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Startup Bangladesh invests in SWAP

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SWAP, Bangladesh’s first re-commerce platform raises 5 crore BDT in Pre-Series

Startup Bangladesh Limited, the flagship venture capital company of the ICT Division,
decided to invest in SWAP, the first ever re-commerce platform in Bangladesh. Swap
works by offering customers both convenience and safety when selling a product
along with ensuring an environment-friendly way to discard e-waste. The platform
enables many low-income households to purchase, sell and exchange products –
increasing economic participation and access-to-technology in an emerging market
such as Bangladesh.
An agreement was signed recently between the organizations in Dhaka to invest 5
crore BDT in Pre-Series A round.
The agreement was signed in the presence of Khandker Anwarul Islam, Cabinet
Secretary, Cabinet Division. Startup Bangladesh Chairman & Senior secretary of ICT
division Mr. N M Zeaul Alam PAA, Managing Director Sami Ahmed, Head of Portfolio
Investment Hasan A. Arif and Parvez Hossain, CEO and Tonmoy Shaha, COO of SWAP
and other stakeholders were present on the occasion.
Since starting in 2020, SWAP has generated more than USD $43M in Gross
Merchandise Value (GMV), with a current monthly GMV of over USD $2.5M. SWAP has
served over 80,000 customers till date and has also helped to reduce 3650 Metric ton
of carbon emission and saved more than 386 metric ton of e-waste as part of the
commitment to reduce carbon footprint and contribute to an environmentally
sustainable ecommerce industry in emerging markets.
Startup Bangladesh Limited is the flagship venture capital fund of ICT Division. Under
the visionary guidance of Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Startup Bangladesh the first and only venture capital fund sponsored by the government of the people’s
republic of Bangladesh started its journey on March 2020 with an allocated capital of
BDT 500 crore. In this effort to enable the nation to innovate faster, Startup Bangladesh has decided to invest 5 crore BDT in SWAP after recognizing the potential of this re-
commerce pioneer.

    On the occasion Mr. Zunaid Ahmed Palak, State Minister for ICT Division said,
    “Bangladesh has become a fertile land for startups and innovation, which is
    transforming the startup ecosystem. The Government is a strong believer of innovation

    and technology, and we believe Startups are the change-makers and Impact creators
    in society. To support these innovative Startups, Government has established Startup
    Bangladesh venture Capital company. Startup Bangladesh’s role in supporting startup
    ecosystem through investments in technology startups is vital towards building Smart
    Bangladesh. I hope Swap will make remarkable impact in the industry with this
    investment.”
    “The work that SWAP is doing in the re-commerce industry is highly commendable
    and the investment from Startup Bangladesh Ltd on SWAP will help it to be the leader
    of the industry. I hope that they will be able to make a deep impact in Smart
    Bangladesh implementation as a Startup. The ICT Division is working diligently in
    changing policies that assist the emerging and growing startups in many aspects,
    whether it is policy level, training, development etc.” mentioned NM Zeaul Alam PAA,
    Senior Secretary, ICT Division and Chairman Startup Bangladesh Ltd.
    “Startup Bangladesh aims to support homegrown startups to grow and reach heights
    that generate higher standards for more Foreign Investment. The local startup
    ecosystem is greatly influenced by prospective ventures like SWAP, With the right
    strategy and focus, SWAP will be able to make remarkable example as successful and
    sustainable startup in the ecosystem”, said Sami Ahmed, Managing Director, Startup
    Bangladesh Limited.
    “We believe that SWAP provides a solution that the Bangladesh market greatly needs.
    By building an ecosystem for pre-owned goods, we are providing our country’s low
    and middle income households access to technology at an affordable price while
    encouraging the circular economy mandate. By reusing and increasing the lifespan of
    electronics devices & light vehicles, we can also ease the pressure on import of such
    goods, easing the stress on our dollar reserve.” said SWAP CEO and Co-founder, Parvez
    Hossain.
    Startup Bangladesh in its effort to build a vibrant startup ecosystem that nurtures
    digitalization, has been investing in most promising and impactful startups in
    Bangladesh and has continued that tradition by investing in SWAP. With the
    investment in SWAP Startup Bangladesh has invested in 18 companies with more than
    50 crore BDT to date.

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    Rampant Corruption Plagues ICT Sector in 15 years : White Paper

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    Highlights

    • ICT sector plagued by corruption
    • Hi-Tech parks fail to attract investors
    • Lack of transparency in project implementation
    • Misuse of funds to benefit preferred vendors
    • Calls for robust project evaluations

    The White Paper on the State of the Bangladesh Economy, submitted to the Chief Adviser today (1 December), identified the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector as one of the most affected by corruption.

    “The review of the White Paper puts the banking sector on top of the most corruption-ravaged sectors, followed by physical infrastructure, and energy and power,” it reads.

    ICT was also identified as one of the most corruption-affected sectors by its operational and technological novelty, it added.

