Fe/male Switch: Your Startup Facilitator & Incubator for Women

Dhaka Startups to Watch in 2027: 14 Verified Companies in Mobility, Fintech, Edtech, Health, Logistics and Agritech, Where Founders Get Support and What Happened to the Old List

Dhaka Startups to Watch in 2027: Verified Companies in Mobility, Fintech, Edtech, Health, Logistics and Agritech

Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the base of almost every well-known Bangladeshi tech company. Its startups solve everyday problems in a dense, mobile-first city: getting through traffic, paying without a bank account, studying for exams, finding a doctor, moving goods and selling to small shops. The 2026 version of this article listed ten names with claims about what they would do "by 2026". For this 2027 edition we checked every company on its own website, or on its official app listing when the website blocked us, on 3 November 2026: that it still operates, that it has a Dhaka address, what it sells and what figures it publishes itself. Eight of the old names passed, two could not be confirmed, and we added six more Dhaka companies with verified facts. What happened to the old list is near the end.
Quick answer: the Dhaka startups to watch in 2027 are Pathao (super app), bKash (mobile money), Shikho (edtech), Shohoz (ticketing), Praava Health (family health), Paperfly (e-commerce delivery), Sheba.xyz (home services), Truck Lagbe (truck booking), ShopUp (B2B commerce), Jatri (travel commerce), iFarmer (agri-finance), Arogga (online pharmacy), Moner Bondhu (mental health) and Ostad (tech skills). For support, start with iDEA, the ICT Division's startup project, and Startup Bangladesh Limited, the government-sponsored venture capital fund.
Are you getting customers from ChatGPT yet?

More and more traffic is coming from Perplexity, ChatGPT, Grok and other AI tools.

👉 Rank on ChatGPT

Why Dhaka Matters for Founders in 2027

Dhaka gives founders a huge home market in one city, a young, mobile-first population and problems big enough to build a company around. Many of the companies below started with one service in Dhaka and then added more: Pathao went from bike rides to food, parcels and payments, Shohoz from bus tickets to train, air and launch tickets, and ShopUp from a seller tool to B2B commerce, logistics and financing. The government's iDEA project says it has funded more than 450 startups, and several companies on this list, such as Truck Lagbe and Moner Bondhu, appear among its funded startups.
For other Asian cities, compare our lists for Bangkok, Nashik, Kabul and Ulaanbaatar.

Dhaka Startups to Watch in 2027 Compared

CompanyWhat it doesDhaka baseScale it publishes
PathaoSuper app for bike and car rides, food, parcels, courier, shopping and paymentsBanani15 million+ app downloads, 350 million+ trips and orders
bKashMobile financial services appDhaka 1206 (app listing)100 million+ Android downloads
ShikhoDigital learning for school and admission examsRangs Paramount, Dhaka 12133 million+ learners
ShohozBus, train, air, launch, event and park ticketsShohoj Limited, Dhaka250 million+ tickets, 10 million+ users
Praava HealthFamily doctors, diagnostics, pharmacy and patient appFlagship hub in BananiNot published
PaperflyDoorstep delivery, cash on delivery and warehousing for online sellersMohakhali (app listing)Delivers to 4,554 unions
Sheba.xyzApp and site to book home servicesMohakhali DOHSNot published
Truck LagbeApp to book trucks, with bids from truck ownersNew DOHS Mohakhali80,000+ registered trucks, 700,000+ trips
ShopUpB2B commerce (Mokam) and last-mile logistics (REDX)TejgaonServes 31 million people via small shops
JatriBus, launch and car rental booking, B2B travel commerceMohakhali2 million+ users
iFarmerFinancing, inputs and market access for farmersGulshan-2320,000+ registered farmers
AroggaOnline pharmacy and health productsMirpurDelivers to all 64 districts
Moner BondhuOnline and in-person mental health counsellingLalmatiaNot published
OstadLive online courses in tech and business skillsGulshan-210,000+ graduates
Sources: each company's official website, about or contact page, or its official Google Play listing where the website blocked our check, checked 3 November 2026.

