Adnan Imtiaz Halim - Startup : journey, opportunities & challenges in Bangladesh-BASIS SoftExpo 2017

You started Sheba for how long the Sheba is running right now?

Amin amar career shuru kari 2005 e. So amin gramir phone diye shuru kari. So gramir phone, then amin Nokia te job kari. Then amin Ericsson job kari. Then amin Qubit te job kari. So almost 11 years career chilo. Er maskan amin desher bairyo Besh koik bar I got permanent job offer from Australia, Singapore. Kintu, amar je jenista sabseman kach kato. Everywhere I had a very good career. Kintu, ami jokhon grameen phone cherechi, I was just a guest to a grameen phone. Ami jokhon Nokia cherechi, ami jokhon Ericsson cherechi. Jokhon ami thilam ekhane, I was very important resource. So when I left, I was just a guest. Today, I'm just a guest to Grameenphone, Erickson. I still have to enter the account. So, I always felt that in Quby. I started from the beginning. Quby, Rasul bhai was there. Under their guidance, we created a company from scratch. Even though it's a big company, but we worked like startups from the beginning. O jinshta amon ke khor feel karto je, jai trail ta amro rekhe jatshi, oi khane actually amra kyo na. So...

It's not your own place.

Right. Mani, oi khane amar kon ostit to nahi actually. So, we try to build something, jete kina amadar ostit hobe, amadar identity hobe, in a long run. In a long run means in next generation. People can recognize that we build something. So, that was the inspiration. And I had also second inspiration there. Ami je kach kari, amar kuch patience chelo je to build resources. Ami amar career e I have built almost sare chasso resources as of today. So, kintu ami actually society juna aro boro gesho kote achchem. Social jinishe, jikhane manashe life is still a change ajbe. Amra jakhon organization e kach kari, amra sab samay structure niye katha bhultam, amra process niye katha bhulti, amra KPI niye katha bhulti, do amra jakhon basahe ashi, basahan lifeye ashi, there is no KPI, there is no process, amar lifeye anek hassle je gula koi solve karna. So, that's the point, always strike inside us, je to do something, jeta te amra amader nisho shakriyata thakbe, jikhana kina freedom diye kashkote harbo, business habe, we'll earn money, syate syate amra society te positive value add karbo. That's the background of studying in school.

You and Sheba. Okay, thank you. And the second thing is like, I see you and like few other new guys that like they are kind of like new breed of entrepreneurs who are getting in before it was like either like fresh graduate from IBA or someone who is actually like a leading a tech team he wants to actually build his own product but you are the kind of like next breed of entrepreneur who actually have a professional experience who actually has the know-how how to run a business and then you are actually coming in running in business so like the next phase was like when you started Sheba How it actually went from starting to like growth phase or like I know you already raised some fund and you already are trying to actually raise probably next round of fund. So what kind of experience you feel like in Bangladesh? Like how our ecosystem is actually helpful for like for growing a like a high growth startups?

Before I answer your question, chotto ekta, chotto kalpona boli na. Amar duita bache ache. आमा बड़ो छेले बयर 9 बछर, आमा छोट छेले बयर 7 बछर, ओही सोही. So, आमी जखन चाक्री छारते सिला, तक खन it was very hard call for me, कारण होछे I know, from next month, I have no earning. Amar family ache, amar parents ache, sab kicho ache, ekta life is tale e chilo. So, ui karna ota khub difficult chilo. So, ami amar baro bhai kache geche ame. He is a chartered accountant, CF of a cement company, MI group. So, uni amake boleche je, we have ideas, amra bhalo bujhi, we are better than Everest, but we are not the rickshaker. He asked me, are you sure? ṭamār gārī āche, ito bikhī kare dīta hābe, ṭamār bācchār ākhon yeh schoole jātse, sekhān teke downgrade karta be? Are you really sure? So, jodiyo ame sure chilam, kintu yekta question āma ke jahasta push kare chilo. I took another two months to make sure, ame jeyita nechi āsule yeh bujhi nechi. Then, when I left QB, Kyubey, my ex, last place, amar boss, amar CEO, offered me, je, you continue as consultant, having the same benefits, you only have to come two days in a week. Then I said, je, ami amar kono back-up plan rekhe jabo na. That will ensure me, je, I will not get success. So I left that. And third thing I did, आमी एक्शिली, फाइनले, आमी क्यूबी ते एक्टिंग सिट्यो होय थिलम, so I had a very good career, जा में है थोबा, है तू long term काछ कोले, full phase एकटर सिट्यो होय थे भारी, है थोबा, 10 years I can forecast a telco, but, जखोन आमी एक्टिंग सिट्यो होय थी, I shift my role, I, went back to my CEO and I requested, can I open a new department, business development, because I see that we have the potential but no one is taking the lead. So I left my acting CTO role and I built a new department, business development, by myself. So, ami notun kore business development ek jon resource diye sur kori. So, I worked under business development for two years. So, amar dute intention chilo. company ke kichu alternative revenue source tari kara, aar shata shate to learn business, to prepare myself. So, I'm actually, se baate suru karo aage ame dui bochore preparation ne yechi where I work for marketing, I work for sales, call center, I had to work with the investors to prepare myself.

And those are actually related to how you run Chevrolet?

Right. To learn 360 degree of running an organization. To run an organization, my technical experience was not good enough. I tried to get a 360 experience to run a company. So, that was the background of Estetting the Sheba. Back to your question. So, Sheba johan amra korechi, it's one and a half years, June 2015, kinta amra launch korechi July 2016. So, it took 14 months to understand je amra actually right business ta korte si, right model ta korte si. As of today, amra amade business ke char bar pivot korechi. We are changing our business model to make sure it's more market fit, futuristic, because if you look at the service industry and marketplace, last two years globally, tinta baro marketplace, service marketplace shutdown hohegisse. So it's a risky business, we know, but that's what we call opportunity. So, amra very carefully, market-e sattu-sattu ne jiteke adjust kortisi. On growth phase, what I believe, je tarahura na kare itu shamay niye growth take ensure kara because scaling up is not a easy thing. If I try to make rush, I may break down, I may fail. So, rather looking after the numbers is important, building the product perfectly. What I believe je resource ra, customer ra, consumer ra, jakhon nijer theke amar product use kar shur kurbe, refer kurbe, ami always count kari je, amar 10 jor e mardhe 8 jor, minimum, amar product ta ayak jor ke refer kare ki na. Until I feel, je oi jeans ta refer hoche, I believe the product is still not ready. Ar scaling up er jor ami jita dekhi, je ami jodi scale up karte chahi, it have to be more technology based company, That's why I am focusing on my technology. Today I have engineers, I have 1 is to 8 ratio. पोठी आर्जुन हमारा एक जुन engineer. By 18 I want to make it 1 is to 5 ratio, so that I can rid of more operational things, I can be more technology things, because Sheba is actually focusing to be a global company by next five years. So that's the focus we have.

Thank you.