Sunday Special

Aiming for the sky

Software Technology Park

Janata Tower, the first-ever software technology park in Bangladesh, has already started welcoming IT start-ups, software development firms, and technology service companies.
The government has allocated spaces free of cost for a year to start-ups around the world at the tower in Karwanbazar. The architect of Digital Bangladesh and the government’s information and communication technology (ICT) adviser, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, inaugurated the software technology park in July 2016.
According to the authorities, 16 IT start-ups have already been housed in the tower. Thirteen technology service providers have started operating out of it and two more will join them soon.
The tower officials said the rent for the IT companies is much lower than the current market price. The rent is only Tk. 35 per sq. ft. The total rentable space in the building is 72,000 sq. ft. Currently, the official rent in Karwanbazar is Tk 100–150 per sq. ft, the official added.
Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) president Mustafa Jabbar said the software IT park is crucial to implementing the government’s Vision 2021—Digital Bangladesh. It is, indeed, a fruitful initiative by the ICT Division.
The BASIS chief also mentioned that the challenge for the government is to grab the attention of the local and international IT firms.
 IT incubator
In the 11-storied building, three floors have already been occupied by software and IT start-ups. According to officials, Level 2 has been allocated to the park authority.
Millennium Information Solution Ltd, which provides all types of software development services, is currently operating out of Level 6. FifoTech Technology Service and NanoTech Solution and Consultancy Ltd, two business process outsourcing (BPO) firms, have started operating out of Level 9.
Level 4 has been occupied by 10 start-up companies for free as per the government’s policy, said the MD of Hi-Tech Park Authority. After a year, these start-ups will be shifted and another 10 start-ups will be put up in Level-4. This floor will always be free for IT start-ups, said Hosne Ara Begum, managing director of Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority.
According to the MD, a selection committee has been formed to evaluate the profile of the new start-ups. The 10 IT start-ups currently operating out of Level 4 are Heroes 71, 6 axis, Humac Lab, Bdrates, khujun.com, Jeone, Head Blocks, Application Cockpit, Intelligent Artifact, and eshkul.com.
Fahim Mashroor, the founder of Ajkerdeal, said this is a fantastic initiative taken by the ICT department. An IT incubator is a new concept in Bangladesh. “Ten IT firms on one platform can certainly accelerate knowledge to overcome obstacles,” Fahim explained.
Fahim believes that creating an IT-friendly environment and transparent allocations are the challenges the government will face in the near future.
Janata Tower sources said two IT firms—Reve System and Computer Source—have rented space at Janata Tower but have not started operations yet.
 Innovations galore 
Head Block is an IT start-up that has developed a CV-processing tool. Md Asif Atick, CEO of Head Block, said Cognitive Head Hunter, a brainchild of their R&D team, is a CV-processing tool based on cutting-edge natural language-processing and machine learning techniques, Atick said.
Interactive Artifact is a physical therapy solution-provider start-up. Nusrat Jahan, the CEO of Interactive Artifact, said, “We are providing physical therapy solutions, empowering patients, and helping them save time and money.”
Humac Lab is a start-up run by a group of super-enthusiastic people. They are so confident that they have left their cushy jobs in MNCs to pursue their dream of being entrepreneurs and contribute to the national economy by doing honest, effective, and efficient business.
Led by co-founder and CEO Md Mubir M Chowdhury, they have already developed two award-winning products and have been identified among the top 10 IT start-ups of Bangladesh by the government.
The start-up called Projuktinext has developed Eshkul, which is the first cloud school ERP with mobile apps for students, parents, teachers, and management in Bangladesh.
The CEO and founder of Projukti Next, Akramul Haider, said Eshkul ensures smooth functioning of day-to-day school operations and functionalities and enables parent-school interaction in a manner that bridges all possible communication gaps.
“We also provide e-learning solutions and game-based learning systems. A whopping 13,000 students have already started using Eshkul,” Akramul said, smiling.
This cloud solution is a combination of six apps and services, which comprise school websites, application programming interface (API) services, school ERP, guardian or student portal, mobile apps, and content server.
The benefits of using this app are immense. Schools can digitally operate activities like admission, fee collection, etc., through a central ERP (enterprise resource planning). So, the principal or management bodies can monitor every operation of the school from a single point.
 Making life easier
While explaining the advantages of using this app, the chief technology officer (CTO) and co-founder of Projukti Next, Hasibul Wahab, said Eshkul can explore and analyse different categories like attendance percentage, leave application, gender ratio, results, and much more for the improvement of the school.
Wahab said the smart notification system can notify the parents and teachers instantly. He added that all parents can get information on attendance, results, fees, class routines, exam routines, parent-teacher meetings, event calendar, and the like from home.
Eshkul has been getting a lot of positive reactions from guardians and teachers throughout the country. The department head of an international school said, “This is just the beginning and it is already reducing our extra load. We are now getting some extra time for our students.”
Md Anwarul Islam, the principal of Shingra Damdama Pilot School and College, is extremely impressed with the app. “It is easy to use and it has given our teachers some extra time for the advancement of education,” he said.
The COO of Projukti Next, Anirban Saha Ananda, cited statistical data to state that this app will reduce 35 to 60 per cent clerical work for teachers and the school management. “The system will reduce paperwork by 65 per cent and ultimately address the vision of Digital Bangladesh,” he said.
Suraiya Akhter, mother of Samin Yasir, a student, said, “My child’s strengths and weaknesses are now available to me. So, it is easy for us to work on improving his performance.”
Akramul Haider said eight schools around the country are using the Eshkul app. “The installation cost is free. We train the technical officers of different schools so that they can solve any initial error,” the CEO said.
Eshkul’s goal is to integrate more facilities in the app. “We have already released a customisable beta version of e-learning for higher secondary students. Our vision is a fully digitalised school where teachers spend time on teaching and learning rather than clerical jobs. Parents will have access to all the information from home, and the system will alert them about the weaknesses and strengths of students,” said an Eshkul team member.

