Grameenphone, the connectivity partner of Digital Bangladesh, has signed an agreement with three leading companies – Better Stories Limited, Lightcastle Partners and Upskill – to build the country’s startup ecosystem. The agreement on partnership was signed at GP House on Monday.
These three startups have teamed up with Grameenphone to successfully complete GP Accelerator 3.0. The 12-month GP Accelerator 3.0 program will identify the best startups in the country and help startups invest in building a strong foundation for the country’s startup ecosystem. In addition, they will be assisted in expanding the market range and expanding business network activities outside the country.
Startups will be traced through the National Outreach Program and Design Thinking Boot Camp. This consortium of three startups will work in a new way to take forward the ‘Global-First’ Bangladeshi startups that have emerged as a result of combatting the ongoing pandemic.
GP Accelerator is at the beginning of Grameenphone’s innovation and digital transformation goals. Since its launch in 2015, GP Accelerator has helped the growth of 44 startups, including Seba.XYZ, Barikoi, Daktarakoi, Dhakacast and Cramstack. The redesigned program will help startups benefit from Grameenphone’s distribution channel, which seeks to grow tenfold per month during the program and to add talent and capital gains at a significant rate to accelerate regional market acquisitions.
Abul Qasim Mohiuddin Al-Amin, Chief Procurement Officer of Grameenphone, signed the agreement on behalf of the company. Chief Business Officer Kazi Mahbub Hasan and Head of Innovation Farhana Islam were present at the occasion. On the other hand, Mostafizur Rahman Khan, founder and chief executive of Upskill, signed on behalf of the consortium. The consortium was represented by Minhaj Anwar, Chief Storyteller of Better Stories Limited and Ivdad Ahmed Khan Majlis, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Lightcastle Partners.
Solaiman Alam, Chief Digital and Strategy Officer of Grameenphone, said, “We are delighted to be able to re-organize the GP Accelerator program at a time when we need inventors, founders and entrepreneurs the most. GP Accelerator has always been an important contributor to the innovation and the digital ecosystem in Bangladesh. And we are thrilled to see its growth by our partners and other organizations in the country. We will support Bangladeshi entrepreneurs with our assets and resources by working together with three notable startup ecosystem organizations to take their initiatives to the global market as well as build a strong foundation for the country’s startup ecosystem.
