DHAKA, Feb. 8 (NsNewsWire) — Grameenphone received the first batch of the GP Accelerator today at GPHouse in Bashundhara.
GP Accelerator, a four-month business boot camp, will provide extensive training and resources to the
first batch, consisting of a total of 5 startups, allowing them to build their businesses quicker than they
could otherwise in the same amount of time. Through seed funding of over BDT 10 lakh, workspace in GP
House, expert mentors and a weighty set of contacts, the GP Accelerator aims to help these startup
entrepreneurs succeed and scale up. At the end of the program, the startups will get a chance to showcase
their products or services in a demo day, which will take place in May 2016.
Grameenphone CEO Rajeev Sethi, Chief Strategy Officer, Erlend Prestgard and Samad Miraly, Co
Founder SD Asia, welcomed the startups in the presence of hundreds of GP employees.
Speaking on the occasion, Rajeev Sethi said that he is very excited to welcome the startups in
Grameenphone as it was the beginning of a new journey for the company and also for the startup eco-
system of the country.
Last year October, Grameenphone partnered with SD ASIA to launch the ‘GP Accelerator’ initiative to
search for five talented tech startups in Bangladesh to accelerate. After a rigorous process of reading
through hundreds of startup applications, face-to-face interviews, and demo presentations, the GP
Accelerator team selected the top five startups to participate in the program.
“The process of selecting five best startups was a very challenging task, not because there were too many
applicants which we had to scan through, but because there were too many good startups to choose from,”
said Mustafiz R Khan, CEO of SD ASIA.
Grameenphone’s Chief Strategy Officer, Erlend Prestgard, was very pleased with the final five. “I think
that the choice of selecting five start-ups is a great way to kick off this initiative. Today we are open to
explore in areas where companies like Grameenphone previously hesitated to participate. The time for
“big telecom” is over – we now want to partner with the future of Bangladesh. This is one of the ways we
intend to do this, and we find it fascinating exercise. We see ourselves as a part of the ecosystem, and we
hope that we together with SD Asia can significantly contribute to the future of these start-ups.”
Grameenphone has been working with different organizations to encourage the local developers and
entrepreneurs to come up with innovative digital services under its “Internet for All” ambition. GP
Accelerator is one such initiative that aims to empower local startups to deliver cutting edge services for
the ICT industry.
The Top 5 startups that will be joining the GP Accelerator program, starting from February are as follows:
Ennovision:
Ennovision Limited is a web design company that serves as the one-stop solution for businesses looking to
create a solid online presence through their websites. Ennovision aims to help Bangladeshi businesses
replace their ill-designed websites with beautiful and user-friendly templates, allowing users to showcase
products or services globally in a more presentable manner.
Kandy: