7 Bangladeshis named in Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 list

Seven Bangladeshis under the age of 30 have appeared in the Forbes 30 under 30 Asia 2023 list for their contributions in three areas -- consumer technology, media, marketing and advertising, and social impact, reports news agency BSS.

The Bangladeshis who named in this year’s list are: Tasfia Tasbin and Rubaiyat Farhan, founders of Markopolo.ai under Media, Marketing and Advertising category, Jahnnobi Rahman, Co-founder of Relaxy; and Anowar Sayef and Saraban Tahura, founders of Turtle Venture Studio under Social Impact category, and Aziz Arman, founder of Jatri and Diptha Saha, cofounder of Agroshift Technologies under Consumer Technology category.

Tasbin and Farhan are founders of the start-up Markopolo.ai, which offers digital marketing solutions for small and mid-sized enterprises, allowing firms to quickly generate ad copy and seamlessly cross-post on social media.

The company’s subscription-based app uses machine-learning models, which can recognise patterns, to make predictions on an ad’s performance and peak conditions to post. It also has a massive consumer dataset to help businesses automate and optimise social media ads, create content and reach receptive audiences.

A recent computer science graduate, Jahnnobi Rahman cofounded Relaxy to provide a convenient digital solution to a growing number of young Bangladeshis dealing with mental health issues.

Relaxy offers free options like mood check-ins and meditations, but earns revenue from virtual therapy sessions on-demand for an affordable price.

The company plans to introduce subscription services on its app to cater to users’ schedules and needs. Its app recently was named second runner-up in Huawei’s ICT Incubator 2022 in Bangladesh and has been downloaded by over 15,000 users.

Tahura and Sayef are cofounders of Turtle Venture, Bangladesh’s first venture studio that supports and encourages local entrepreneurs.

Since 2018, it has worked with 90 start-ups, helping them raise over $15 million in seed capital. In addition to running accelerator programs for women in technology, Turtle Venture also runs a program called “Young Turtle” that promotes entrepreneurship among university students.

Arman cofounded Jatri to help solve the chaotic transportation problem in Bangladesh with the help of technology. Last year, the Dhaka Bus Owners’ Association agreed to use the start-up e-ticketing system for 5,650 public buses operating in the capital city, a move expected to ensure fair pricing for consumers.

Jatri also offers chartered and car rental services. In 2021, the company raised $1.2 million pre-seed series A from investors like Reflect Ventures, Brain-Too-Free Ventures and SBK tech venture, which bring its total funding to $5.25 million to date.

Saha is cofounder and COO of the Agroshift Technologies, an agricultural supply chain platform, established in 2022.

Agroshift enables businesses to source directly from farmers, reducing costs for consumers and helping farmers to get a fair price. Last year, the agritech company won H&M’s STITCH for RMG Global Innovation Challenge, which aims to improve the livelihoods of women in the garment sector.

In October, it raised $1.8 million in a pre-seed round led by Shorooq Partners and Anchorless Bangladesh, reportedly the largest such funding in the country so far.

A total of 25 Bangladeshis were named to the list for their exceptional efforts across a diverse range of categories from 2016 to 2022. This year, seven Bangladeshis under the age of thirty were recognised for their contributions.