American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB) provides extensive assistance in the local community to support the start-up of financially and socially sustainable businesses. This support is delivered through a structured ecosystem that includes formal education, dedicated resources, mentorship programmes, training workshops, and "access to university facilities". The cornerstones of this ecosystem are the university's Dr. Anwarul Abedin Institute of Innovation (D2A2I) and its Business Incubation Center (BIC), which are mandated to provide expert mentorship, skill development, and collaborative workspaces to guide entrepreneurs from ideation to launch. AIUB operationalizes this support by acting as a central hub for the local tech and business start-up community. In 2024, the university provided "access to its facilities" by hosting major industry-led ideation events like the Cisco IoT Hackathon, the NASA Space Apps Challenge, and AWS Community Day. These events bring local innovators together with global industry leaders for mentorship and training. This external-facing role is complemented by a robust internal pipeline of education and training, including seminars on entrepreneurship, business plan exhibitions, and specialized workshops on essential start-up skills like product management, digital marketing, and AI.
Relevant Events and Initiatives:
AIUB Hosts the Cisco IoT Hackathon 2024
On November 2, 2024, AIUB hosted the "Cisco IoT Hackathon 2024," bringing together 125 programming teams from across the country. By providing "access to university facilities" for this major event, AIUB provides critical assistance to local start-up teams. This hackathon acts as an intensive training workshop and ideation platform, where innovators can develop and present solutions to a panel of judges. The winning project, "Smart Farm Management System Using IoT," is a prime example of a socially sustainable business idea. This event provided direct mentorship from industry experts and offered seed funding in the form of prize money, directly supporting SDG 1 (No Poverty) and fostering innovation for SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) and SDG 2 (Zero Hunger).
#AIUB #Cisco #IoTHackathon #Startup #Innovation #SDG9 #SDG1 #SDG2 #TechForGood #SmartFarming
Link: https://www.aiub.edu/aiub-hosts-the-cisco-iot-hackathon-2024
NASA Space Apps Challenge 2024 Successfully Held at AIUB
AIUB served as the title sponsor and host for the NASA Space Apps Challenge 2024, a 36-hour hackathon held on October 4-5, 2024. This is a prime example of AIUB providing assistance to the local start-up and innovator community by offering its resources and "access to university facilities." The event brought together over 3,000 participants from nine cities to address real-world challenges using open data. This programme fosters the creation of new, innovative solutions and potential start-ups. By sponsoring and organizing this prestigious international event with BASIS, AIUB provides a platform for mentorship and networking, encouraging the development of financially and socially sustainable businesses and technology-driven solutions. This directly supports SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 4 (Quality Education), and the poverty-reduction goals of SDG 1.
#AIUB #NASASpaceApps #BASIS #Innovation #SDG9 #SDG4 #SDG1 #Startup #Tech #Community #NoPoverty
Link: https://www.aiub.edu/nasa-space-apps-challenge-bangladesh-2024-successfully-held-at-aiub
AWS User Group Bangladesh hosted the 4th edition of “AWS Community Day Bangladesh” at AIUB
On May 18, 2024, AIUB hosted the "AWS Community Day Bangladesh 2024," bringing together over 300 cloud professionals and enthusiasts. By providing its venue and resources ("access to university facilities"), AIUB provided significant assistance to the local start-up and tech community. The event featured 19 speakers, a keynote from AWS, and a panel discussion on AI with CEOs from leading tech companies (Brain Station 23, Selise). This programme offered high-level training, mentorship, and networking, which are crucial for start-up success. It also included a career fest, linking skilled individuals to tech companies. This initiative supports the tech ecosystem, fostering innovation (SDG 9) and creating high-value job opportunities (SDG 8), which are key to reducing poverty (SDG 1).
#AIUB #AWSCommunity #CloudComputing #Tech #StartupSupport #SDG9 #SDG8 #SDG1 #Innovation #Networking
Workshop on Digital Marketing
On June 26, 2024, AIUB's Department of Marketing and THM organized a "Workshop on Digital Marketing". This training workshop provides direct assistance to local start-ups and entrepreneurs by teaching them essential, low-cost skills for business growth. The workshop covered "facebook marketing, social media marketing tools, search engine optimization, and freelancing related tools." For a start-up with a limited budget, these skills are critical for reaching customers and building a financially sustainable business. This education empowers entrepreneurs in the local community to compete in the digital marketplace. This initiative directly supports SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), providing the tools for self-employment and business creation, which helps to reduce poverty (SDG 1).
#AIUB #DigitalMarketing #Skills #Startup #SDG1 #SDG4 #SDG8 #NoPoverty #BusinessDevelopment #Entreprneurship
Link: https://www.aiub.edu/workshop-on-digital-marketing
