Anayet Rashid (written Enayet Rashid in part of the episode notes) started Truck Lagbe in 2016 after spotting a gap in Bangladesh's trucking sector. The startup's rise began when it won the ICT Division's Startup Challenge in 2017, and at the time of this episode (August 2023) it had raised more than $10 million in funding. The episode uses his story to look at the country's logistics sector.
In this episode Ahmed Fahad talks with Anayet about the problem Truck Lagbe set out to solve, how local intermediaries reacted to it, and what the trucking industry of Bangladesh looks like. They cover the products Truck Lagbe mainly moves and where the company is headed in the coming years. Anayet talks about hiring in the early days, ways to foster an ownership mindset, and the dos and don'ts of building culture. The conversation also gets personal: his other businesses and what he learned from them, growing up in a business family, and being a dad. They close on raising money during the pandemic, getting investment from IFC, his book recommendations and the skills startup founders need.
What the conversation covers
- The problem Truck Lagbe was solving
- How local intermediaries reacted
- The trucking industry of Bangladesh
- What Truck Lagbe primarily moves, and its plans for the coming years
- Early hiring and fostering an ownership mindset
- Dos and don'ts of culture building
- His other businesses, growing up in a business family, and life as a dad
- Funding during the pandemic
- Getting investment from IFC
- Book recommendations and skills for startup founders
The conversation is in Bangla.