United International University (UIU)recently launched its flagship Startup Business Plan Competition and Innovation cohort – LAUNCHPAD BY UIHP@UIU. The program is facilitated by UIU and University Innovation Hub Program (UIHP) of Digital Entrepreneurship and Innovation Ecosystem Development Project (DEIED) under the Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority (BHTPA) with support from The World Bank.
Prof. Dr. Md. Abul Kashem Mia, Vice-Chancellor of UIU was present as the Chief Guest. Mr. Abul Fatah Md. Baligur Rahman, Project Director, DEIED, BHTPA was present as the Special Guest in the program. Among others, Prof. Dr. Khondaker Abdullah Al Mamun, Director of UIU’s Institute of Research, Innovation, Incubation & Commercialization (IRIIC), Mr. Kishwar Hashemee – Co-founder of Mitro and Kludio, Mr. Tanvirul Islam – Founder, Elevate Pay (YC 2022), Mr. Shehaan Rahman – Founder, Antopolis and Mr. Md. Refayed Chowdhury – CEO & Co-founder, WiserGates spoke in the program along with speech from corporate icons like Mr. Drabir Alam – COO, of X, and Managing Director – V2 Technologies and Mr. Adnan Khan – General Manager of Finley Limited
Under the LaunchPad program, UIU & UIHP organized a dissemination Town-Hall where 500+ students from various universities around the country attended to know more about the competition, listen to mentors, hear startup success stories from renowned founders and network with like-minded peers. The event also saw enthusiastic participation from the academic community, with key leaders from the university and industry sharing valuable insights into the future of entrepreneurship in Bangladesh.
The Chief Guest Prof. Dr. Md. Abul Kashem Mia – expressed his optimism for the country’s entrepreneurial potential, stating, “This initiative reinforces UIU’s commitment to nurturing young minds to think innovatively and contribute to the growth of our nation’s economy.”
At its first round, LaunchPad by UIHP@UIU made a nationwide call for startup business plan submission on its online portal by 15 october 2024. From the submissions, 15 teams will go to the 2nd round to receive 16-week long innovation mentorship, competing for the grand finale and a chance to win pre-seed funds. The program is open to all Bangladeshi national specially university students, faculty and alumni. Details for registration are available at https://uihp.org.
Faculty members, officials, academicians, government officials, industry officials, researchers, students and other distinguished guests from various universities and institutions in Bangladesh were present in the program.