cofounded Jatri to help solve the chaotic transportation problem in Bangladesh with the help of technology. Last year, the Dhaka Bus Owners' Association agreed to use the startup e-ticketing system for 5,650 public buses operating in the capital city, a move expected to ensure fair pricing for consumers. Jatri also offers chartered and car rental services. In 2021, the company raised $1.2 million pre-seed series A from investors like Reflect Ventures, Brain-Too-Free Ventures and SBK tech venture, which bring its total funding to $5.25 million to date.
Rubaiyat Farhan and Tasfia Tasbin
Founders, Markopolo.ai
Category: Media, Marketing & Advertising
Markopolo.ai is a startup providing digital marketing solutions for small and medium-sized businesses, allowing them to rapidly generate ad content and seamlessly cross-post across several social media platforms. The subscription-based program is powered by artificial intelligence and predicts ad success and peak posting circumstances. It also offers an extensive user dataset to assist businesses in automating and optimising social media marketing, creating content and reaching out to responsive audiences. Last year, the company secured $700,000 in a pre-Series A investment led by Singapore VC firm Accelerating Asia.
Jahnnobi Rahman
Co-founder, Relaxy
Category: Social Impact
Jahnnobi Rahman co-founded Relaxy, a tech-based wellness platform focused on improving the accessibility and quality of mental health services in Bangladesh. It intends to provide accessible digital solutions to an increasing number of young people suffering from mental health-related problems. Relaxy provides a number of free services like mood checks and meditations and generates revenue through virtual therapy sessions provided at low costs. The platform was selected as the second runners-up in Huawei's ICT Incubator 2022 and presently has over 15,000 users.
Diptha Saha
Co-founder, Agroshift Technologies
Category: Consumer Technology
Agroshift Technologies is an agricultural supply chain platform that allows businesses to source directly from farmers, lowering consumer prices and assisting farmers in obtaining a fair price. Following a micro-fulfilment approach, Agroshift works directly with farmers and dealers to get everyday necessities and provide RMG workers with direct access to high-quality, low-cost fresh vegetables. It also supplies the nearby micro-retailers of these factories using the same infrastructure. The platform recently won H&M's STITCH for RMG Global Innovation Challenge and secured $1.8 million in a pre-seed round led by Shorooq Partners and Anchorless Bangladesh.
Anowar Sayef and Saraban Tahura
Founders, Turtle Venture Studio
Category: Social Impact
Founded by Saraban Tahura Turin and Anowar Sayef Anik, Turtle Venture Studio aims to foster young startups by providing them with funding, mentorship, access to a global network and strategic support. It is the country's first venture studio and has recently announced its first cohort of local startups. It has worked with more than 90 entrepreneurs since 2018, assisting them in raising over $15 million in initial funding rounds. Apart from conducting accelerator programs for women in technology, the platform also offers a program called 'Young Turtle' to encourage entrepreneurship among students.
