Quick answer: The Shikhbe Shobai (correct name: Shikhbe Shobai, শিখবে সবাই) startup in Bangladesh is a Dhaka-based edtech and freelancing skills platform founded in April 2017 by Rifat M Huq and 10 co-founders. It now has 650,000+ community members, 26,000+ graduates, and Smart Campus labs in Banani and Mirpur, and is one of Bangladesh’s most recognized skills startups.

In 2017, eleven young Bangladeshis pooled their savings and a borrowed office to teach freelancing to people in 64 districts. By 2025, that same shikhbe shobai startup Bangladesh story (you may have searched it that way, the actual spelling is Shikhbe Shobai) had pulled together 650,000+ community members, more than 26,000 graduates, and reported revenue near $5 million. So what did they do that most Bangladeshi startups don’t? This is the founding story, the growth numbers, and the founder lessons you can borrow whether you’re building edtech, fintech, or something completely different.

What Shikhbe Shobai Actually Is (and Why You’re Searching for It)

First, the spelling. Most people search “shikhbe shobai” or “shikhbe shobbai” or “shikkhe shobai” because the Bengali শিখবে সবাই doesn’t have one fixed Roman transliteration. The brand registers itself as Shikhbe Shobai. Same company, same place, same founders. So if a friend told you about a “shikhbe shobai startup Bangladesh,” they meant this one.

The mission is simple: help any Bangladeshi (especially outside Dhaka) learn an in-demand digital skill, then earn online through freelancing or remote work. They run paid courses in graphic design, UI/UX, web and app development, digital marketing, Shopify, and more. Plus a free community, mentorship, and a 24/7-style support setup for grads who get stuck on real client jobs.

It’s an edtech company on paper. In practice, it’s a freelancing accelerator with a classroom attached.

If you’re a foreign founder thinking about something similar, the basics of starting a business in Bangladesh as a foreigner still apply, with extra layers we’ll cover in the how-to section below.

How Shikhbe Shobai Became a Startup Success Story

Here’s the timeline, told the way Rifat M Huq (co-founder and original CEO) described it in his 2019 Future Startup interview, plus what’s happened since.

  • April 2017. Eleven friends, mostly mentors and freelancers themselves, decide to start something bigger than a tutoring side hustle. They lean on Socian Ltd., an early supporter, for office space and credibility. The idea: a single brand that teaches freelancing properly, then keeps supporting graduates after they finish.
  • Late 2017 to 2019. They opened the country’s first “Smart Campus” in Banani, then added a second and third lab within 9 months. By 2019, a Mirpur branch is running with 50-seat capacity. The team grows from 11 to 28. They launch the country’s first Online Support Center for Freelancers, basically a help desk for grads stuck on Upwork or Fiverr orders.
  • 2020 to 2023. Founder transition. Rifat steps out of the CEO seat in May 2020 to focus on Instructory (a related teaching marketplace he co-founded). The COO Abdul Kader and CMO Raisul Mahmud take over operating leadership. The company keeps growing through Facebook (now 490,000+ likes) and word of mouth. By the end of 2023, the community has earned $4.8 million in collective freelancing income (their internal survey number).
  • 2024 to 2025. Corporate partnerships kick in. MoUs with Prime Bank’s Neera women banking program, Confidence Power Holdings, and Stardust Telecom. Education partner role for Dhaka University’s Powerpreneur 3.0 startup competition. Headcount climbs to 329 (RocketReach). Annual revenue reported around $5 million.

That’s eight years from idea to mid-sized profitable edtech. No giant VC round. No unicorn flag. Just steady growth.

The Numbers Behind the Brand

If you like numbers, here’s what the public sources say (the company’s own posts, Future Startup’s interview, ZoomInfo, RocketReach, and LinkedIn).

MetricFigure
FoundedApril 2017
Co-founders11 (incl. Rifat M Huq, Raisul Mahmud, Zamiar Shams, Naser Ahmed Limon)
HeadquartersBanani, Dhaka
Smart Campus locationsBanani (3 labs) + Mirpur (2 labs)
Total graduates26,000+
Community members650,000+
Facebook page following490,000+
Employees (2025)329
Reported annual revenue (2025)~$5 million
Community freelancing earnings (2023 survey)$4.8 million combined
Free student support sessions (2023)6,143

A few things stand out. The community is roughly 25 times the size of the paying graduate base, which is exactly how a healthy edtech funnel should look. And the team is much bigger than most Bangladeshi tech startups its size, because skills education is operations-heavy (mentors, support, campus staff), not pure software.