    The White Paper committee’s comment highlights years-long corruption allegations in the key sector the Awami League pledged to improve during the 2008 election for the sake of national progress.

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    And the story later frustrated the youth and technology experts due to huge waste of taxpayers’ money in improper projects. These lacked transparencies and were alleged to benefit people close to the then regime.

    In the one and half decades of Sheikh Hasina’s ruling, the state spent nearly Tk29,000 crore to build “Digital Bangladesh” and later “Smart Bangladesh by 2041.”

    Most of the funds were allocated to infrastructure projects, which still require justification from sector experts. For instance, Hi Tech parks outside major cities barely attracted investors.

    Government-funded projects aimed at youth ICT training, women empowerment, and local app and game development, costing hundreds of crores of Taka, appear to have primarily benefited officials and their preferred vendors, reveals the gradually unfolding facts.

    The interim government in August formed a committee to evaluate the ongoing projects already recommended to downsize them in lots of unjustified cases. It will also dig deeper to find the anomalies in the already finished projects.

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    In an example of how the government projects were being justified in questioned ways, the white paper mentioned a 2013-18 ICT Division project “Leveraging ICT for Growth, Employment, and Governance Projects” that had a 43% cost increase to Tk774 crore, from its original budget of Tk521.97 crore.

    According to the White Paper, the large capacity-building initiative aimed to promote the IT sector and train 30,000 individuals for employment within it. The evaluation report from the Planning Ministry’s Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division showed strong satisfaction with the project’s success.

    However, it overlooked the contributions of training institutions, colleges, and universities that also played a role in advancing the sector, the White Paper stated.

    Additionally, the quality of the evaluation report was inadequate, as it failed to distinguish the marginal impacts of training 30,000 individuals on the entire IT sector.

    This analytical weakness in assessing the project’s impacts has contributed to the continuation of various ICT and other projects that lack tangible benefits.

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    “It highlights the need for more robust evaluations to ensure that future initiatives are grounded in a clear understanding of their actual contributions to the sector,” said the White Paper.

    Bangladesh lags behind many comparator countries in a number of technological indexes, despite the digital and smart nation narratives.

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    Corruption behind Tk 650bn investment in telecom, ICT sectors

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    ICT Advisor Nahid Islam has said due to ‘irregularities’, Bangladesh has not realised the full benefits of the ‘Digital Bangladesh’ initiative despite a substantial investment of Tk 650 billion in the telecommunications and ICT sectors under the Awami League government.

    Speaking at an ADP review meeting at the Posts and Telecommunication Division on Monday, Nahid criticised the execution of numerous costly projects under the ‘Digital Bangladesh’ banner which, according to him, failed to deliver their promised impact.

    From fiscal year 2010-11 to 2024-25, the ICT Division implemented projects worth Tk 250 billion, while the Posts and Telecommunications Division accounted for projects totaling Tk 400 billion.

    Despite these investments, Bangladesh scored a modest 62 out of 100 in the June 2024 edition of the ICT Development Index by the United Nations International Telecommunication Union, trailing behind nations such as Myanmar, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Vietnam, and Bhutan.

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    Highlighting the country’s technological lag, Nahid referenced the May 2024 Ookla Speedtest Global Index, where Bangladesh ranked 109th out of 147 countries in internet speed, below Kenya.

    Also, Bangladesh placed 108th in broadband internet performance, with India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Rwanda, and Ghana all performing better.

    In the realm of artificial intelligence, the IMF’s June 2024 Artificial Intelligence Preparedness Index placed Bangladesh 113th, again behind India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Rwanda, and Ghana.

    The Digital Quality of Life Index 2023 by cybersecurity firm Surfshark saw Bangladesh drop five notches to 82nd among 121 countries, with internet speed 5 percent below the global average.

    Rankings in the Key Government Index, e-security, and internet purchasing capacity were similarly below par.

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    Nahid also pointed out that Bangladesh lags in freelancing, ranked 29th among the top 30 global destinations, as per an April 2024 report by US-based CEOWORLD magazine, trailing behind India and Pakistan.

    These indicators, according to Nahid, reflect not just the failure to enjoy the full benefits of digital initiatives but also suggest pervasive irregularities in the sector.

    He criticised the frequent delays and the need for repeated extensions in project timelines, calling for more sensible proposals regarding extensions.

    Nahid emphasised that timely and proper project completion could significantly propel the nation’s progress in internet and telecommunication sectors, benefitting all Bangladeshis.

    The meeting disclosed that nine projects are currently underway within the four offices of the Posts and Telecommunications Division for the fiscal year 2024-25, involving entities such as Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited, or BTCL, Teletalk Bangladesh Limited, the Directorate of Posts, and Bangladesh Submarine Cables PLC.

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    As of August 2024, national-level project progress for the fiscal year was reported at 1.02 percent, with the Posts and Telecommunications Division achieving a progress rate of 3.84 percent.

