Zia Ashraf and Edmund Hillary Fellowship: Building bridges between Bangladesh and New Zealand’s startup worlds

When I co-founded Chaldal, Bangladesh's first online grocery delivery platform, my mission was simple: make daily essentials accessible through efficient urban supply chains.

Over a decade later, we have transformed how millions shop, from Dhaka's narrow lanes to Jashore's neighborhoods, proving that technology can simplify life even in one of the world's densest cities.

But entrepreneurship is never confined to one geography. As a Fellow of the Edmund Hillary Fellowship (EHF), I have come to see how shared learning between countries like Bangladesh and New Zealand can unlock extraordinary innovation.

Edmund Hillary Fellowship: A global platform rooted in New Zealand

Edmund Hillary Fellowship (EHF) positions New Zealand as a global basecamp for purpose-driven entrepreneurs tackling global challenges - climate resilience, social equity, sustainable business, and ethical technology. The fellowship creates a rare environment where ideas move freely between cultures and continents.

Through EHF, I have engaged with founders working on renewable-energy projects in Aotearoa, digital inclusion in the Pacific, and AI-driven agriculture in South Asia. These interactions are expanding how I think about impact: not as a one-way export of knowledge, but as a two-way bridge of ideas and collaboration.

Connecting Bangladesh's startup energy to global impact

Bangladesh's startup ecosystem has grown fast and fearlessly. Despite political and economic uncertainties, startups collectively raised $41 million in 2024. Companies like bKash, Chaldal, ShopUp, and Ten Minutes are reshaping how people access money, mobility, and markets.

Yet what we often lack is structured access to the global ecosystem. That is where EHF and New Zealand's entrepreneurial culture become game-changers. The fellowship's emphasis on sustainability, human-centered design, and cross-sector collaboration has inspired me to reimagine how Bangladeshi startups can integrate those same principles.

Learning from New Zealand's values

New Zealand's innovation culture is grounded in community, empathy, and respect for nature - values that complement South Asia's dynamism. Working with Māori and Kiwi entrepreneurs through EHF has shown me that innovation can thrive without compromising balance or belonging. These lessons are influencing how we at Chaldal design products, train leaders, and scale ethically.

Towards a shared future

The Edmund Hillary Fellowship is not just a network; it is an evolving ecosystem that links purpose-driven ventures across borders. For Bangladesh, it means gaining a partner nation that values inclusivity and long-term thinking. For New Zealand, it means engaging with one of the most energetic emerging startup scenes in the Global South.

By building bridges between Dhaka and Wellington, between a Bangladeshi grocery platform and New Zealand's impact investors, we are crafting a shared narrative - one of resilience, innovation, and mutual growth.

As I often remind myself, "Building startups is not only about companies; it is about building bridges between people, between ideas, and between Bangladesh and the world."

Zia Ashraf is the Co-founder & COO of Chaldal, Edmund Hillary Fellow