Sunday Special

Aiming for the sky

Software Technology Park

Janata Tower, the first-ever software technology park in Bangladesh, has already started welcoming IT start-ups, software development firms, and technology service companies. The government has allocated spaces free of cost for a year to start-ups around the world at the tower in Karwanbazar. The architect of Digital Bangladesh and the governments information and communication technology (ICT) adviser, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, inaugurated the software technology park in July 2016. According to the authorities, 16 IT start-ups have already been housed in the tower. Thirteen technology service providers have started operating out of it and two more will join them soon. The tower officials said the rent for the IT companies is much lower than the current market price. The rent is only Tk. 35 per sq. ft. The total rentable space in the building is 72,000 sq. ft. Currently, the official rent in Karwanbazar is Tk 100150 per sq. ft, the official added. Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) president Mustafa Jabbar said the software IT park is crucial to implementing the governments Vision 2021Digital Bangladesh. It is, indeed, a fruitful initiative by the ICT Division. The BASIS chief also mentioned that the challenge for the government is to grab the attention of the local and international IT firms. IT incubator In the 11-storied building, three floors have already been occupied by software and IT start-ups. According to officials, Level 2 has been allocated to the park authority. Millennium Information Solution Ltd, which provides all types of software development services, is currently operating out of Level 6. FifoTech Technology Service and NanoTech Solution and Consultancy Ltd, two business process outsourcing (BPO) firms, have started operating out of Level 9. Level 4 has been occupied by 10 start-up companies for free as per the governments policy, said the MD of Hi-Tech Park Authority. After a year, these start-ups will be shifted and another 10 start-ups will be put up in Level-4. This floor will always be free for IT start-ups, said Hosne Ara Begum, managing director of Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority. According to the MD, a selection committee has been formed to evaluate the profile of the new start-ups. The 10 IT start-ups currently operating out of Level 4 are Heroes 71, 6 axis, Humac Lab, Bdrates, khujun.com, Jeone, Head Blocks, Application Cockpit, Intelligent Artifact, and eshkul.com. Fahim Mashroor, the founder of Ajkerdeal, said this is a fantastic initiative taken by the ICT department. An IT incubator is a new concept in Bangladesh. Ten IT firms on one platform can certainly accelerate knowledge to overcome obstacles, Fahim explained. Fahim believes that creating an IT-friendly environment and transparent allocations are the challenges the government will face in the near future. Janata Tower sources said two IT firmsReve System and Computer Sourcehave rented space at Janata Tower but have not started operations yet. Innovations galore Head Block is an IT start-up that has developed a CV-processing tool. Md Asif Atick, CEO of Head Block, said Cognitive Head Hunter, a brainchild of their RD team, is a CV-processing tool based on cutting-edge natural language-processing and machine learning techniques, Atick said. Interactive Artifact is a physical therapy solution-provider start-up. Nusrat Jahan, the CEO of Interactive Artifact, said, We are providing physical therapy solutions, empowering patients, and helping them save time and money. Humac Lab is a start-up run by a group of super-enthusiastic people. They are so confident that they have left their cushy jobs in MNCs to pursue their dream of being entrepreneurs and contribute to the national economy by doing honest, effective, and efficient business. Led by co-founder and CEO Md Mubir M Chowdhury, they have already developed two award-winning products and have been identified among the top 10 IT start-ups of Bangladesh by the government. The start-up called Projuktinext has developed Eshkul, which is the first cloud school ERP with mobile apps for students, parents, teachers, and management in Bangladesh. The CEO and founder of Projukti Next, Akramul Haider, said Eshkul ensures smooth functioning of day-to-day school operations and functionalities and enables parent-school interaction in a manner that bridges all possible communication gaps. We also provide e-learning solutions and game-based learning systems. A whopping 13,000 students have already started using Eshkul, Akramul said, smiling. This cloud solution is a combination of six apps and services, which comprise school websites, application programming interface (API) services, school ERP, guardian or student portal, mobile apps, and content server. The benefits of using this app are immense. Schools can digitally operate activities like admission, fee collection, etc., through a central ERP (enterprise resource planning). So, the principal or management bodies can monitor every operation of the school from a single point. Making life easier While explaining the advantages of using this app, the chief technology officer (CTO) and co-founder of Projukti Next, Hasibul Wahab, said Eshkul can explore and analyse different categories like attendance percentage, leave application, gender ratio, results, and much more for the improvement of the school. Wahab said the smart notification system can notify the parents and teachers instantly. He added that all parents can get information on attendance, results, fees, class routines, exam routines, parent-teacher meetings, event calendar, and the like from home. Eshkul has been getting a lot of positive reactions from guardians and teachers throughout the country. The department head of an international school said, This is just the beginning and it is already reducing our extra load. We are now getting some extra time for our students. Md Anwarul Islam, the principal of Shingra Damdama Pilot School and College, is extremely impressed with the app. It is easy to use and it has given our teachers some extra time for the advancement of education, he said. The COO of Projukti Next, Anirban Saha Ananda, cited statistical data to state that this app will reduce 35 to 60 per cent clerical work for teachers and the school management. The system will reduce paperwork by 65 per cent and ultimately address the vision of Digital Bangladesh, he said. Suraiya Akhter, mother of Samin Yasir, a student, said, My childs strengths and weaknesses are now available to me. So, it is easy for us to work on improving his performance. Akramul Haider said eight schools around the country are using the Eshkul app. The installation cost is free. We train the technical officers of different schools so that they can solve any initial error, the CEO said. Eshkuls goal is to integrate more facilities in the app. We have already released a customisable beta version of e-learning for higher secondary students. Our vision is a fully digitalised school where teachers spend time on teaching and learning rather than clerical jobs. Parents will have access to all the information from home, and the system will alert them about the weaknesses and strengths of students, said an Eshkul team member.