Bangladesh has significant potential for investment but poor infrastructure, lack of access to finance and regulatory hurdles in the country remain concerns, according to businesspeople at Bangladesh Startup Connect 2025.

The event, being held on the sidelines of the Bangladesh Investment Summit, began yesterday, with the aim of showcasing local startups, fostering cross-border collaborations, and unlocking new investment opportunities.

Tanveer Ali, chairman of Constellation Asset Management Company Ltd, delivered the keynote at the opening ceremony.

Ali emphasised on the country's investment potential by highlighting its young workforce, strategic location, and increasing access to technology.

This was followed by a plenary session moderated by Sadia Haque, co-founder and CEO of Sharetrip.

The panel included notable speakers, including Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun, executive chairman of Bida, Ahsan H Mansur, governor of the Bangladesh Bank, and Shish Haider Chowdhury, secretary of the ICT Division.

The session addressed the government's role in facilitating the growth of the local startups through policy initiatives and also touched on the challenges faced by new businesses, such as access to finance and regulatory hurdles.

The session concluded with the launch of the Infusion Partners Fund introduced by Abdul Muktadir, founder of Incepta Pharma, with the aim of accelerating startup growth in the country.

The second panel of the day, moderated by Mirza Salman Hossain Beg, founder and CEO of Stealth Startup, focused on why investors should consider Bangladesh.

Rahat Ahmed, founder of Anchorless Bangladesh, and Oussama Glilah, director at Razor Capital, highlighted the country's untapped market potential in sectors such as technology, consumer goods, and healthcare.

The panellists noted that while Bangladesh's investment climate is improving, challenges such as a lack of infrastructure and limited access to venture capital remain concerns.

Following the discussion, a session moderated by Sarah Iqbal, head of Impact Partners at SAJIDA Foundation, explored how businesses can position themselves to attract investment.

Craig Bristol Dixon, general partner at Accelerating Asia, emphasized the need for startups to demonstrate scalability and a long-term vision to secure investor confidence.

The next panel, moderated by Sadia Hossain, director at YY Ventures, examined how the fundraising landscape is evolving. It also discussed the challenges startups face when seeking capital and pointed out the increasing role of alternative funding sources, such as crowdfunding and strategic partnerships.

Shahir Chowdhury, founder and CEO of Shikho, in another keynote explained how educational technology (EdTech) can play a pivotal role in addressing Bangladesh's educational challenges.

He outlined how technology can bridge gaps in the education system, enabling greater access to learning and improving outcomes for the country's youth.

A following panel, moderated by Ayman Sadiq, founder and CEO of 10 Minute School, delved deeper into the potential of the EdTech market in Bangladesh.

The discussion featured key players, such as Sarim Aziz from Meta and Fahim Mashroor of BDjobs.com, who explored how technology can not only enhance education, but also create new jobs in the sector.

The panel highlighted the need for public-private partnerships to scale EdTech initiatives and provide sustainable solutions to the education crisis.

More than a thousand people had gathered on the event's opening day, including founders, CEOs, high ranking officials, investors and more.

"The experience is unworldly to be frank. We have met with a lot of investors here. Normally it would take us one or two years to meet with so many investors," said Md Abdur Rashid Sohag, founder and CEO of Pupil School Bus.

"Some of the investors even invited us to some personal events, where we will get opportunities to make detailed pitches," he added.

Later in a press briefing, Bida Executive Chairman Ashik Chowdhury said the feedback on the first day of the event was very good.

He mentioned that this was the perfect event for investors and startups as they have to work together for improving the startup ecosystem.

"Over 25 venture capitalists got to see the startups today," Chowdhury said.

Regarding Starlink, the satellite internet service by SpaceX, he after getting Bida's approval, the company sent an application to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission for approval yesterday.