Shahir Chowdhury is the CEO and co-founder of Shikho, an edtech startup in Bangladesh. He completed his higher education in the UK and worked in banking for 12 years, where he was a director at HSBC. In 2020 he left to move to Bangladesh and found Shikho. The episode title says no edtech company in Bangladesh had received $6.5 million in funding before Shikho.
In this episode Ahmed Fahad asks Shahir why he founded Shikho, how he did it and what the early days were like. They talk about growing up in a family of educators, what pulled him back to Bangladesh, the work of hiring talent, early mistakes, and how he and his cofounders set out their terms. Fahad also asks about finding the right investor, Shikho's fundraising journey, acquiring Bohubrihi, and setting up "Shikho Bidyaloy".
What the conversation covers
- Growing up in a family of educators
- What motivated Shahir to come back to Bangladesh
- The hard work of hiring talent, and early mistakes
- Conditions and conversations between cofounders
- Taking calculated risks
- Finding an ideal investor, and Shikho's fundraising journey
- Time management as a CEO
- Shikho's values and work culture, and success stories of learners
- Steps to stop piracy
- Acquiring Bohubrihi, and setting up "Shikho Bidyaloy"
The conversation is in Bangla.