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From left to right: Meenara Khondker, Business Consultant, LightCastle Partners; Sarina Haque, Business Analyst, LightCastle Partners; Zahedul Amin, Co-founder and Director of Finance at LightCastle Partners; Priyank Tiwari, Research & Advisory at IIX; Mohammad A Akher, Director and Bangladesh Treasury and Trade Solutions Head at Citi; Sami Ahmed, Managing Director and CEO of Startup Bangladesh Limited; Durreen Shahnaz, founder of IIX; Fowzia Afroz, Program Lead, Earki ; Hosna Ferdous Sumi, Senior Private Sector Specialist at The World Bank; Nazat Chowdhury, Partner and Managing Director Bangladesh of South Asia Tech; Bijon Islam, CEO of LightCastle Partners; and (not in the picture) Anita Ghazi Rahman, Founder & Managing Partner at The Legal Circle
LightCastle Partners hosted a dinner on February 28, gathering a diverse group of individuals from the startup and investment ecosystem to commemorate the visit of Durreen Shahnaz, founder of Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) Global.
The evening began with discussions centered around women entrepreneurs and impact investing. Durreen Shahnaz, founder of IIX, shared her insights on the MSME landscape as well as the potential of startups in the Asia-Pacific region.
Guests engaged in discussions related to the Bangladeshi startup landscape, exploring the successes of various ventures, especially within the fintech platform, and comparing the startup ecosystems of India and Bangladesh.
Priyank Tiwari, Research & Advisory at IIX, provided insights on the influx of retired entrepreneurs to Goa, reshaping the startup landscape in the region.
The dinner served as a platform for networking and collaboration, where participants shared ideas on diverse topics within their respective fields. They discussed the dynamic collaboration between private sector entities and bilateral partners, along with the contrasting viewpoints on investment between traditional financial institutions such as the World Bank, IMF, and venture capitalists.
Hosna Ferdous Sumi, Senior Private Sector Specialist at The World Bank, highlighted the significance of the World Bank We-Fi initiative, shedding light on its impact on WSMEs, while Sami Ahmed, Managing Director and CEO of Startup Bangladesh Limited, shared insights on emerging young talent with substantial startup potential in Bangladesh.
The evening concluded with Durreen Shahnaz emphasizing the pivotal role of women in investment and entrepreneurship. She urged for action over mere rhetoric, encouraging everyone to prioritize tangible steps towards gender-inclusive practices, such as having more women in managerial positions, supporting more MSMEs led by women, and addressing barriers to gender parity in the investment sector.
Durreen Shahnaz’s unwavering optimism and dedication to creating positive change were truly inspiring, reflecting the ethos of her latest book, “The Defiant Optimist”.
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