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Good practice Imported

iDEA Project — Bangladesh's Government-Run Startup Seed-Funding and Venture Pipeline

Bangladesh · Dhaka · See the Bangladesh profile · See the Dhaka profile

Evidence: Observational / pre–post Top 83% 52/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Since 2016, Bangladesh's ICT Division has run the iDEA Project, selecting 400+ startups for seed and equity funding, disbursing BDT 11.6 crore to 2,329 SMEs by 2025, and seeding Startup Bangladesh Ltd, the country's first government-backed venture capital fund.

400+ startups
Startups selected for funding since inception
90+ startups
Startups reaching growth stage
430 million BDT (~$5m)
Funding channelled to Startup Bangladesh Ltd (2021)
11.645 crore BDT (~$970,000)
SME grant disbursement (by April 2025)
2,329 entrepreneurs
SME grant recipients (by April 2025)
357 individuals across 134 startups
Co-working facility users
80 participants from 40 startups
March 2022 divisional cohort participants

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
Bangladesh Computer Council / ICT Division (iDEA Project)
Period
2016–present
Keywords
startup funding, entrepreneurship, government innovation programme, venture capital

Context

The Innovation Design and Entrepreneurship Academy (iDEA) Project is a government-run startup-support programme operated by the Bangladesh Computer Council under the ICT Division, running since 2016 out of Dhaka.

Objectives

iDEA combines pre-seed grants (up to BDT 10 lakh per startup), SME grants (BDT 50,000 per entrepreneur), incubation events and equity co-investment to build a national startup funding pipeline.

Activities

The programme has run incubation and grant-selection events beyond the capital, including in Mymensingh, Comilla and Barishal, where a March 2022 cohort drew 80 participants from 40 startups, and in 2021 it channelled Tk 430 million (about $5 million) into Startup Bangladesh Limited, the country's first government-backed venture-capital fund, for seed-stage co-investment.

Results

By its own account, iDEA has selected more than 400 startups for funding since inception, of which over 90 have reached growth stage; by April 2025, its SME grant window had disbursed BDT 11.645 crore (about $970,000) to 2,329 individual entrepreneurs, and its co-working facilities had served 357 individuals across 134 startups.

Conclusions

Employment and investment claims beyond these disbursement figures -- including the project's stated 7,000 direct and 100,000 indirect jobs, and over BDT 3,000 crore in foreign investment attracted by its portfolio -- are self-reported by the ICT Division and have not been independently audited in the sources reviewed here, so they are treated as directional rather than verified.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Medium (€50k–€500k) — Includes Tk 430 million seeded into Startup Bangladesh Ltd (2021) and BDT 11.645 crore in SME grants disbursed to 2,329 entrepreneurs by April 2025.
Time to results
Long (> 3 years) — Running continuously since 2016, with divisional expansion events and disbursement milestones tracked through April 2025.
Staffing & skills
Operated by the Bangladesh Computer Council under the ICT Division

Conditions for success

  • Combining pre-seed grants, SME grants, incubation events and equity co-investment in one pipeline
  • Expanding events beyond Dhaka to divisional cities (Mymensingh, Comilla, Barishal)
  • Seeding a dedicated government venture-capital vehicle (Startup Bangladesh Ltd) for follow-on investment

Common failure modes

  • Broader employment (7,000 direct/100,000 indirect jobs) and FDI claims are self-reported by the ICT Division and have not been independently audited

Where it fits

Governance type
national government (ICT Division)
Scale
national, with divisional-level expansion
Income level
lower-middle-income

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes

Indicative funding routes for practices of this type — always check each programme's current calls and eligibility rules.

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

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