On the 25th of March, the Bangladesh Angels Network (BAN) launched Bangladesh Women Investors Network (BWIN), its sister chapter to support women entrepreneurs and investors. 

Bangladesh Angels Network (BAN) is the nation’s first angel investment network to nurture entrepreneurs in Bangladesh, connecting them to both local and global investors.  3 years after its launch, Bangladesh Angels is a global network with 340+ members, having supported 27 startups and entrepreneurs in Bangladesh to raise close to U$4.5 million. 33% of the portfolio are women-led and women-founded companies, and 10% of the network are women investors. As it begins its 4th year, Bangladesh Angels has launched a new chapter to put a spotlight on women investors and women entrepreneurs, with the aim to create more of the former and help facilitate more funds into the latter.

This new initiative, Bangladesh Women Investors Network (BWIN) is overseen by an advisory board consisting on Ms. Tina Jabeen, the founding MD of Startup Bangladesh Limited, Ms. Anita Ghazi Rahman, the Managing Partner of Legal Circle, Ms. Farzana Kashfi, Board Member at Bangladesh Youth Leadership Center (BYLC) and Ms. Sharawwat Islam, CFA, MD at Truvalu.

The advisory board will be supported by committees to screen women-led and women-focused companies as well as to oversee a fellowship program for young Bangladeshi women to be placed into startups for internships and management trainee positions, in order to build the long-term talent pipeline of women startup leaders in the ecosystem. BWIN will also be engaged in knowledge sharing and learning sessions around investment topics for women, as well as introducing and advocating for gender lens investing frameworks to the ecosystem. 

BWIN was formally launched at a reception held at the Embassy of the Netherlands in Bangladesh on Friday, March 25, attended by startup ecosystem leaders, angel and foreign impact investors, entrepreneurs and members of both the advisory board of BWIN and the governing board of BAN. H.E. Anne van Leeuwen, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Bangladesh, and Prof. Dr. Nuzhat Choudhury, Professor at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), presided over the event as Special Guest and Chief Guest respectively.