Bangladesh Startup Investment

What Bangladesh Startup Investment does

Bangladesh Startup Investment Company PLC (BSIC) is a Dhaka-headquartered, bank-backed national venture capital platform established under a Bangladesh Bank mandate that channels up to 1% of commercial banks' annual net profits into startup financing. The company launched its inaugural fund vehicle, ONKUR — Bangladesh Fund I, on 12 May 2026 with approximately USD 35 million in paid-up capital from 39 commercial banks, Tk 4.25 billion in initial paid-up capital, Tk 20 billion in authorized capital, and a separate Tk 500 Crore (~USD 42 million) non-dilutive working-capital facility for portfolio companies. BSIC operates as a permanent institutional vehicle rather than a time-limited programme, governed by a Board Charter, an independent Investment Committee, and compliance frameworks aligned with Bangladesh Bank directives and the Companies Act.

BSIC deploys capital into Bangladesh-based companies at late-seed through Series B stages across seven focus verticals: fintech, healthtech, edtech, agritech, climate, SaaS/AI, and RMG infrastructure. Its core go-to-market is a structured five-stage co-investment model in which a founder first secures a credible global institutional VC lead, BSIC commits matching capital alongside the lead, joint diligence is conducted on the ground, local families, corporates, and family offices join to syndicate the round, and the round closes at global standards. The model is explicitly designed to mirror Singapore's Temasek and GIC approach of co-investing alongside tier-one firms to build a domestic capital base capable of leading rounds on its own over time.

Beyond capital deployment, BSIC builds ecosystem infrastructure through partnerships with the ICT Division, iDEA, and Startup Bangladesh; structured university accelerator programmes in Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet, and Rajshahi; diaspora engagement across London, New York, Silicon Valley, Toronto, and Dubai; and collaborations with existing accelerators and incubators across MENA, Southeast Asia, and Silicon Valley. The firm is professionally managed with full fiduciary accountability to its 39 shareholder banks and is currently building its founding team to operationalize ONKUR Fund I.

Name

Bangladesh Startup Investment

Legal name

Bangladesh Startup Investment Company PLC

Website

https://bsic.vc

Company type

Private

Founded year

2026

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bangladesh Startup Investment Company (BSIC) PLC is a Dhaka-headquartered, bank-backed national venture capital platform that deploys institutional capital alongside global VC leads into Bangladesh's late-seed to Series B startups across fintech, healthtech, edtech, agritech, climate, SaaS/AI, and RMG infrastructure sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital

NAICS

Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)

SIC

Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159)

akta.pro primary industry

SBIC Venture Debt Funds (FSANAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

National Development Banks & State Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) (BPADACAC)

Keywords

• Venture capital funding
• Startup investment platform
• Co-investment partnerships
• Equity capital deployment
• Institutional venture investing

Headquarters

HQ city

Dhaka

HQ country

Bangladesh

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns and Management Fees: BSIC generates returns through equity investments in startups, realizing returns upon exits via strategic M&A, secondaries, or IPO pathways. The fund is capitalized by 39 commercial banks contributing up to 1% of annual net profits, creating a renewable capital pool. The firm operates with an independent Investment Committee and full fiduciary accountability.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

BSIC operates a bank-backed national venture capital platform that deploys institutional equity capital into Bangladesh startups at late-seed to Series B stages. Its inaugural vehicle, ONKUR — Bangladesh Fund I (USD 35M), is capitalised by 39 commercial banks and invested as co-investment capital alongside global VC leads across fintech, healthtech, edtech, agritech, climate, SaaS/AI, logistics, and RMG infrastructure. The firm also supports portfolio companies with a Tk 500 Cr non-dilutive working-capital facility and operates an independent Investment Committee with full fiduciary accountability.

