Dhaka startups Not all hype

There has been substantial media coverage of late to do with the emerging technology startup scene and digital media in Dhaka. Members of this community have shown a great deal of enthusiasm for activities ranging from networking events, training sessions, and pitch contests all the way to the production of a full-length documentary aiming to capture the energy and progress being made.

There has been substantial media coverage of late to do with the emerging technology startup scene in Dhaka. Members of this community have shown a great deal of enthusiasm for activities ranging from networking events and pitch contests all the way to the production of a full-length documentary (aptly named Startup Dhaka - www.startupdhaka.com) aiming to capture the energy and progress being made.

What is causing so many young individuals to get together, follow their entrepreneurial instincts and start technology companies? The answer is quite straightforward: there are many large-scale problems that exist in Bangladesh and technology is the key enabler in solving them. Simply put, the Internet is the driving force behind the startup movement. This generation of entrepreneurs “gets” the Internet, they have sufficient expertise (often developed overseas), and they have figured out how to progress from idea to execution with relatively minimal barriers using the Internet as a platform. Social media is also a key enabler in getting these new companies recognition and instant popularity amongst their target audiences. As the number of legitimate startups grows, funding from both local and overseas investors, both private and institutional, has begun trickling in.

Of course, with all of this comes a lot of hype - half-baked ideas, poor execution, copycats etc. - but that is not all it is. This four-part article series will discuss why the emerging startup culture in Dhaka City is the real deal. We start today with a closer look at local, Bangla content, and in future editions we will cover the impact of online services on Bangladeshi consumers, how platforms are driving the ecosystem, and funding success stories.

The next wave of Bangla content
It might surprise many that the global population of Bengali speakers is the 7th highest in the world (Ethnologue 17th edition, 2013). Because of this, the demand for Bangla language content online is very high. Driven by the rapid acceleration of internet penetration in Bangladesh, this number will only continue to grow, especially as smartphones become more prevalent and as Wi-Fi internet connections become cheaper and faster.
The supply of high quality Bangla language content, while growing fast, does not yet meet the demand. Bangla is 41st in the world in terms of volume of content online (W3Techs). In fact, it is more widespread than content in Hindi, Tamil, or Urdu! The bulk of this Bangla language content is being developed right here in Bangladesh and many startups are rising to meet the demand.
At G&R, we have a great deal of insight into this space because we partner exclusively with local publishers, which range from leading media entities to niche community blogs. The growth in local content is clearly evident when looking at the size of our publisher network, which has grown to over 1,200 sites in under 2 years, 54% of which are in Bangla. Our evaluation of online consumer behavior gives a compelling argument for the popularity of Bangla content. For one thing, Bangla content is 90% more visited than English, with the most popular content categories being news, jobs and music.
Many startups got their start developing localized content. Somewherein Blog, for example, was a Bangla content pioneer, enabling hundreds of bloggers to write in Bangla script. Priyo.com published early content on entertainment, while others like Maya.com.bd focused on a highly targeted audience, covering topics pertinent to local women.
Android Kothon (www.androidkothon.com) is a good example of a local content creator looking to meet the consumer interest in technology. They target the ever-growing audience of Android-based smartphone and tablet users.
BD Word (www.bdword.com) is another local publisher looking to provide a translation service for academics. By providing a unique, differentiated service, they have seen their popularity grow tremendously in the last 12 months, largely driven by traffic from search engines.
Both of these startups represent the new wave of publishers emerging in Bangladesh, delivering high quality content to a captive audience. They respond quickly to their users' needs, continuously work to optimize their websites and are always on the lookout for ways to attract new audiences. Often running on bootstrapped funds and with scrappy business models, they face many challenges. These however, will not stop Bangla language publishers from growing. One day soon, the web in Bangladesh could be powered primarily by local content creators.

The author is the Head of Operations at G&R Ad Network