The Dhaka Startups to Watch in 2027

1. Pathao: from bike rides to a super app

Pathao started with motorbike rides through Dhaka traffic and now calls itself the country's number one super app: bike and car rides, food delivery, courier and parcel services, car rentals, Pathao Shop and the Pathao Pay wallet. Its about page says it was founded in 2015, and its contact page gives its office in Banani, Dhaka. Its homepage reports more than 15 million app downloads, more than 350 million trips and orders served and more than 10 million lives impacted, and its site also has a region setting for Nepal.
Lesson for founders: Pathao used one frequent, painful need, beating traffic, to win daily users, then sold them more services in the same app. A high-frequency first product makes every later product cheaper to launch.
Best for: founders in mobility, delivery and consumer apps.

2. bKash: mobile money for millions

bKash runs a mobile money app: its users add money from a bank account or card, send money, recharge mobile balance, pay in stores by QR code and pay utility bills, and can register an account in the app with their National ID. Its website blocked our automated check, so we used its official Google Play listing. There the app is published by bKash Limited with an address in Dhaka 1206, shows more than 100 million downloads, ranks as the number one free finance app in Bangladesh and was last updated on 30 October 2026. bKash is no longer a young startup; we keep it on the list because other Dhaka companies build on it: Paperfly, for example, lets customers pay with bKash at the door.
Lesson for founders: bKash solved access to money for people that banks did not reach. When you remove a basic barrier, you become infrastructure that other startups build on.
Best for: founders in fintech, payments and financial inclusion.

3. Shikho: exam preparation on the phone

Shikho is an edtech company that helps school students prepare for classes, board exams and university admission tests with live and recorded classes, animated video lessons, practice tests, notes and report cards, in Bangla. Its about page says it was founded in 2019, is led by founder and CEO Shahir Chowdhury, and is run by Shikho Technologies Bangladesh Ltd from Rangs Paramount in Dhaka 1213. Its homepage reports more than 3 million learners (30 lakh+), more than 4.5 million app downloads (45 lakh+) and more than 500,000 learning materials.
Lesson for founders: Shikho built for the national curriculum and the exams every family worries about, in the students' own language. Local content for a high-stakes moment is a strong reason to pay.
Best for: founders in edtech and local-language content.
Boost Your SEO by Getting Featured in Our Blogs and get a backlink.

We publish content about startups, education, tech, funding, etc. that ranks well not only in Google but also in Perplexity, ChatGPT, Grok and other AI tools.

👉 Get featured now!

4. Shohoz: the ticketing platform founded by a woman

Shohoz, which means "easy" in Bangla, sells bus, train, air, launch (river ferry), event and park tickets online and through its app. Its about page says it started in 2014 and names Maliha M. Quadir as its founder; the service is owned and operated by Shohoj Limited, and its privacy policy places it under Dhaka jurisdiction. Its homepage reports more than 250 million tickets, more than 10 million users, more than 3,000 routes and more than 1,000 partners. The site no longer offers the ride-hailing service mentioned in older articles; it focuses on tickets.
Lesson for founders: Shohoz tried other services but kept the one where it was strongest. Cutting a product line can be as important as adding one.
Best for: founders in travel tech and marketplaces, and women founders looking for local role models.

5. Praava Health: family doctors and diagnostics in one place

Praava Health describes itself as a one-stop shop for health, with family doctors, diagnostics and more. Its site invites patients to tour its flagship facility in Banani, Dhaka, sells medicines and vaccines through an online pharmacy that delivers across Dhaka, and offers the Praava Patient App for appointments, lab tests, reports, prescriptions and invoices. It does not publish patient numbers or funding on its homepage, so we cite none.
Lesson for founders: Praava combined physical clinics with an app instead of choosing one. In health care, trust is built in person, and the app keeps the patient coming back.
Best for: founders in health tech and clinic chains.

