Thetan has won the Bangladesh Regional Grand Finale of Startup World Cup 2026, with Green Polaris Limited and Team Shunno finishing as the first and second runners-up. Thetan will now get the opportunity to represent Bangladesh at the global competition in San Francisco.
Dhaka, September 16, 2026: Thetan has emerged as the champion of Startup World Cup Bangladesh 2026, securing the opportunity to take Bangladesh to the global stage in San Francisco, USA.
The Bangladesh Regional Grand Finale was held on September 15 at Daffodil International University and was organized by the university’s Department of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (DIE), with Cara Bangladesh and Axion Bangladesh supporting the event as partners.
The final round featured 10 leading startup teams from across Bangladesh. After the final pitches, Green Polaris Limited was named 1st Runner-Up, while Team Shunno secured the 2nd Runner-Up position. The winning teams shared a total prize of BDT 100,000.
For Thetan, however, the win brings an opportunity beyond the Bangladesh round. As the regional champion, the team will have the opportunity to represent Bangladesh at the Startup World Cup Global Finale in San Francisco, where startups will compete for the opportunity to pitch for a US$1 million investment prize. The global finale is scheduled for November 6, 2026.
The San Francisco opportunity is not limited to the regional champion in terms of participation around the event. The Bangladesh chapter states that the top 10 teams also had the opportunity to receive invitations to San Francisco for a special networking session. However, Thetan is the Bangladesh regional champion moving forward as the country’s representative in the global competition.
The finale also brought together representatives from academia, the startup ecosystem and the business community. Professor Dr. M. R. Kabir, Vice Chancellor of Daffodil International University, attended as the Chief Guest and distributed prizes to the winners. Justin Jackson, Director of Business Development at Pegasus Tech Ventures, USA, joined the event as the Special Guest, while Dr. Md. Sabur Khan, Chairman of Daffodil Family and Chairman of the DIU Board of Trustees, participated virtually.
The Bangladesh chapter is being led by Md. Kamruzzaman Didar, Head of the Department of Innovation & Entrepreneurship at DIU and Country Director of Startup World Cup Bangladesh. Entrepreneur Md. Ashik Khan, CEO and Founder of Live Shopping, is serving as the Program Director.
Speaking at the event, DIU Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. M. R. Kabir highlighted the role of the competition in giving young entrepreneurs practical exposure and creating opportunities to showcase Bangladeshi startups internationally. Justin Jackson also described Startup World Cup as a platform for entrepreneurs from Bangladesh and other countries to reach the global stage.
With the Bangladesh regional finale now concluded, Thetan's next stop is San Francisco, where it will carry the opportunity to pitch its startup on the global Startup World Cup stage.