What Aspiring Founders Can Steal from Shikhbe Shobai

I’ve watched this kind of company succeed and fail in Bangladesh. The Shikhbe Shobai playbook does five things really well that most copycats skip:

1. They sold the outcome, not the course. From day one, marketing focused on “earn online from your district” not “learn HTML.” The product was income, not education. Big difference.

2. They built community before product. The Facebook page and free support groups grew first. Paid courses came after. By the time someone paid, they trusted the brand.

3. They went rural early. Most Dhaka founders chase Gulshan and Banani customers. Shikhbe Shobai opened the addressable market by targeting students in Rangpur, Khulna, and Sylhet through district-level meetups (4 Zilla MeetUps in 2023 alone).

4. They picked operations over hype. Smart Campus, labs, in-person mentors, a 24/7-style support center. Boring, expensive, defensible. Hard to copy with software alone.

5. They added corporate revenue late. Once the brand was strong, they layered B2B training (Prime Bank’s Neera, Confidence Group, Stardust Telecom). That’s how you de-risk a B2C business.

If you want to build in Bangladesh, those five moves are worth more than any pitch deck template.

How to Build a Similar Skills Startup in Bangladesh

You can borrow the playbook. Here’s the actual step-by-step.

Step 1: Find a Real Skill Gap and Validate

Don’t start with “I’ll teach digital marketing.” Start with a job posting. Open Upwork, BDjobs, or LinkedIn and look at what’s hiring this month. Note which skills appear in 50+ posts that local talent isn’t filling. That’s your gap.

Then talk to 30 people who could potentially become your students. Find them in your Facebook groups, your university batch, your home district. Ask: would you pay BDT 5,000 to learn this if it meant a 10K BDT/month freelance income within 6 months? If at least 10 say yes, you have something. The Shikhbe Shobai team did this for graphic design and web development. iFarmer’s founders did it for agri-finance. Same method.

Step 2: Register Your Entity the Right Way

For a tech or edtech startup, the standard route is a Private Limited Company under RJSC (Registrar of Joint Stock Companies). Sequence:

1. Name clearance from roc.gov.bd (BDT 230, 1-3 days)

2. Draft Memorandum and Articles of Association with a lawyer

3. Submit to RJSC with Form IX, Form XII, subscriber page, stamp duty

4. Receive digital Certificate of Incorporation (3-7 days)

5. Trade License from your local City Corporation

6. TIN from the National Board of Revenue

7. VAT/BIN registration if turnover crosses BDT 3 million

Total: 20-30 working days, $1,500-$3,000 if you’re lean. Different company structures available in Bangladesh exist (branch office, joint venture, public limited), but the Private Limited works for 95% of founders.

If you plan to raise from international VCs later, also set up a Singapore Pte Ltd or US C-Corp as your holding company. You can register a US C-Corp from Bangladesh remotely in a few weeks. Founders who delay this lose months during fundraising.

Step 3: Build a Community Before You Build a Course

Open a free Facebook group. Post real, useful content (case studies, mini lessons, freelancing tips) for 90 days before you mention paying for anything. Shikhbe Shobai’s Facebook page has 490,000+ followers, and that page was the engine that fed the paid programs.

If you can’t get to 5,000 engaged members in your first 6 months, your hook isn’t strong enough. Fix the hook before you launch the course.

Step 4: Tap Bangladesh’s Startup Support System

You have more help than you think:

  • Startup Bangladesh Limited. The government-backed VC under the ICT Division writes BDT 25 lakh to BDT 5 crore checks ($25K-$500K) into seed and growth-stage startups. They’ve already invested in edtech (10 Minute School), agritech (iFarmer), and SaaS (Alice Labs). Apply directly via startupbangladesh.vc.
  •  iDEA Project grants. Up to BDT 10 lakh for early-stage ideas. No equity. Apply via the ICT Division.
  • Bangabandhu Innovation Grant (BIG). The 2023 round gave BDT 7 crore to 52 startups. Worth chasing.
  • Bangladesh Hi-Tech Parks. Subsidized office space, tax holidays, and incubation specifically for ICT, AI, and software startups. The full benefits of Bangladesh Hi-Tech Parks include duty-free equipment imports and fast-tracked permits.
  •  Bangladesh Angels. The country’s first formal angel network, $10K-$100K checks.
  •  Local VCs. BD Venture, Bangladesh Venture Capital, SBK Tech Ventures, Anchorless Bangladesh.

