TechShoi: Eco-friendly Virtual Market

TechShoi is a responsible consumption-based multi-vendor marketplace where eco-friendly brands/suppliers/manufacturers/companies offer their sustainable products and lifestyle solutions to the consumers and business markets. TechShoi is Bangladesh's first e-commerce site based on solely eco-friendly products/vendors, providing customers with environmentally friendly consumption options.

TechShoi is solving the plastic pollution and climate change problem in Bangladesh, especially in the capital city Dhaka. TechShoi guarantees reusable and recycled packaging (packaging solutions for business markets) and provides consumers with the option to convert their waste into credits. Customers who have credit can purchase any product from TechShoi.

As part of our responsible consumption-based multi-vendor marketplace, we sell environmentally friendly goods with lower health risks, lower carbon footprints, and lower greenhouse gas emissions as well as disseminating locally made environmentally sustainable goods. This consumption approach will both mitigate and adapt to the risks of climate change if scaled globally.

TechShoi aims to solve the plastic pollution and climate change problems in Bangladesh. Our irresponsible consumption of plastic and non-environmentally friendly products is causing health and well-being issues such as cancer, immune system deficiencies, birth defects, increased waste, and carbon footprints, which are further having a disastrous impact on our climate. 

Plastic ingestion can have multiple effects on an organism's health. Plastic fibers have also been identified in food items like honey, beer, table salt, etc. A large amount of plastic can reduce the capacity of the stomach, leading to feelings of hunger. Plastic can cause ulcerative colitis, perforation of the intestines, and gastric rupture which eventually might lead to death. Plastic carries microorganisms like viruses and bacterias which cause the spread of diseases and health issues like skin cancer and so on.

Another issue for disseminating locally made environmentally sustainable goods to reduce carbon footprints is the shortage of eco-friendly products and outlets/platforms on the market. Lack of proper waste management and greenhouse gas emissions from the waste is one of the major issues our cities are dealing with. Due to climate migration, the increasing amount of waste has become another concern.

TechShoi guarantees reusable and recycled packaging (packaging solutions for business markets) and provides consumers with the option to convert their waste into credits. Customers who have credit can purchase any product from TechShoi.

In the scale-up stage, TechShoi intends to launch its own product sets. We will introduce plastic alternatives and redesign environmentally sustainable products, as well as add process innovation to the Eco-friendly industry through TechShoi Manufacturing Co. (eco-friendly product manufacturing) and TechShoi Innovation Lab (plastic alternative and redesigned product development), and TechShoi Physical Stores.

As part of our responsible consumption-based multi-vendor marketplace, we sell environmentally friendly goods with lower health risks, lower carbon footprints, and lower greenhouse gas emissions as well disseminate locally made environmentally sustainable goods. This consumption approach will both mitigate and adapt to the risks of climate change.

Our unique approaches to solving the aforementioned environmental issues include storytelling campaigns and eco-friendly lifestyle and products, redesigning the environmental goods, providing the complete package of eco-friendly lifestyle solutions to the consumers by multi-vendor marketplace, encouraging consumers to recycle by turning their wastes into credits & carrying out TechShoi’s idealistic purposes via its non-profit organization ‘Vision Green Organization’.

In Bangladesh, eco-friendly products & small and cottage industries are quite neglected. As a result, they are unsuccessful in holding the market in the long run. We have a lot of talented and productive small business local owners in our country who are being overlooked simply because they lack a platform to market their products to the entire country.

Our solution is to provide them with the opportunity to promote their product on an e-commerce site designed specifically for small and cottage industry entrepreneurs to showcase their unique products in Bangladesh's e-commerce market. 

Besides, our exceptional local eco-friendly products, such as Tangail's jamdani, Benarashi's Tat Shilpa, Khulna's Nakshi Katha, Bogura's Jute bag, Bagerhat's Terracotta Shilpa, Cox's Bazar's dried fish Shutki, crafts of snails and oysters, crafts of jade stones have huge traction. As a result, we can ensure both financial inclusion and diversification.

• We believe that our proposed solution will assist in changing the fortunes of the small and cottage industry & eco-friendly entrepreneurs, as our vision is to provide them a platform to sustain their work on a global scale.

• Women's participation in the labor force shrank by 20% in the last nine years according to a government study in Bangladesh. The government has launched campaigns to encourage women to make more handmade, eco-friendly & cottage products.

• Through this solution, financial inclusion and diversification can be created, which will boost the confidence of people to participate more in our economic growth.

Our business is currently at the pilot stage. TechShoi has launched a prototype e-commerce site with a few local vendors on board who are supplying eco-friendly products to consumers through our e-commerce website or marketplace. 

We are testing our business model on our main target market, Bangladesh. Our goal is to provide an alternative eco-friendly lifestyle to the people of Bangladesh by providing them access to a marketplace i.e. TechShoi that sells eco-friendly products only. 

On average, around 1000 people are engaging with our business every month. In this stage, we are currently gathering insights about our user profiles, UI/UX design flaws, and operational challenges.

TechShoi's unique approaches to solve the aforementioned environmental issues are our storytelling on sustainability and Eco-friendly lifestyle and products, redesigning the environmental goods, providing the complete package of Eco-friendly lifestyle solutions to the consumers by multi-vendor marketplace, encouraging consumers to recycle by turning their wastes into credits & carrying out TechShoi’s idealistic purposes via its non-profit organization ‘Vision Green Organization’.

