AIUB-IQAC and AIUB women Forum, in collaboration with Orange Corners Bangladesh, an initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, arranged a seminar titled "Road to Entrepreneurship" on March 25 (Monday), at 2:00pm-3:30pm at Auditorium, D Building at AIUB. Orange Corners provides young entrepreneurs across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East with training, mentorship, networks, funding, and facilities to start and grow their businesses. The Orange Corners program in Bangladesh aims to enable local youth with skills, funding, and resources to build sustainable businesses and create an inclusive and equitable entrepreneurial ecosystem. BYLC Ventures, along with other partners YY Ventures, the SAJIDA Foundation, and Unilever, work closely as the implementing and private partners of Orange Corners Bangladesh to foster and bolster the local entrepreneurial ecosystem.
During the opening remarks, Pro Vice Chancellor, Professor Dr. Md. Abdur Rahman and Dr. Farheen Hassan, Professor, Faculty of Business Administration, emphasized the importance of enhancing female participation in Bangladesh’s startup ecosystem. The event featured Zareen Mahmud Hosein, founder of CholPori, an Edtech platform for young learners. Zareen shared the obstacles she encountered and how she garnered support to overcome challenges on her entrepreneurial journey.
During the event Ms. Taslima Mozumder, Senior Executive, BYLC Ventures and Ms. Farhia Tabassum, Program Coordinator, YY Ventures, introduced the audience with the activities of Orange Corners Bangladesh. Through their Pre-Incubation phase, Incubation phase and Post-Incubation phase, Orange Corners Bangladesh, equips young entrepreneurs, aged 18-35 years, with skills, funding, and resources to start and grow sustainable businesses – specifically ones that contribute to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and address the local challenges of Bangladesh.
The Pre-Incubation phase engages Bangladeshi youth to participate in solving local challenges and is designed to raise awareness of entrepreneurship among students through the campus ambassador programme, university-based events, and ideation challenges. The selected teams from the Incubation phase receive training, coaching, masterclasses, networking and opportunities to receive match grants up to 5,000 euros, whereas Post-Incubation phase makes the participants eligible to access grants and soft loans up to 50,000 euros, along with business development support, and take their enterprises to the next level so that they can raise funding from VCs and other investors.
The application form for the current program at Orange Corners Bangladesh can be found in the following link: Google form
More about the Orange Corners Bangladesh program can be found from the following links: https://www.orangecorners.com/country/bangladesh/
Dignitaries from AIUB and Orange Corner Bangladesh were also present at the event. The Office of Student Affairs and Administrative stuffs of AIUB, extended their immaculate support for making the program a success.
Partnerships