Step 5: Stack Revenue Streams Early

Don’t depend on one revenue line. Shikhbe Shobai layered them in this order:

8. Paid courses (B2C)

9. Free community + paid premium support

10.  Corporate training (B2B)

11.  Education partnerships with banks and corporates

12.  Sponsored events and competitions

Each new line cost less to add because the brand was already trusted. You can do the same: start with one product, add the next when the first hits BDT 5 lakh per month consistently.

Open your operational bank account early because banks in Bangladesh sometimes drag their feet on tech startups. The full process for opening a business bank account in Bangladesh goes faster when you walk in with incorporation, trade license, TIN, and director NIDs all in one folder.

The Bigger Bangladesh Startup Picture That Made This Possible

Shikhbe Shobai didn’t grow in a vacuum. Bangladesh’s startup ecosystem ranks #79 on StartupBlink’s Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2025, and #4 in South Asia. Roughly 1,200 active startups have raised about $1 billion since 2010. Two unicorns (bKash and Nagad) have already crossed $1B valuations. There are 77.7 million internet users in the country and 72.8% smartphone penetration at the household level (BBS 2025), which is exactly the user base that pays for online learning.

Look at the broader industries in Bangladesh open for foreign investment and you’ll spot the obvious adjacent plays: fintech, agritech, healthtech, B2B SaaS, AI services. Each one needs the same kind of skills pipeline Shikhbe Shobai built. The first wave is happening now.

Bank lending for early-stage tech founders is still tight, but several non-bank financial institutions (IDLC, IPDC, LankaBangla) have started offering SME-friendly products that work for revenue-stage startups. Worth knowing once you cross BDT 1 crore in annual revenue.

Common Mistakes Founders Make Trying to Copy This Model

Watching dozens of failed knockoffs over the years, the patterns are pretty clear:

  • They open a campus before they have a community. Real estate is a heavy fixed cost. Sign that lease only when 200 paid students are already on the waitlist.
  • They teach what they know instead of what the market hires. Personal expertise doesn’t equal market demand. Validate first.
  • They underprice to fight bigger brands. Shikhbe Shobai is not the cheapest. They’re the most trusted. Chase trust, not price.
  • They skip the support layer. A graduate without a support system after the course doesn’t earn online. Don’t tell friends. The funnel breaks.
  • They never register properly. Operating without a trade license, TIN, or VAT registration eventually catches up: blocked Stripe accounts, blocked corporate deals, tax penalties.

Key Insights

  • Shikhbe Shobai is a real Bangladeshi edtech, often misspelled “shikhbe shobai,” founded April 2017 in Banani, Dhaka, with 11 co-founders led by Rifat M Huq.
  • Growth numbers are concrete: 650,000+ community members, 26,000+ graduates, 329 employees, ~$5M reported revenue in 2025, and a community that earned $4.8M collectively in freelancing income by 2023.
  • The playbook works because it sells outcomes, not lessons. Marketing focused on online income, not curriculum, which is a habit most copycat schools forget.
  • Community came before product. The Facebook page (now 490K+ followers) was built free for years before paid courses scaled, which is why CAC stayed low.
  • They went rural early through Zilla MeetUps and a 64-district mission, expanding the addressable market beyond Dhaka long before competitors did.
  • Corporate B2B income arrived late but cleanly. MoUs with Prime Bank’s Neera, Confidence Group, and Stardust Telecom now de-risk the consumer business.
  • You can borrow this model. Bangladesh has Startup Bangladesh Limited (BDT 25 lakh to BDT 5 crore checks), iDEA grants up to BDT 10 lakh, and Hi-Tech Park benefits available to founders willing to do the boring legal setup work.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Shikhbe Shobai (often searched as “shikhbe shobai startup Bangladesh”)?

Shikhbe Shobai is a Bangladeshi edtech and freelancing skills startup founded in April 2017 in Banani, Dhaka. It teaches in-demand digital skills (UI/UX, web development, graphic design, digital marketing) through online and in-person Smart Campus programs and supports graduates as they earn through freelancing platforms. As of 2025 it has 26,000+ graduates and 650,000+ community members.

