Our role in OPORAJITA

As a key partner in Oporajita, Build Bangladesh takes a leading role in launching and managing the Needle Innovation Challenge (NIC), a multi-year startup development program focused on the Bangladesh RMG Industry. Through the Needle Innovation Challenge, Build Bangladesh aims to bring impactful scalable solutions that can enhance the competitiveness of the Bangladesh RMG industry and the employability of women garment workers. The Needle Innovation Challenge offers a comprehensive package of customized curricula, coaching, mentoring, pollination grants, and partnership opportunities to budding entrepreneurs. The target is to equip the entrepreneurs to build, launch, and strengthen their innovative solutions that promote sustainability and circular practices within the RMG industry, while safeguarding the livelihood opportunities of its primary workforce - women, who have been the backbone of the industry!

Who are we

Build Bangladesh is the largest and only for-profit accelerator company in Bangladesh. We relentlessly strive to bring positive change through youth engagement, impact entrepreneurship and awareness campaigns. We focus on providing sustainable platforms that boost employability, entrepreneurship, and environmental leadership through ensuring accessible and appropriate skills for youth all over Bangladesh. Since 2017, Build Bangladesh has directly trained 23,854 youths through 9 national and international partnerships and ran 9 startup accelerator programs that supported 110+ innovative ventures across 14 sectors who are working to make a social or environmental change in their communities. Build Bangladesh (its brand ygap Bangladesh) has been awarded the best accelerator/incubation program in SAARC region by the 2020 Global Startup Award.

Why are we a part of Oporajita

Bangladesh Ready-made Garment (RMG) industry has skyrocketed to become the world's second-largest garment exporter and aiming to hit the $100 billion export mark by 2030. Embracing automation, digitization and circular practices are a natural progression for the industry in the days to come. However, the direst challenge is to achieve this transformative change while ensuring future employment opportunities for people working within. We firmly believe that innovation is the key and entrepreneurs/startups, driven by their disruptive spirits are best suited to bring solutions that can enhance the competitiveness of the industry while ensuring future employment opportunities. Our partnership in Oporajita is motivated by our shared belief in the power of innovation. Together, we aim to shape a future where innovation fuels growth while ensuring that no one is left behind.

Activities and Impact

Our activities at a glance

Selection of Challenge Fund Name and Brand Identity: As a first step, the name and the brand identity for the Challenge Fund has been decided, laying the foundation for its public launch. The unanimous choice was 'Needle Innovation Challenge,' symbolizing the humble beginnings of Bangladesh's RMG industry, initiated with a single needle.
Selection of Themes (solution areas/challenge domains): We identified six themes (solution areas/challenge domains) for the Needle Innovation Challenge. These themes are: Material Innovation, Environment and Circular Solutions, Consumer and Retail Models, Better Process and Assistive Technologies, Dyeing and Finishing, Cross Sector and/or CFC-based Business Models.
Website launch: A dedicated website for the Needle Innovation Challenge has been successfully developed and launched. This website serves as a central information hub and a portal for applicants to complete and submit their applications/innovation proposals.
University Campaign: We partnered with 23 university clubs across 7 divisions to conduct university-centric promotional campaigns/activities to find and attract idea-stage innovators. We conducted 20 information sharing sessions with participation from 1,496 students (Male Participants: 965 | Female Participants: 531) to disseminate information on the purpose and benefits of Needle Innovation Challenge while guiding them through the application process.
Call for application for idea-stage innovators: Interested innovators were invited to submit their idea-stage applications to take part in Needle Innovation Challenge using the application portal available on our website. We received 81 applications, with 26 from female-led teams and 55 from male-led teams.
Ideathon: After the application deadline, we organized Ideathons for applicants to refine and restructure their ideas all in preparation for pitch presentation before an esteemed jury board. We held four Ideathons, three in Dhaka and one in Chattogram, attracting 62 teams with 115 participants from 7 divisions.
First residential bootcamp: From 62 teams participated in four ideathon events, the jury board picked 11 teams based on the merit of their ideas, feasibility, scalability and entrepreneurial spirit. These chosen teams attended a 5-day residential bootcamp at Chuti Purbachal Resort, receiving intensive training, mentorship, and the chance to pitch their ideas to industry experts to refine their ideas and build prototypes.
Initiation of the MVP phase: These 11 innovator teams are gearing up to create prototypes of their ideas within the next 2.5 months. The successful innovators will join others with mature solutions in the second residential bootcamp, scheduled for December 2023.