Product overview

Bangladesh Startup Investment Company PLC (BSIC) is a bank-backed national venture investment platform operating primarily through its inaugural fund vehicle, ONKUR Bangladesh Fund I. ONKUR is a USD 35M institutional venture capital fund backed by 39 commercial banks that co-invests alongside global VCs in late-seed and Series A startups across Bangladesh's high-growth sectors including fintech, agritech, edtech, healthtech, logistics, SaaS/AI, and RMG infrastructure. The platform also provides a Tk 500 Cr non-dilutive working-capital facility to support portfolio companies' operational needs. BSIC operates with an independent Investment Committee and full fiduciary accountability, structured to compound over decades as a permanent institutional vehicle for Bangladesh's founders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ONKUR — Bangladesh Fund I BSIC's inaugural USD 35 million institutional venture capital fund that co-invests alongside global VC leads in Bangladesh startups at late-seed through Series B stages across fintech, healthtech, edtech, agritech, climate, SaaS/AI, logistics, and RMG infrastructure sectors. Capital is sourced from 39 commercial banks contributing up to 1% of annual net profits, with initial paid-up capital of approximately Tk 4.25 billion and authorised capital of Tk 20 billion.
• Tk 500 Cr Working Capital Facility A non-dilutive working-capital facility of Tk 500 Crore (approximately USD 42M) provided to BSIC's portfolio companies to support operational scaling without further dilution of founder equity, structured as a complement to BSIC's equity investments.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40x economic multiplier on fund deployment — above standard EM-VC benchmarks
• +5 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ICT Division, BangladeshcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Government body collaborating with BSIC for program alignment with national innovation policy. BSIC works with ICT Division to align ecosystem work with government initiatives.
• iDEA, BangladeshcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Government innovation initiative collaborating with BSIC for program alignment with national innovation policy. iDEA is part of Bangladesh's startup ecosystem development efforts.
• Startup BangladeshcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026National startup initiative collaborating with BSIC for program alignment with national innovation policy. BSIC works with Startup Bangladesh to access government-backed pipelines and align ecosystem activities.
• Bangladeshi University Entrepreneurship ProgrammescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Partnerships with leading Bangladeshi universities to launch structured accelerators identifying, training, and fast-tracking student and faculty-led ventures into investable startups. Universities in Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet, and Rajshahi.
• Bangladeshi Accelerators and IncubatorscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Collaborations with existing accelerators, incubators, and ecosystem organisations across Bangladesh to co-develop programming, source deal flow, and strengthen the early-stage pipeline. International partnerships across MENA, Southeast Asia, London, and Silicon Valley.
• Bangladeshi Diaspora ProfessionalsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Global Bangladeshi diaspora across London, New York, Silicon Valley, Toronto, and Dubai — professionals, founders, and investors whose networks and capital can support the ecosystem. Engaged as mentors, operators, co-investors, and connectors.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Broad incumbents

• Temasek Holdings: Singapore sovereign investor explicitly referenced by BSIC as the co-investment model. Temasek anchors and matches alongside tier-one global firms to compound domestic institutional capital — directly analogous to BSIC's mandate.
• GIC: Singapore sovereign wealth fund cited by BSIC as part of the co-investment playbook. GIC deploys long-duration institutional capital into venture alongside global leads, mirroring BSIC's structural approach for Bangladesh.
• British Business Bank: UK government-backed economic development bank that co-invests alongside private VC into domestic startups. Its mandate to mobilize bank-and-government capital into venture makes it a strong institutional analog to BSIC.
• BPI France: French public investment bank that funds and co-invests in startups alongside private VCs. Its mandate to channel institutional capital into domestic innovation is structurally similar to BSIC's bank-mandated model.

Direct peers

• International Finance Corporation (IFC): World Bank Group's private-sector arm that blends development mandate with institutional venture and growth investing across frontier markets. IFC's blended-finance model and emerging-market focus closely parallel BSIC's bank-mandated, inclusion-oriented mandate.
• SIDBI Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS): India's government-backed fund-of-funds operated by SIDBI that channels institutional and banking-sector capital into domestic VC funds. The structure — a quasi-DFI anchoring private VC capital — is the closest operating analog to BSIC in South Asia.
• LeapFrog Investments: Emerging-markets private equity and venture firm investing in financial services and adjacent inclusion-driven sectors. LeapFrog's EM focus, blended-return orientation, and DFID/development-finance backing make it a strong operating peer for BSIC.
• Acumen: Impact-focused venture investor operating across South Asia, East Africa, and other emerging markets. Acumen's patient-capital model in agritech, healthtech, and financial services overlaps directly with BSIC's stated verticals.

Regional players

• Vertex Ventures: Southeast Asian VC platform with multi-stage and sector funds across the region. Operates a comparable late-seed to growth-stage co-investment platform in EM, providing regional VC benchmark for BSIC's Bangladesh strategy.

Emerging players

• 500 Global: Emerging-markets-focused venture firm with accelerator programmes and seed-to-Series A funds across South and Southeast Asia. Its emerging-market mandate and accelerator-driven deal flow parallel BSIC's university-pipeline strategy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/bsicvc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bsicvc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bangladesh Startup Investment