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    Web Summit to host hundreds of curated community meetups in Lisbon this November

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    Web Summit has announced today that it will host hundreds of curated community meetups in Lisbon this November, powered by its proprietary software, Summit Engine.

    This initiative is part of Web Summit’s renewed mission to foster meaningful connections and communities. By bringing people with similar backgrounds, interests and objectives together in community meetups, Web Summit hopes to make the event feel smaller and more intimate for attendees, as it continues to grow and scale across the world. Hundreds of these community meetups will take place alongside signature challenging discussions on how technology is shaping the world.

    So far, this year’s top speakers include Yinon C. (Yinon Costica), co-founder of cybersecurity powerhouse WIZ , which recently made waves by turning down a US$23 billion offer from Google; Julie De Moyer , LVMH ’s recently appointed chief data and AI officer; Lidiane Jones , CEO of popular dating app Bumble Inc. , which harnesses AI to improve matchmaking; Cristiano Anon, CEO of Qualcomm, the company working to create bigger, better, and more affordable AI chips; and Meredith Whittaker, president of encrypted messaging app Signal, which is fighting against government measures to scan citizen’s private messages.

    Also taking to the stage will be Alibaba.com president Kuo Zhang ; Škoda Auto CMO Meredith Kelly; Amazon Web Services VP of AI Matt Wood ; Meta’s global head of consumer marketing, Eshan Ponnadurai; Manchester United CEO Omar Berrada, and much more. They will be joined, by world comms@websummit.com leaders and changemakers, including Germany’s Vice Chancellor, Robert Habeck; Portugal’s minister of youth and modernisation, Margarida Balseiro Lopes, and exiled Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López.

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    Global tech companies, including IBM, Adobe, Intercom, Samsung Next, and Niantic Labs will exhibit on the floor alongside financial giants such as Visa and American Express. Other notable partners include Novo Nordisk, Bosch, EDP, and KPMG.

    New for 2024: Hundreds of curated meetings

    Of course, Web Summit isn’t just about the speakers – it’s about the connections. That’s why this November, our curated meetups, powered by Summit Engine, will bring together attendees with shared roles or interests in AI, fintech, crypto, food tech, sustainability, and more.

    To do this, Web Summit’s data science team uses in-house software to group attendees who have common interests and backgrounds, helping uncover emerging communities. This technology was tested this year at Web Summit Rio in April, and at Collision in Toronto in June. From data scientists in Uruguay and food tech startup founders and investors to public sector AI innovators, Web Summit wants to make sure that the right people find each other at our events. Attendees can use the Web Summit app to easily connect and stay in touch with those they’ve met long after the event ends in November

    “This is going to be our biggest but also our smallest event yet … we aim to host thousands of community meetups at the event and across Lisbon in November. We are evolving from being one large event to becoming a collection of a thousand deep, interconnected experiences,“ said Paddy Cosgrave .

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    “Over the last 15 years, the world has changed in many ways, and we’ve always been committed to adapting and re-evaluating our mission and goals to meet evolving challenges, ideas, and global circumstances. We’re currently in an especially charged moment in time,” Paddy continued.

    “We are bigger than ever, but our mission remains the same – connecting the people, companies and ideas that change the word. Ultimately, the best event experience is when you walk away with a stronger network than you came with,” added SVP of product Brian Flanagan .

    Just announced

    The full list of speakers at Web Summit is being announced today:

    ● Lidiane Jones, CEO of Bumble

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    Anastasis Germanidis , co-founder and CTO of Runway

    Meredith Kelly , CMO of Škoda Auto

    Sarah Myers West , co-executive chair of AI Now Institute

    ● Patrick Kluivert, former footballer with Barcelona and The Netherlands

    Paula Goldman , chief ethical and humane use officer at Salesforce

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    ● Omar Berrada, CEO of Manchester United

    Hans Niemann , chess grandmaster

    Meredith Whittaker , president of Signal Messenger

    ● Munya Chawawa, actor and comedian

    Atul Bhardwaj j, chief digital and technical officer at the LEGO Group

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    Smita Hashim , chief product officer at Zoom

    ● Alex Hirschi, founder of Supercar Blondie

    New speakers are being added regularly on the Web Summit speaker page

    About Web Summit:

    Web Summit is a technology events company, bringing together a global community of founders, entrepreneurs, business leaders, and investors to connect and exchange ideas about the technology and trends shaping the world. Web Summit events – including Web Summit in Lisbon, Web Summit Rio in South America, Web Summit Qatar in the Middle East, and RISE in Asia – have gathered nearly one million people since Web Summit’s beginnings as a 150-person conference in Dublin in 2009. Its newest event, Web Summit Vancouver, will launch in May 2025.

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    Useful Links:

    Web Summit website: https://websummit.com/

    Web Summit Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/websummit/albums/

    Web Summit YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJtkHqH4Qof97TSx7BzE5IQ

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