An event on “Road to Startup Entrepreneurship and Innovation” for technology entrepreneurs and innovators was held on Saturday 14th November 2020 at the popular Comilla Club located at Kandirpar, Town Hall in Comilla. Hon’ble Minister of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh Mr. Md. Tajul Islam, MPwas present as the Chief Guest on the occasion. Honorable Member of Parliament from Comilla-6 Mr. A. K. M. Bahauddin, the senior secretary of ICT Division Mr. N M Zeaul Alam PAA, the Vice-Chancellor of Comilla University Prof. Dr. Emran Kabir Chowdhury, the Project Director (Additional Secretary) of iDEA Project Syed Mojibul Huqwere present as the special guest and Mr. Md. Abul Fazal Mir, Deputy Commissioner, Comilla presided over the inauguration program.
As the chief guest, the Hon’ble Minister of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives of Bangladesh Mr. Md. Tajul Islam, MP said, “We are able to make innumerable development of the country through digitalisation.” If we want to keep pace with the world, we have to use our valuable time and say no to corruption. Besides, the Hon’ble Minister encouraged the young innovators to harness their talent, creativity and mental strength. He explained the experiences of different countries and many achievements of the government as well as the role of youth in innovation and implementation.
As a special guest, Honorable MP of Comilla-6 Mr. A. K. M. Bahauddin constituency highlighted the several achievements of Comilla through his speech. Among the youth, he described the remarkable memories of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the memory of the war of liberation. Finally, he thanked the students and inventors from different parts of Comilla for joining this event.
The senior secretary of ICT Division Mr. N M Zeaul Alam PAA explained a picture of the development of information technology in Bangladesh through his speech as a special guest. He highlighted the huge progress that the government has made in building a “Digital Bangladesh” under the leadership of the Hon’ble Prime Minister.
As a special guest, The Vice-Chancellor of Comilla University Prof. Dr. Emran Kabir Chowdhury highlighted the importance of innovation of the youth and the need for innovation in solving the food and nutrition challenges of the country through various examples in this speech.
On the other hand, the Project Director (Additional Secretary) of iDEA Project Syed Mojibul Huq welcomed such an initiative by Startup Cumilla. He inspires young people to become successful entrepreneurs. He also briefed the youth on the different activities undertaken by the iDEA project including the “Bangabandhu Innovation Grant (BIG)” on the birth centenary of Bangabandhu.
Finally, Mr. Md. Abul Fazal Mir, Deputy Commissioner, Comilla thanked all the guests in his speech. He also expressed the view that such a program would inspire everyone including the youth.
Startup Comilla organized a day-long mentoring program at the end of this opening ceremony. Idea Generation, Business Presentation, Art of Business Model Canvas, Pitching and other topics are covered in this mentoring program. By organizing a pitching competition at the end of the mentoring program, the selected startups will be able to apply directly for the pre-seed grant of BDT 10 lac and at the same time, will have the opportunity to pitch directly for the pre-seed grant in front of the iDEA project selection committee. After Dhaka, Chittagong and Khulna, the iDEA project is conducting community-based activities in Comilla to create a startup ecosystem with the banner “Startup Bangladesh” and at the same time, the ICT division is conducting various events, training, seminars all over Bangladesh. Among others, The event in Comilla was attended by teachers, students and many others from different universities.