Who founded Shikhbe Shobai?

Shikhbe Shobai was founded in April 2017 by 11 co-founders, with Rifat M Huq as the original CEO and Co-Founder until May 2020. The current operating leadership includes COO Abdul Kader, CMO Raisul Mahmud, and other long-time co-founders. The company is headquartered at 74 Road 7, Block H, Banani, Dhaka.

How big is Shikhbe Shobai today?

Shikhbe Shobai has approximately 329 employees, 26,000+ graduates, 650,000+ community members, and reported annual revenue around $5 million in 2025 (per RocketReach data). It runs Smart Campus labs in Banani and Mirpur, plus an Online Support Center, and partners with Prime Bank, Confidence Power Holdings, and Stardust Telecom for corporate training programs.

Is Shikhbe Shobai considered a tech startup in Bangladesh?

Yes, Shikhbe Shobai is classified as an ITES (IT-Enabled Services) startup focused on edtech, skill development, and capacity building. It’s one of Bangladesh’s most recognized skills brands, though it has grown through bootstrapping and organic revenue rather than large venture capital rounds, unlike some Bangladeshi unicorns such as bKash and Nagad.

How can I start a startup like Shikhbe Shobai in Bangladesh?

Start a similar skills startup by validating one specific skill gap with 30 potential students, registering a Private Limited Company through RJSC (BDT 230 name clearance plus 20-30 working days for full setup), building a free Facebook community before launching paid courses, and applying for early funding from Startup Bangladesh Limited or the iDEA Project for grants up to BDT 10 lakh.

Does Shikhbe Shobai offer free courses?

Shikhbe Shobai’s main courses are paid and project-oriented (Full Stack Web Development, Digital Marketing, Graphic & UI Design, Shopify Masterclass, and others), but the community provides free support, free workshops, and free events. The company also offers lifetime support to enrolled students and ran 6,143 free student support sessions in 2023 alone.

What makes Shikhbe Shobai different from other edtech platforms in Bangladesh?

Shikhbe Shobai’s main differentiator is its support system after enrollment, not the curriculum itself. While 10 Minute School and CodersTrust focus mainly on content delivery, Shikhbe Shobai built physical Smart Campus labs in Banani and Mirpur and a 24/7-style Online Support Center where graduates get help on real freelancing client work, which is why retention and word-of-mouth referrals stay high.

How does Bangladesh’s startup ecosystem support new founders?

Bangladesh’s startup ecosystem provides multiple support channels including Startup Bangladesh Limited (BDT 500 crore government VC fund writing BDT 25 lakh to BDT 5 crore checks), the iDEA Project (grants up to BDT 10 lakh), Bangabandhu Innovation Grant (BIG), Bangladesh Hi-Tech Parks (subsidized office space, tax holidays), Bangladesh Angels network, and local VCs like BD Venture, Anchorless Bangladesh, and SBK Tech Ventures.

Is freelancing still a viable career in Bangladesh in 2026?

Yes, freelancing is still a strong career path in Bangladesh, and it’s the foundation Shikhbe Shobai was built on. Bangladesh is consistently among the top countries on Upwork and Fiverr by freelancer count, with verified earnings from skilled freelancers ranging from $500 to $5,000+ monthly. The growth of remote work post-2022 has expanded opportunities in design, development, content, and digital marketing.

How long does it take to register a startup in Bangladesh?

Registering a startup in Bangladesh takes approximately 20-30 working days from name clearance to having a trade license in hand. The RJSC incorporation itself takes 3-7 working days once documents are submitted. Trade license, TIN, and VAT/BIN registration add another 2-3 weeks. Working with a legal firm trims a week or two off the timeline.

Final Thoughts

Look, the most useful thing about the shikhbe shobai startup Bangladesh story isn’t the headcount or the revenue. It’s patience. Eleven people stuck with a boring, operations-heavy idea for eight years while flashier startups burned through tens of millions and disappeared. That’s the part nobody screenshots for Twitter.

If I were starting a skills business in Dhaka next month, I’d pick one specific freelancing skill the global market hires for, build a free Facebook community first, and not open a campus until 200 students were already paying. What skill would you teach if you started tomorrow?