Kamal Quadir
Encyclopedia
Kamal S. Quadir is a Bangladeshi American
entrepreneur and artist best known as the creator of CellBazaar, a mobile phone based electronic marketplace which, after reaching 4 million users, was acquired by Norwegian telecommunications operator Telenor in 2010.
Kamal is currently heading bKash which provides financial services through an extensive network of community-based agents and existing technology, including mobile phones.
Kamal is one of the most-cited (recently in the Wall Street Journal) thinkers in mobile innovations who has been credited for "grass-root level market creation" with emerging technologies.
Kamal is a founding member of Open World Initiatives, a Lausanne
, Switzerland based organization of young thinkers. He is involved with Anwarul Quadir Foundation which recognizes innovations in developing countries. He is a First Mover Fellow of The Aspen Institute
. In 2009, TED
selected Kamal a TEDIndia Fellow and the World Economic Forum recognized him as a Young Global Leader.
in New York, led the Business Development Division of Occidental Petroleum
's initiative in Bangladesh and worked for New York City's Chamber of Commerce
. He was also the co-founder and creative director of GlobeKids Inc., an animation company.
Kamal has a BA from Oberlin College
and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management
.
He is also an accomplished artist whose art works are in the permanent collection of the Bangladesh National Museum
and the Liberation War Museum
.
, Bangladesh, and Money in Motion LLC, USA. ensuring access to a broader range of financial services for the people of Bangladesh is the ultimate objective of bKash. It has a special focus to serve the low income people of the country and promote sustainable micro-savings to achieve broader financial inclusion by providing financial services that are convenient, affordable and reliable.
bKash is working both as an extension of BRAC Bank and as a full-scale mobile phone-based payment switch. This will highly benefit the country as 83% of the population lives under $2 a day and access to finance can help in improving their economic situation. Less than 15% of Bangladeshis are connected to the formal financial system whereas 44% of total population are having mobile phones. Providing financial services using this mean can make the service more accessible and cost effective for the vast population of Bangladesh.
Limited communication has always been a hindrance for performing business, especially in developing countries. In Bangladesh, the isolated and uninformed farmers and traders have little bargaining power with exploitative middlemen. CellBazaar enables entrepreneurs and small businesses in Bangladesh to start and grow operations in a market that wouldn't otherwise be available in their local community, thereby creating jobs, stimulating the economy, and delivering products and services that improve the lives of millions of poor people. CellBazaar has been credited as a revolutionary service in mobile telecommunications to have the potential to significantly contribute to socioeconomic development
particularly in developing countries due to the ability to bridge non-existing wired telecommunications and transportation infrastructure and delivering various services directly to the end-user. Nokia
, in their Expanding Horizons magazine, accredited CellBazaar as a door opener to mobile commerce
.
The CellBazaar marketplace is available to more than 25 million people in Bangladesh, including farmers that use the service to sell their harvest at fair market prices and struggling students that find and connect with tutors.
The service is accessible via Text message (SMS
), WAP
or Internet enabled handset, Computer or Web and Voice (IVR), each of which connects to one customer-generated marketplace. Users pay only the standard SMS or Internet charges for accessing the service on mobile, and there are no monthly or posting fees.
Bangladeshi American
Bangladeshi Americans are Americans of Bangladeshi descent. The overwhelming majority of Bangladeshi Americans are Bengalis. Most of them have immigrated from Sylhet region with a long trading history. Bangladeshi immigrants arrived in the United States especially since the early 1990s to become...
entrepreneur and artist best known as the creator of CellBazaar, a mobile phone based electronic marketplace which, after reaching 4 million users, was acquired by Norwegian telecommunications operator Telenor in 2010.
Kamal is currently heading bKash which provides financial services through an extensive network of community-based agents and existing technology, including mobile phones.
Kamal is one of the most-cited (recently in the Wall Street Journal) thinkers in mobile innovations who has been credited for "grass-root level market creation" with emerging technologies.
Kamal is a founding member of Open World Initiatives, a Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
, Switzerland based organization of young thinkers. He is involved with Anwarul Quadir Foundation which recognizes innovations in developing countries. He is a First Mover Fellow of The Aspen Institute
Aspen Institute
The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1950 as the Aspen Institute of Humanistic Studies. The organization is dedicated to "fostering enlightened leadership, the appreciation of timeless ideas and values, and open-minded dialogue on contemporary issues." The...
. In 2009, TED
TED (conference)
TED is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate "ideas worth spreading"....
selected Kamal a TEDIndia Fellow and the World Economic Forum recognized him as a Young Global Leader.
Early life
Quadir was an intern at Insight Venture PartnersInsight Venture Partners
Insight Venture Partners is a New York-based private equity and venture capital firm founded in 1995 by Jeff Horing and Jerry Murdock. The firm focuses exclusively on software and Internet-enabled businesses and currently has a capital base of approximately $5 billion.The firm’s Executive Advisory...
in New York, led the Business Development Division of Occidental Petroleum
Occidental Petroleum
Occidental Petroleum Corporation is a California-based oil and gas exploration and production company with operations in the United States, the Middle East, North Africa, and South America...
's initiative in Bangladesh and worked for New York City's Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York
The New York Chamber of Commerce, founded in 1768 by twenty New York City merchants, was the first commercial organization of its kind in the country. Attracting the participation of a number of New York's most influential business leaders, such as John Jacob Astor, Peter Cooper, and J...
. He was also the co-founder and creative director of GlobeKids Inc., an animation company.
Kamal has a BA from Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management
MIT Sloan School of Management
The MIT Sloan School of Management is the business school of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge, Massachusetts....
