Nine youths from Bangladesh have been featured in the renowned Forbes magazine’s ninth edition of “30 under 30” Asia.
Forbes publishes the ’30 under 30′ list of young people under 30 years of age who have influential and promising roles in the world’s business, technology, arts, etc. This year, nine people from Bangladesh have been included in this list for their contributions in various fields.
In a report, Forbes announced the ninth edition of Forbes ’30 Under 30 Asia’. The list highlights 300 young entrepreneurs, leaders and innovators under the age of 30 who are driving change and innovating across the Asia-Pacific region.
The names on this list represent a variety of industries, such as media, technology, economics, and the arts. Nine Bangladeshi individuals have made this list this year in recognition of their achievements across a range of industries.
Anusha Alamgir
Anusha Alamgir, a Bangladeshi multidisciplinary artist, holds a master’s degree in architecture from the Royal College of Art in London. She was the only female Bangladeshi to participate in the 18th International Architecture Exhibition at the 2023 Venice Biennale, with a video titled ‘Porda,’ which means’veil’ in Bangla, and addresses Muslim veiling traditions. Alamgir’s artistic methods include architectural themes into sculpture, painting, photography, and performance, while also addressing contemporary issues in Bangladesh, such as female body image and the so-called male gaze. Her art has been displayed at the Oitij-jo Collective in London, the La-La Land Gallery in Los Angeles, and the Drik Picture Library in Dhaka. Alamgir also founded Colors Dhaka, an online thrift store.
Redwan Ahmed
Redwan Ahmed is an award-winning freelance journalist who covers the biggest stories in Bangladesh. His reporting on the Rohingya issue for Agence France-Presse earned him the 22nd Human Rights Press Award, while his investigations for the British news outlet The Guardian exposed the exploitation of Bangladeshi garment industry workers. In addition to reporting, Redwan cofounded Bangladeshi Journalists in International Media, an organization dedicated to the protection of indigenous journalists. Ahmed has been named a fellow for the 2021 Reham Al-Farra Memorial Journalism Program.
Mehedi Shoron
Mehedi Shoron founded HelloTask, Bangladesh’s “Uber for maid service.” The app provides hourly bookings, monthly subscriptions, maid verification, and safety features to keep them safe from exploitation or assault. Hellotask has secured investment from investors, as well as subsidies from the World Bank and Oxfam. The company intends to increase its maid workforce to 100,000 by 2025 and enter international markets.
MD. Shahidul Islam, Abdul Gaffar Sadi, MD Tushar
Drutoloan, which means ‘quick loan’ in English, was formed in Dhaka by Abdul Gaffar Sadi, MD Tushar, and MD Shahidul Islam. The organization assists micro and small businesses in obtaining loans from banks and financing companies, as well as assisting lenders in determining creditworthiness. Since its inception in 2019, the cofounders claim the company has disbursed more than $2 million in loans. In November, it secured $125,000 in pre-funding.
Fahad Ahmed
Fahad Ahmed, co-founder of ‘Wind.app’, has made it to Forbes’ list in the Finance and Venture Capital category. ‘Wind Dot App’ facilitates cross-border remittances at a fast and very low cost. The startup received $3.8 million in funding. Before Wind.App, Fahad Ahmed worked at Pathao. He was one of the founding team of ‘Pathao’ and launched various services there.
Mumtahina Anika, Sultan Moni
In the Finance and Venture Capital category, Mumtahina Anika and Sultan Moni, co-founders of ‘Zatiq’, provide software and hardware solutions to help small companies manage their accounting. The company also assists in the development of e-commerce websites. Last August, ‘Zatiq’ raised $1.6 million in funding.