ICT Division is hosting Youth Startup Summit 2025 which is being organized by Startup Bangladesh Ltd. to inspire and empower young entrepreneurs across Bangladesh. Scheduled to be held all throughout the month of February 2025, the Summit will take place in five segments throughout all divisions.
The event will consist of three core components, Youth Innovation Challenge, sessions to Spread knowledge and awareness and Exhibition for startups to showcase their innovations and recruit talents.
The Youth Startup Summit 2025 has launched Youth Innovation Challenge 2025, discussion sessions and exhibition at Rajshahi University premises, Rajshahi on February 6, 2025 to inspire and engage young innovators. The competition is designed to encourage young innovators and entrepreneurs to develop creative and impactful solutions to address some of Bangladesh’s most pressing challenges allowing students to present their ideas, prototypes, or MVPs (Minimum Viable Products), focusing on key areas such as financial inclusion, urban mobility, healthcare access, energy solutions, education, climate change, and food security. The primary goal is to foster entrepreneurship, enhance problem-solving skills, and encourage social and environmental impact through sustainable business models.
The event was kicked off by Sami Ahmed, Managing Director of Startup Bangladesh. Dr. Saleh Hasan Naqib, Vice-Chancellor, University of Rajshahi inaugurated the event. The event featured master class on Startup Fundamentals: Mastering the Essentials of Building and Scaling a Business by Shubho Al-Farooq, CEO of Zantrik and fire side chat on The Startup Journey: An Inspiring Story of Building a Business from the Ground Up by Mahir Ashef, General Secretary of Startup Rajshahi & Co-founder/COO of Youth Upskill Network (YUNet) and Waseem Alim, CEO of Chaldal. The event presented two panel discussions on From Idea to Scale: How Ecosystem Enablers Can Accelerate Your Startup which was conducted by Dewan Adnan, Investment Manager, Startup Bangladesh, Bijon Islam, CEO, Lightcastle Partners, Nayem Hossain Saikat, Managing Director, Dubotech, Md Ahsan Habib, CEO, Area71 Venture Limited and Rafidul Islam, Vice president, Startup Rajshahi. And the other one on From Pitch to Investment: Navigating the Funding Landscape which was conducted by Shubho Al-Farooq, CEO, Zantrik, Startup Bangladesh Limited, Waseem Alim, CEO, Chaldal, Sadia Haque, CEO, ShareTrip, Bijon Islam, CEO, Lightcastle Partners, Shubho Al-Farooq, CEO, Zantrik.
After receiving a good number of applications, 8 selected teams – SystemSage Solutions, Healthlink, ACE, Anondopath, ECO PEDAL, AlgaeN, GuideNao, SkinCare AI pitched their impactful solutions to the panel of judges The judge panel was represented by key professionals from relevant sectors.
The competition ended with winner announcement at the prize giving ceremony where, Professor Mohammad Main Uddin, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Administration), University of Rajshahi, Professor Md. Farid Uddin Khan, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic), University of Rajshahi announced winners.
The winning team Anondopath gets the prize money of BDT 3,00,000. SystemSage Solutions team receives BDT 2,00,000 for being first runner-up and team SkinCare AI receives BDT 1,00,000 for being the second runner-up.
By recognizing the best solutions, the competition aims to promote a culture of innovation and empower young minds to contribute meaningfully to Bangladesh’s development.
The event highlighted interactive seminars focused on startups & entrepreneurs, pitching competition among local, university student startups, showcasing & recruitment in the exhibition zone as opportunities for students. The event also inspired spreading knowledge, strengthening connectivity, showcasing homegrown innovations and fostering opportunities. It is a groundbreaking event for students, fresh graduates, aspiring founders and entrepreneurs. Through engaging seminars, competitions, and networking opportunities, the summit was designed to educate, empower, and connect young talent with the tools and resources needed to launch a successful venture.
The summit offered exceptional networking opportunities to the attendees. They had the chance to engage with industry experts and successful entrepreneurs fostering collaboration and mentorship that can guide the young enthusiasts.
The competition had some criteria to be met by the participants to be eligible for application. Each team consisted of 3 young aspiring members who were students. Besides, the solution addressed one of the critical challenges outlined in the Case Bundle i.e. financial inclusion, urban mobility, healthcare access, energy solutions, education, climate change, or food security. The participating teams also had to ensure that the ideas submitted must be original, and not a direct copy of existing solutions.
The Rajshahi University Career Club (RUCC) joined the event as campus partner and Startup Rajshahi joined as Community Partner. Knowledge partner at the event was Lightcastle Partners.
For more information, please visit http://www.yss.startupbangladesh.vc/