6. Paperfly: delivery for online sellers

Paperfly delivers parcels for e-commerce merchants, with doorstep pick-up, cash on delivery, warehousing and fulfilment. Its homepage says it reaches the doorsteps of 4,554 unions in Bangladesh, promises next-day delivery inside Dhaka and 24 to 72 hours elsewhere, and pays merchants within 24 hours of delivery. Its published rate starts at Tk 70 for a parcel of up to 1 kg in the same city, VAT included. Its merchant app on Google Play is published by Paperfly Private Limited with an address in Mohakhali, Dhaka.
Lesson for founders: Paperfly publishes its prices and payout times on the homepage. For small sellers, clear terms and fast cash matter as much as speed of delivery.
Best for: founders in logistics and e-commerce services.
Boost Your SEO by Publishing Your Startup Press Release with us.

We publish content about startups, education, tech, funding, etc. that ranks well not only in Google but also in Perplexity, ChatGPT, Grok and other AI tools.

👉 Publish Press Release

7. Sheba.xyz: home services on demand

Sheba.xyz calls itself a one-stop solution for services: customers order household and professional services through one site and app, and it runs related products such as sManager and sBusiness. Its footer gives Sheba Platform Limited, with a corporate address in Mohakhali DOHS, Dhaka 1206, a Dhaka North City Corporation trade licence and a copyright line for 2026. It does not publish user numbers.
Lesson for founders: Sheba.xyz turned a fragmented, word-of-mouth market into one booking point. Where trust is low, a platform that vets providers can win.
Best for: founders in marketplaces and home services.

8. Truck Lagbe: book a truck like a ride

Truck Lagbe ("need a truck") is an app for booking trucks: shippers post a trip and verified truck owners bid within 30 minutes, and the company also offers house shifting and corporate logistics. Its about page says it started in 2017 with just 25 trucks and now has more than 80,000 registered trucks, 1.8 million app downloads and more than 700,000 completed trips, trusted by more than 11,000 businesses. Its contact page gives an office in New DOHS Mohakhali, Dhaka 1206, and its co-founder and CEO, Anayet Rashid, credits early funding and validation from the government's iDEA project.
Lesson for founders: Truck Lagbe started tiny, with 25 trucks, and grew both sides of its marketplace step by step. Early public grants can carry a startup to its first proof.
Best for: founders in logistics, B2B marketplaces and transport.

9. ShopUp: supplying the neighbourhood shop

ShopUp connects mills and manufacturers with small neighbourhood shops through Mokam, its B2B commerce platform, and moves goods through REDX, its last-mile logistics network. Its site says it serves 31 million people through this network of shops. Its about page says that in April 2025 ShopUp merged with Sary, a B2B marketplace from the Gulf, to form SILQ Group, backed by a $110 million funding round led by Sanabil Investments and Valar Ventures, after a $108 million Series B in 2021. Its Dhaka office is in the Tejgaon industrial area, and founder Afeef Zaman is now Group CEO of SILQ.
Lesson for founders: ShopUp served the millions of small shops that big retailers ignore. Serving many small customers well can build a bigger business than serving a few large ones.
Best for: founders in B2B commerce, supply chain and embedded finance.

10. Jatri: from bus tickets to travel commerce

Jatri sells bus and launch tickets and car rental in Bangladesh and describes itself as a global B2B travel commerce platform for transport operators and travel buyers. Its about page says it was founded in 2019, expanded into the Middle East in 2023 and 2024, and serves more than 2 million users; outside Bangladesh it operates as Saafir. A banner on its homepage says it was named to the Forbes Asia 100 to Watch 2026 list, and its office is in Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212.
Lesson for founders: Jatri first built software for bus operators, then sold tickets to riders. Serving the supply side first can give you the inventory competitors lack.
Best for: founders in travel tech and B2B software.

