Forbes has named nine young Bangladeshis in 30 under 30 Asia list 2024 for their contributions across various industries. The list included 300 young entrepreneurs, leaders, and innovators under the age of 30 who are driving change and innovation across the Asia-Pacific region.
The honourees represent diverse fields, including arts, technology, media, finance, and more. This year, 9 individuals from Bangladesh have been recognised for their contributions across various industries.
The Bangladeshi honourees are Anusha Alamgir, Mehedi Shoron, Redwan Ahmed, Fahad Ahmed, Sultan Moni and Mumtahina Anika, and Md Shahidul Islam, Abdul Gaffar Sadi, and Md Tushar.
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Anusha Alamgir has been featured in the Arts category. Holding a masters degree in architecture from the Royal College of Art in London, Alamgir was the sole female Bangladeshi exhibitor at the 18th International Architecture Exhibition at the 2023 Venice Biennale. Her film Porda, addressing Muslim veiling practices, gained significant attention.
Alamgirs work spans sculpture, painting, photography, and performance, and she also founded the online thrift store Colors Dhaka.
Mehedi Shoron, co-founder of HelloTask, has been recognized in the Consumer Technology category. HelloTask, the “Uber for maid service” offers hourly bookings, monthly subscriptions, verification of the maids it employs, and safety features to protect them from exploitation or violence.
Hellotask has raised funding from investors as well as grants from the World Bank and Oxfam. The company hopes to expand its force of maids to 100,000 by 2025 and explore international markets.
Redwan Ahmed has been listed in the Media, Marketing and Advertising category.
Redwan Ahmed is an award-winning freelance journalist who goes after the biggest stories in Bangladesh. His coverage of the Rohingya crisis for Agence France-Presse earned him the 22nd Human Rights Press Award and his investigations for the British news outlet The Guardian unveiled the exploitation of Bangladeshi garment factory workers.
Beyond reporting, Redwan cofounded the Bangladeshi Journalists in International Media, dedicated to protecting local journalists. Ahmed was named a fellow in the 2021 Reham Al-Farra Memorial Journalism program.
Fahad Ahmed, co-founder of Wind.App, has been honoured in the Finance & Venture Capital category. Wind.App uses blockchain technology and stablecoins to facilitate faster and cheaper cross-border remittances.
The startup secured $3.8 million in pre-seed funding. Prior to Wind, Ahmed was part of the founding team at Pathao, where he launched various services.
Sultan Moni and Mumtahina Anika, co-founders of Zatiq, have been recognised in the Finance & Venture Capital category. Zatiq provides software and hardware solutions to help small companies manage accounting.
The company also offers tools for small businesses to create e-commerce websites. In August, Zatiq raised $1.6 million in pre-seed funding.
Drutoloan, co-founded by MD Shahidul Islam, Abdul Gaffar Sadi, and MD Tushar, has been featured in the Finance & Venture Capital category.
The Dhaka-based startup assists micro and small businesses in obtaining loans by simplifying paperwork and assessing creditworthiness.
Since its establishment in 2019, Drutoloan has disbursed over $2 million in loans and raised $125,000 in pre-seed funding.
