Orange Corners launched in Bangladesh
The Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs initiative, Orange Corners (OC), has recently established its Bangladesh hub, following the 8th Social Business Youth Summit.
According to a press release, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency, the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands, YY Ventures, BYLC Ventures, SAJIDA Foundation, and DBL Group co-hosted a hybrid event.
Orange Corners, which has a strong presence in Africa and the Middle East, has now launched in its first Asian country, Bangladesh. The initiative aims to support aspiring Bangladeshi entrepreneurs aged 18-35 by providing them with skills, funding, and resources to start and grow sustainable businesses that contribute to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and address local challenges.
To promote gender equality and reduce unemployment, the program will collaborate with government agencies, the private sector, universities, and knowledge institutes to strengthen the local entrepreneurial ecosystem. The initiative is expected to develop technical and soft skills and enhance access to finance, directly benefitting approximately 1,500 young entrepreneurs and indirectly impacting 16,000 youths in Bangladesh.
YY Ventures, BYLC Ventures, SAJIDA Foundation, and DBL Group will serve as local partners for Orange Corners in Bangladesh. The program will launch its spaces soon in two locations: Impact Hub Dhaka and BYLC Ventures.
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YY Ventures’ Chief Operating Officer, Sadia Hossain, and Mike Sips, Youth Employment and Youth Entrepreneurship Advisor of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency moderated the event. Tahsinah Ahmed, Executive Director of Bangladesh Youth Leadership Center (BYLC); Shazeeb M Khairul Islam, Founder and Managing Director of YY Ventures and Secretary of the Board for Orange Corners Bangladesh; Muhymin Chowdhury, Director of Impact Investments, Partnerships and Communications at SAJIDA Foundation; and Jakaria Chowdhury, Head of Treasury at DBL Group delivered remarks.
Shazeeb M Khairul Islam, the Founder and Managing Director of YY Ventures, and Secretary of the Board for Orange Corners Bangladesh, spoke about the program and expressed his hopes that the 100+ enterprises to be supported through this program will leverage the opportunity to build their capacity through increased access to skills, funding, and resources, improving the lives of at least a million Bangladeshi people in the next 5 years. He also said that together with their partners, they look forward to creating an inclusive and equitable entrepreneurship ecosystem in Bangladesh.
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2006 Nobel Peace Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Dhaka Thijs Woudstra, and André van Ommeren, Member of the Board for International Programmes at the Netherlands Enterprise Agency, were present when the Orange Corners logo was unveiled.
Anne van Leeuwen, Ambassador of the Netherlands in Bangladesh, shared a message about the initiative, saying that entrepreneurship contributes to innovation and reducing unemployment, and the Netherlands is ready to assist young Bangladeshis in their entrepreneurial journey through the Orange Corners program.