11. iFarmer: finance and markets for small farmers

iFarmer connects farmers, agri-retailers and buyers through finance, technology and data: collateral-free farm financing, farm inputs and advice, and sales of farm produce. Its about page says it was founded in 2018, and its homepage reports more than 320,000 registered farmers, more than 60,000 retailers, more than BDT 13.8 billion in finance facilitated and more than 280,000 tonnes of produce sold. It lists an office in Singapore and its Bangladesh office in Gulshan-2, Dhaka.
Lesson for founders: iFarmer bundled credit with inputs, advice and buyers, so lending risk falls as yields rise. In agriculture, finance works best when it comes with the tools to repay.
Best for: founders in agritech, climate and rural fintech.

12. Arogga: an online pharmacy

Arogga sells medicines, beauty and health products online, takes orders by prescription upload and also offers lab tests and doctor services. Its site promises same-day delivery inside Dhaka for orders placed before 3 PM and delivery to all 64 districts of Bangladesh, and gives its address in Mirpur, Dhaka-1216.
Lesson for founders: Arogga turned a weekly errand into a repeat online order. Products people buy every month are a solid base for a delivery business.
Best for: founders in health commerce and pharmacy.

13. Moner Bondhu: affordable mental health support

Moner Bondhu ("friend of your mind") offers online and in-person counselling with counsellors and psychiatrists, short courses, mental health tests and well-being programmes for companies, including the garment industry. Its site gives its address in Lalmatia, Dhaka, and it appears among the startups funded by the government's iDEA project. It does not publish user numbers.
Lesson for founders: Moner Bondhu sells to individuals and to employers. In a sensitive category, a B2B channel can reach people who would never search for help alone.
Best for: founders in mental health, HR tech and well-being.

14. Ostad: live courses for job skills

Ostad runs live online courses in Bangla in AI, web and app development, product management and design, business and marketing, data engineering and cyber security, and has added pre-recorded courses. Its homepage says more than 10,000 graduates work at local and international companies, and it gives its address in Gulshan-2, Dhaka-1212.
Lesson for founders: Ostad sells outcomes, jobs and skills, not certificates. Live classes with a start date create the urgency that self-paced courses lack.
Best for: founders in edtech for adults and the future of work.

Where Dhaka Startups Get Support

  • iDEA (Innovation Design and Entrepreneurship Academy): the ICT Division's startup project offers a pre-seed startup grant, a grant for ICT-based SMEs, free co-working space, the iDEA Lab, mentoring, training and networking. It says it has funded more than 450 startups, among them Truck Lagbe, Moner Bondhu and Markopolo AI, whose founder and CEO is Tasfia Tasbin.
  • Startup Bangladesh Limited: describes itself as the first and only flagship venture capital fund of the ICT Division, sponsored by the government of Bangladesh. Check its site for current calls before you apply.
  • BASIS: the Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services is the trade body for software and IT companies, with membership, events and a showcase that promotes local SaaS products to small businesses.
  • Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority: the government authority that develops and runs the country's hi-tech parks, where tech companies can rent space.

Dhaka Companies From the Old List That Changed or Could Not Be Verified

The 2026 version of this article listed ten names. Here is what we found when we checked each one on 3 November 2026:
  • Kept: Pathao, bKash, Shikho, Shohoz, Praava Health, Paperfly, Sheba.xyz and Truck Lagbe still operate from Dhaka.
  • Chaldal: the online grocery's website answered with a server error on two checks. Its Google Play app was last updated on 4 February 2026 and is published by Chaldal, Inc. with an address in San Francisco, so we could not confirm it from a Dhaka source and left it out for now.
  • 10 Minute School: the edtech platform's website showed a bot check, and its Google Play app is published by a company registered in Singapore, so we could not confirm a Dhaka address on an official page. The app was still updated in October 2026.
We also removed the old article's predictions about what each company would do "by 2026" and its unsourced claims about AI features.

Which Dhaka Startup Should You Learn From?

