Head of Ecosystem Development

BSIC's investment thesis depends on a thriving ecosystem. This role is about building the conditions under which the best founders in Bangladesh — and beyond — find their way to BSIC.

LocationDhaka, Bangladesh

Reports toManaging Director

TypeFull-time · Senior Leadership

StatusApplications Open

Bangladesh's national, bank-backed venture platform.

Bangladesh Startup Investment Company PLC (BSIC) is the country's national venture investment platform. Its inaugural vehicle — ONKUR, Bangladesh Fund I — is a USD 35 million pool of institutional capital from 39 commercial banks, launched in May 2026 under Bangladesh Bank's mandate to channel 1% of net profits into startup financing.

BSIC operates as a commercially governed investment institution with an independent Investment Committee, deploying alongside global venture capital firms into Bangladesh's most ambitious startups.

Relationship-first. Strategy-backed. Built for pipeline.

This role sits at the intersection of investment, institution-building, and national development. You will build and manage BSIC's network of accelerators, incubators, university programmes, government initiatives, and international partners — creating a structured pipeline of high-quality companies for the fund while raising the quality of Bangladesh's startup ecosystem overall.

Critically, you will also mobilise two largely untapped sources of support: the global Bangladeshi diaspora — whose capital, expertise, and networks remain underconnected to the ecosystem back home — and established local business families who have the wealth and commercial instinct to become meaningful early-stage investors but have never had a credible institutional on-ramp into venture capital.

Every partnership, programme, and relationship in this role has a clear line to BSIC's portfolio. This is not community management. It is ecosystem infrastructure.

Scope of the mandate.

01 — Pipeline Development

Build a structured, repeatable pipeline of early-stage companies into BSIC through partnerships with accelerators, incubators, university programmes, and startup competitions — in Bangladesh and internationally.
Design and manage BSIC's formal referral and scouting network — creating clear pathways for founders into BSIC's investment process and consistent deal flow from ecosystem channels.
Identify and engage pre-investment founders before they are fundraising — building the relationship early, before the deal.

02 — Partnerships & Programmes

Establish formal partnerships with leading accelerators, incubators, and venture studios in Bangladesh — and with international programmes across MENA, Southeast Asia, and global hubs including London and Silicon Valley.
Engage university entrepreneurship cells, faculties, and student founder communities to build BSIC's presence at the earliest stage of the founder journey.
Work with government bodies — ICT Division, iDEA, Startup Bangladesh — to align BSIC's ecosystem work with national innovation policy and access government-backed pipelines.

03 — Portfolio Value Creation

Act as a talent and network bridge for portfolio companies — connecting them to accelerator alumni, university graduates, and ecosystem professionals for hiring, advisory, and commercial needs.
Identify acqui-hire and partnership opportunities within the ecosystem that could benefit portfolio companies — flagging these to the CIO as strategic options.

04 — Global Standards & Ecosystem Elevation

Bring international best practices in startup support and founder development into the Bangladesh ecosystem through partnerships, programming, and direct engagement.
Identify capability gaps in the local ecosystem — mentorship, investor readiness, technical education — and develop targeted initiatives to address them.
Represent BSIC at regional and global forums; contribute to thought leadership that positions Bangladesh's startup ecosystem credibly on the global stage.

05 — Diaspora Engagement

Map and engage the Bangladeshi diaspora across key hubs — London, New York, Silicon Valley, Toronto, Dubai — identifying professionals, founders, and investors whose networks and capital can support the ecosystem back home.
Develop programmes that bring diaspora talent into BSIC's orbit as operators, mentors, co-investors, and connectors.
Build lasting diaspora relationships through targeted events and community partnerships that generate deal flow, co-investment interest, and sustained ecosystem engagement.

06 — Local Capital & Family Offices

Cultivate relationships with Bangladesh's established business families and high-net-worth individuals — positioning BSIC as the credible institutional entry point to venture capital as an asset class.
Design and lead investor education initiatives — roundtables, closed briefings, curated ecosystem tours — that demystify early-stage investing for those who understand business but have limited VC exposure.
Build a pipeline of local angel and family-office co-investors alongside BSIC — deepening the domestic capital base.

A connector by instinct, a strategist by training.

You build relationships that compound — and you know how to turn a network into a pipeline.

Experience

4–7 years in ecosystem development, accelerator management, VC, or a senior role at a startup.
Clear track record of building partnerships that delivered commercial results.
Able to design and run programmes from scratch — not just manage existing ones.
Exposure to international startup ecosystems and diaspora networks.

Network & Reach

Deep existing relationships across Bangladesh's startup and innovation ecosystem — accelerators, universities, government bodies, and founder communities.
Comfortable engaging both diaspora professionals globally and established local business families — adapts register without losing authenticity.

Commercial Mindset

Operates with commercial clarity — every ecosystem activity connects back to BSIC's investment and portfolio objectives.
Understands the investment process well enough to source for it — you know what a fundable company looks like and why.

Presence & Trust

Strong communicator and public presence — credible in government rooms, founder communities, family-office settings, and international forums equally.
Builds trust quickly and maintains it over the long term.
Bengali proficiency essential; strong English required for diaspora and international partner engagement.

Senior role with direct access to the MD.

Cross-functional influence across BSIC's investment and portfolio teams. Competitive salary with performance-based incentives tied to pipeline quality and ecosystem outcomes.

Bangladesh's startup ecosystem has the energy. This role is about giving it the infrastructure, the connections, and the standards to realise its potential.