Successful entrepreneur Rajeeb Hossain returned home after studying in Australia

Rajeeb Hossain is one of the leading and successful entrepreneurs of Bangladesh. After studying in Australia for 8 years, he returned home and became a successful entrepreneur. Although his education is in economics, he is currently thriving in the world of  IT. A number of organizations are striving under his supervision, including IT-related Fanfare and Talent Pro. In this episode we will cover his story of success.

Q: How are you?

Answer: Yes, Alhamdulillah I am fine.

Q: What was your childhood dream?

Answer: My childhood dream was to become an economist or do something related to economics.

Question: You have two IT companies under your supervision. We would like to know something about them?

Answer: Actually, I have studied economics. I have spent a lot of time studying abroad. Worked in famous IT Company Adobe. Working there has created an attachment/endearment for IT. It seemed to me that there are many opportunities in the field of IT. After returning to my homeland, I started working with video sharing apps Fanfare and software solution company Talent Pro.

Question: Currently Fanfare is a very popular video sharing platform in Bangladesh; I would like to know about it.

A: I have always wanted to work in the tech industry while working for Adobe. From that time till now I conduct regular market research. I have always tried to find market gaps. From there, it seems that there are very little modes of entertainment in Bangladesh. Then I wanted to create a platform where people in general can not only find happiness but also benefit financially.

Apart from users, brands big and small can also join this app. If a user shares a video content and the brand likes that content, the brand can sponsor that video. This will enable the video creator to earn points. Users can use their accumulated F: Points to shop at discounts on all products of their choice from Fanfare Shop. At the same time, these brands can sell their products and promote through Fanfare app.

Q: What are the new features Fanfare is currently working on?

Answer: I feel like there is a huge opportunity to work in the social-commerce space in Bangladesh. Bangladesh has many and social media as separate e-commerce and social media platforms.

However, there is no platform which offers both the advantages of social media and e-commerce to the users of this country. Thinking from that perspective, I want to create such a platform where social media activities, brands, users, sponsorships from different organizations, video content, and products shop will co-exist and most important of all, all the benefits of social media and e-commerce will be available in one platform. Another new feature is that when it comes to monetizing users’ videos, there aren’t as many terms and conditions as there are on other platforms. Users can start earning from the first video if the quality of the video is satisfactory or if the brand likes it.

Q: How can users and brands work in Fanfare? / Utilize the app?

Since Fanfare is a video sharing app, users can share videos of different categories from 10 seconds to 7 minutes.

Various videos, quizzes and polls contests are constantly being hosted in the app. Users can win rewards and F points by sharing videos in these competitions. Brands can sponsor not only contests, polls but also games. Reputed brands will get an opportunity to promote their channels and various offers in these apps. In the future, you will the opportunity offer paid assignments to small and big influencers.

Q: What challenges did you face with this app?

Answer: There are always challenges in all aspects during the time of initiation. Same thing happened to me. The technical challenges, the challenge of keeping me on the par with the global giants, promotional challenges, and user acquisition challenges were very difficult. But Alhamdulillah I was able to manage everything. As this is entirely a new concept, it will take some time for people to understand it.

Q: How many people are employed there in your company at present?

Answer: I have two tech related institutes. Fanfare has 25+ people and Talent Pro has 50+ skilled employees.

Q: What is your advice for social media users?

Answer: Actually, social media has both positive and negative aspects. I think that users should pay their heed to the positive side rather than on the negative.

Q: What are the future plans for Fanfare? Are there any plans to expand to any other country?

A: I have many dreams and many plans for Fanfare. At present there are about two lakh users. I and my entire team are working hard to make Fanfare one of the most popular apps in Bangladesh.