By Tashi Wangdi, Bhutan
For more than four years now iHub Bhutan has been working hard on building community and helping Bhutanese realize their dreams to build their own startups. Over the time we have collaborated with various entrepreneurs to support organizations and promote the culture of entrepreneurship in grassroots level. Since then, the business has made great strides towards achieving its goals.
As startup in early-stage, the Ministry of Labor financially and technically supported our idea to incubate idea-stage startups. With this, we were able to provide our services to 10 ideas, out of which we were able to successfully groom and launch four businesses in the market. Now these four businesses have raised funds of over BTN 37 million and have created employment opportunities to more than 20 youths.
My Australia Awards experience at QUT added to the tools and network that I could leverage to support emerging entrepreneurs in Bhutan. It introduced me to a world of possibility.
Last year, amidst the pandemic, we were able to partner with JICA where we hosted virtual training of 85 participants for both idea- and growth-stage startups. Up recently, we have been working closely with the Department of State and VentureWell in the US to train 15 teams from science and technology-based startups and have been collaborating closely with Loden Foundation and Bhutan Foundation for the same.
Over the time we had the privilege to work with various international stakeholders. And one key opportunity presented to us was the short course award for business acceleration by the Australia Awards in partnership with QUT.
Being part of this program, we had the opportunity to visit two states, Adelaide and Brisbane, where we were able to meet with various local startups, and learn best practices initiated by the Australian Government to support and promote small businesses. At the same time, we were able to build a wide network with startups across these two states.
My Australia Awards experience at QUT added to the tools and network that I could leverage to support emerging entrepreneurs in Bhutan. It introduced me to a world of possibility.
Out of the many startups I met, I was able to connect with Mr. Mark of Meeting Place in Adelaide and later, with the help of the Department of Employment, Entrepreneurship Division, Ministry of Labour and Human Resources, I was able to invite him to Bhutan where we used his expertise to train and inspire people and helped me personally to develop a business model.
We still have good connection with Wendy Perry, Nelson Salangsang and Mark. They have been instrumental to my growth and learning when we were in Australia, and even now they continue to support me whenever I need help or advice.
iHub Bhutan is a platform that aims to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation and startups in Bhutan, empowering the next generation of budding entrepreneurs. At iHub Bhutan, success is intertwined with personal fulfilment and community satisfaction. Our services include: pre-incubation programs, co-working spaces, research and consultancies. Above all, we strive to incorporate the individual “ME” into the greater “WE.”