.
He is also an accomplished artist whose art works are in the permanent collection of the Bangladesh National Museum
Bangladesh National Museum
The Bangladesh National Museum , originally established on 20 March 1913, albeit under another name, and formally inaugurated on 7 August 1913, was accorded the status of the national museum of Bangladesh on 17 November 1983. It is located Shahbag, Dhaka...
and the Liberation War Museum
Liberation War Museum
The Liberation War Museum is a museum in Segunbagicha, Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh that commemorates the Bangladesh Liberation War, which led to the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan....
.
bKash
bKash Limited is a joint venture between BRAC Bank Ltd.BRAC Bank
BRAC Bank is the last organization to have received a commercial banking license from Bangladesh Bank, making it the youngest private commercial bank in Bangladesh. Its headquarters are based in the capital Dhaka...
, Bangladesh, and Money in Motion LLC, USA. ensuring access to a broader range of financial services for the people of Bangladesh is the ultimate objective of bKash. It has a special focus to serve the low income people of the country and promote sustainable micro-savings to achieve broader financial inclusion by providing financial services that are convenient, affordable and reliable.
bKash is working both as an extension of BRAC Bank and as a full-scale mobile phone-based payment switch. This will highly benefit the country as 83% of the population lives under $2 a day and access to finance can help in improving their economic situation. Less than 15% of Bangladeshis are connected to the formal financial system whereas 44% of total population are having mobile phones. Providing financial services using this mean can make the service more accessible and cost effective for the vast population of Bangladesh.
CellBazaar
CellBazaar is an electronic marketplace, launched in 2006 in Bangladesh, that allows buyers and sellers to connect with one another and buy and sell goods and services using their mobile phones or computers.Limited communication has always been a hindrance for performing business, especially in developing countries. In Bangladesh, the isolated and uninformed farmers and traders have little bargaining power with exploitative middlemen. CellBazaar enables entrepreneurs and small businesses in Bangladesh to start and grow operations in a market that wouldn't otherwise be available in their local community, thereby creating jobs, stimulating the economy, and delivering products and services that improve the lives of millions of poor people. CellBazaar has been credited as a revolutionary service in mobile telecommunications to have the potential to significantly contribute to socioeconomic development
Socioeconomic development
Socio-economic development is the process of social and economic development in a society.Socio-economic development is measured with indicators, such as GDP, life expectancy, literacy and levels of employment...
particularly in developing countries due to the ability to bridge non-existing wired telecommunications and transportation infrastructure and delivering various services directly to the end-user. Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
, in their Expanding Horizons magazine, accredited CellBazaar as a door opener to mobile commerce
Mobile Commerce
Mobile Commerce, also known as M-Commerce or mCommerce, is the ability to conduct commerce using a mobile device, such as a mobile phone, a Personal Digital Assistant , a smartphone, or other emerging mobile equipment such as dashtop mobile devices...
.
The CellBazaar marketplace is available to more than 25 million people in Bangladesh, including farmers that use the service to sell their harvest at fair market prices and struggling students that find and connect with tutors.
The service is accessible via Text message (SMS
SMS
SMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...
), WAP
Wireless Application Protocol
Wireless Application Protocol is a technical standard for accessing information over a mobile wireless network.A WAP browser is a web browser for mobile devices such as mobile phones that uses the protocol.Before the introduction of WAP, mobile service providers had limited opportunities to offer...
or Internet enabled handset, Computer or Web and Voice (IVR), each of which connects to one customer-generated marketplace. Users pay only the standard SMS or Internet charges for accessing the service on mobile, and there are no monthly or posting fees.
Awards
- Year 2009
- "Young Global Leader (YGL)" by the World Economic Forum of Davos
- Year 2008
- Global Mobile Award of the GSM Association in the category of "Best Use of Mobile for Social & Economic Development"
- Telecom Asia’s “Asian Innovation of the Year” Award
- India's Manthan Award for “Best E-Content for Development”
- Year 2007
- Tech Award for "Applying Technology to Benefit Humanity”
- Year 2005
- MIT Ideas Award
See also
- GrameenphoneGrameenphoneGrameenphone , widely known as GP, is the leading telecommunications service provider in Bangladesh. With more than 32 million subscribers , Grameenphone is the largest cellular operator in the country...
- Mobile Telecommunications
- Omidyar NetworkOmidyar NetworkOmidyar Network is a philanthrocapitalist investment firm established in 2004 by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and his wife Pam. To date, Omidyar Network has committed more than $290 million to for-profit companies and nonprofit organizations that foster economic advancement and encourage individual...
- Alex PentlandAlex PentlandAlex Pentland is the Toshiba Professor at MIT, a serial , and is one of the most cited . Pentland obtained his Ph.D. from MIT in 1981, was Lecturer at Stanford University in both computer science and psychology, and joined the MIT faculty in 1986, where he became Academic Head of the Media...
External links
- Anuwarul Quadir Foundation
- The Tech Award page
- GSMA Global Mobile Award page
- Telecom Asia’s award page
- India's Manthan award page
- World Economic Forum's Young Global Leader (YGL) of 2009
- MIT Ideas award page
- Wall Street Journal article
- Livemint.com article
- Kamal Quadir at Crunchbase
- CellBazaar at Crunchbase
- The Business of Art, Oberlin.edu
- WTO Public Symposium 2003: Session IV - "Cancun: Next Stop on the Road to the 2015 Millennium Development Goals"
- CellBazaar portfolio at Omidyar.com
- Corporate page at CellBazaar.com
- Company page of bKash Limited