  • You build a consumer app: study Pathao for growing from one high-frequency service into a super app, and Shohoz for focusing on the service that works best.
  • You build fintech: study bKash for reaching people banks ignored, and iFarmer for bundling credit with the tools to repay it.
  • You build edtech: study Shikho for exam-focused content in Bangla and Ostad for live, outcome-focused courses for adults.
  • You build health tech: study Praava Health for mixing clinics with an app, Arogga for repeat pharmacy orders and Moner Bondhu for reaching people through employers.
  • You build logistics or B2B: study Truck Lagbe for growing a marketplace from 25 trucks, Paperfly for clear prices and fast payouts, ShopUp for serving small shops and Jatri for starting with operators.
  • You are just starting: apply to iDEA's pre-seed startup grant and use its free co-working space in Dhaka.
Is your startup on ChatGPT?

More and more traffic is coming from Perplexity, ChatGPT, Grok and other AI tools.

👉 Rank on ChatGPT

How Founders Use Dhaka's Startup Scene

Notice the pattern: most of these companies started with one everyday problem in Dhaka, published their scale on their own site to build trust, and only then added services or moved abroad. Compare programmes in our guides to startup incubators in Asia and edtech accelerators in Asia, and find investors in our list of early-stage VCs in Asia.
For women founders, see grants for women entrepreneurs in Asia, accelerators for female entrepreneurs and grants for female entrepreneurs. Shohoz, founded by Maliha M. Quadir, and Markopolo AI, led by Tasfia Tasbin, show that Dhaka's tech scene has room for women at the top.
Before you copy any of these business models, validate your startup idea with real customers. Buyers and investors research you long before they call, so you need to be easy to find online: list your startup in the F/MS marketing directories, publish your startup press release, and write about your product with the F/MS AI SEO Tool so customers, investors and AI assistants can find you.

FAQ About Dhaka Startups to Watch in 2027

Which Dhaka startups should I watch in 2027?

Our verified list: Pathao, bKash, Shikho, Shohoz, Praava Health, Paperfly, Sheba.xyz, Truck Lagbe, ShopUp, Jatri, iFarmer, Arogga, Moner Bondhu and Ostad. Each still operates and shows a Dhaka base on its own site or official app listing, checked on 3 November 2026.

Which Dhaka startup is the biggest?

By the figures the companies publish, bKash has the most app downloads (more than 100 million on Android), Shohoz reports more than 250 million tickets sold and Pathao more than 350 million trips and orders. ShopUp merged with Sary in April 2025 to form SILQ Group, backed by a $110 million round.

Are there fintech startups in Dhaka?

Yes. bKash runs mobile money for millions, Pathao has its own Pathao Pay wallet, iFarmer finances small farmers, and ShopUp offers financing to small shops alongside B2B commerce.

Are there edtech startups in Dhaka?

Yes. Shikho helps school students prepare for exams and reports more than 3 million learners, and Ostad runs live tech and business courses with more than 10,000 graduates.

Are there health tech startups in Dhaka?

Yes. Praava Health runs a flagship clinic in Banani with an online pharmacy and app, Arogga delivers medicines across all 64 districts, and Moner Bondhu offers online and in-person mental health counselling.

Where can founders in Dhaka get funding and support?

Start with iDEA, the ICT Division's project that offers pre-seed startup grants, SME grants, free co-working and mentoring, and Startup Bangladesh Limited, the government-sponsored venture capital fund. BASIS is the trade body for software companies.

Is Dhaka a good city for female founders?

Women lead some of its best-known companies: Shohoz was founded by Maliha M. Quadir and Markopolo AI is led by founder and CEO Tasfia Tasbin. Combine local support such as iDEA with grants and accelerators for women founders across Asia.

What happened to Chaldal and 10 Minute School?

Both still have active apps, but we could not confirm them from an official Dhaka source on 3 November 2026: Chaldal's website returned a server error and its app is published by a US company, and 10 Minute School's site showed a bot check and its app is published by a Singapore company.

What can founders learn from Dhaka startups?

Start with one frequent, painful problem, publish clear prices and numbers, use public grants for your first proof, and add services only once the first one works.

Where can I get a backlink by writing about my startup?

You can publish a guest post in one of the Fe/male Switch startup blogs, which rank in Google and in AI tools. Get a quality backlink.

About the Author

Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
2026-11-03 01:55 Best Startups