The “Startup Compass” campaign is being organized by the Innovation Design and Entrepreneurship Academy (iDEA) Project of Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) under the ICT Division to find potential entrepreneurs from the country. To inspire young startups, the iDEA Project organized the inaugural program of the campaign at the campus of Daffodil International University (DIU) located in Daffodil Smart City, Ashulia, Dhaka on Tuesday.
The DIU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. M. Lutfar Rahman inaugurated the program as the chief guest. The Dean of the Science and Information Technology Faculty of DIU Professor Dr. Md. Fokhray Hossain and the Head of the Computer Science and Engineering Department Professor Dr. Touhid Bhuiyan was also there as the special guest of the program. The Project Director of iDEA and Joint Secretary Md. Altaf Hossain presided over the event. The main goal of this event is to find young entrepreneurs who have innovative plans to contribute to the progress and development of the country and to support startups in different ways including providing grants, mentoring, training, co-working space for the proper and successful implementation of their initiatives. This campaign will run in all 8 divisions of Bangladesh. The campaign will be held in more than 45 public and private universities from all over the country.
“Startup Compass” campaign will run till March 2023 as part of the iDEA Project's regular campaign. iDEA Project hopes to directly reach more than 10 thousand youth from all over the country through this campaign in more than 45 universities. Although the campaign was held in more than 45 universities, students of any educational institution, including schools, colleges, madrasas, and technical institutes, can submit their innovative ideas to the idea project. Interested applicants can submit their idea or startup application through online registration by visiting the official website of the iDEA project (https://idea.gov.bd/).
Later, the pitching of the startups will be taken through the selection committee of the idea project after the initial screening of the idea project. Finally, the selected promising entrepreneurs or startups will get a grant of Tk 10 lakh. Also, grooming and special training will be provided to the startups from the idea project. Apart from this, startups will be supported in different ways including providing legal consultancy, and co-working space said by the iDEA project authority.
About two hundred students of Daffodil International University participated in the inaugural ceremony of Startup Compass. Besides, IDEA Project Consultant and Startup Compass Associate Coordinator Mr. Abul Kalam Ahsanul Azad, iDEA Project Communications Consultant Mr. Shohag Chandra Das and the senior officials from ICT Division, Bangladesh Computer Council, Daffodil International University, and IDEA Project were present at the occasion.
