DHAKA, July 31, 2023 (BSS) - State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak has said 'Bangladesh Startup Summit' will be held every year from now with the consent of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

He made the remarks at the closing ceremony of the very first two-day Startup Summit of the country, held at the Grand Ballroom of Intercontinental Hotel of the capital on Sunday night, said a press 0release.

"Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has promoted the startups by inaugurating three important initiatives, which are- 'Bangladesh-India Startup Bridge', 'Fund of Funds', and 'Smart Bangladesh Accelerator' at the inaugural ceremony. As the government is focusing on building the pool of talent, the summit will be held regularly from now on" the ICT minister said in his speech.

"Our youth are doing very well with their innovative ideas. We hope that startups will be the backbone of the country's smart economy and smart Bangladesh in the near future," Palak added.

Salman F Rahman, Private Industry and Investment Adviser to the Prime Minister was present as the chief guest at the closing ceremony.

In his speech, Rahman said that, "Startups are not listed on the capital market. However, they are not barred from repatriating the income earned from investment in listed companies by ensuring the facility of receiving foreign investment."

He expressed hope that Bangladeshi corporate institute owners and foreigners will also invest in the Fund of Funds and urged the ICT department to take initiative, the release said.

ICT Secretary Md Samsul Arefin, Managing Director of Startup Bangladesh Limited Sami Ahmed, Resident Representative of UNDP Bangladesh Van Guen also spoke at the event, among others.

The two-day 'Bangladesh Startup Summit-2023' began on July 29.

 Over 72 investors and around 3,000 entrepreneurs from the country, 100 global venture capital investors, 100 international-level speakers, and 600 startups attended the summit this year.