In the scale-up stage, TechShoi intends to launch its own brands and product sets. We will introduce plastic alternatives and redesigned environmentally sustainable products using technology such as 3D Printing, as well as add process innovation to the Eco-friendly industry, through TechShoi Manufacturing Co. (Eco-friendly product manufacturing) and TechShoi Innovation Lab (Plastic alternative development, product development, and re-designing) and TechShoi Physical Stores.

The current number of people we are serving: about 1000 per month 

The number we will be serving in one year: 40 million (number of e-commerce users in Bangladesh)

The number we will be serving in five years: 80 million+ (all consumers of Bangladesh through TechShoi physical stores; will simultaneously launch in India and Pakistan)

The measurable indicator that we are using to measure our progress towards the impact goals is our strategic implementation plan. Our implementation plan includes a list of indicators aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals along with our impact goals divided very specifically and in detail throughout a time span of 5 years.

For example: In January 2021, we have established our non profit, Vision Green Organization, and its board in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. We have already conducted multiple campaigns and thus progressing towards our impact goal of creating awareness about environmental sustainability among people. We have also launched our minimal viable product and thus currently working on customer acquisition and product-market fit.

Executive team: 10

Number of total people working (including our NGO Vision Green Organization): 50

TechShoi team comprises a diverse group of individuals with skills ranging from technology and leadership to photography and storytelling. A team of young changemakers with their sole incentive to work on TechShoi being their passion towards environmental sustainability keeps the venture full of hope and positive energy.

The team is not only diverse with their skill sets but also with their individual life experiences. And this exact diversity is representative of those who we serve - the diverse consumers of our target market, Bangladesh. Our specific target groups are health-conscious consumers, e-commerce shoppers, and the business markets. And our user-centric design approach based on the data accumulated by the diverse team representing a wide range of our target market led us to this specific target group. 

Our executive team aims to maintain a 50:50 gender ratio. TechShoi ensures equal gender participation in all of the team activities including mentorship sessions, board meetings, and incubation cohorts.

Besides, TechShoi intends to employ a workforce of 40:60 (men:women) gender ratio since one of our core values recognizes that we need to ensure equity first if we want to achieve equality.

Our target market, Bangladesh, is flexible with its laws and policies in terms of ensuring diversity and inclusion in the workplace. The annual National Budget for the fiscal year 2021-2022 incorporates a tax rebate if 10% or more employees of an organization are from the transgender community. Thus, TechShoi is committed to ensuring diversity, equity, and inclusion of minority and ethnic communities as well as equal gender participation in all of the sectors of the organization.

Solve will not only be able to help us meet our current barriers but also will help us meet any barriers we might face in the future if selected. 

While there will be direct help in terms of investment and climate finance if our solution gets selected, being a part of the Solve community itself will drastically help us mitigate the other potential barriers. And given the fact that we are currently at the pilot stage, a lot of the complications that we might actually be facing in the future, cannot be predicted or averted at this point in time. Thus being a part of the Solve community will not only expose us to a huge diverse network of social entrepreneurs with experiences in specific fields but also will grant us access to one of the world’s best resources in the field of social innovation and entrepreneurship.

TechShoi currently recognizes the areas identified above for required support and partnership. The Solve community has a network of entrepreneurs, mentors, professionals, and academics who have expertise in the aforementioned fields and can help us immensely as advisors and mentors.

For example: in the arena of finance, business model, technology, we currently need a lot of support in terms of mentoring and advice before launching our products in the market. However, a lack of revenue is prohibiting experts, with potential to contribute, to get on board with us. 

1. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Seed Capital)

2. MIT Climate Portal (Climate Finance advisors)

3. United Nations Environment Program (Market Reach & Partnership in Awareness Campaigns)

4. United Nations Development Program, Bangladesh (Market Reach & Funding)

5. Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Climate Change, People's Republic of Bangladesh (Project Partnership & Funding)

6. Broad Institute (R&D Assistance and Support)

7. ADB Climate change  Fund

8. Climate Investment Funds

9.Special climate change fund

10. Green Climate  Fund

11.Global Environment Facility.

12.Adaptation Fund

The vision of TechShoi is to create a sustainable world through a marketplace based on technology and environmentally sustainable products created by technology.

TechShoi stands to save the urban communities of Bangladesh as South Asian cities are the worst sufferers of pollution and climate change. Thus while targeting urban populations and giving them an option of a sustainable life by introducing sustainable, recyclable, and reusable products, we are helping to sustain the public health, biodiversity, and our ecosystem. We aim to mitigate the threats of climate change by creating a proper consumption cycle on the daily lifestyle of people of the cities which are vulnerable in terms of climate change indexes through the inclusion of stem-based technologies like 3D printing, storytelling via augmented and virtual reality, etc.

TechShoi intends to employ a workforce of 40:60 (men:women) gender ratio in TechShoi Manufacturing Co. (eco-friendly product manufacturing) and TechShoi Innovation Lab (plastic alternative and redesigned product development). We will especially provide training to women and girls to become capable of running innovative technologies to be at use in TechShoi and thus achieve a better standard of life via employment.

TechShoi Manufacturing Co. and TechShoi Innovation Lab will also focus on incorporating innovative technologies in developing and producing environmentally sustainable menstruation products.

Besides, female participation in the labor force has shrunk in the last nine years, especially in rural areas, according to a government study on employment, productivity, and sectoral investment in Bangladesh. But we know that most of the handmade or cottage products are made by our women's labor, so this solution will give an opportunity to our Bangladeshi women to participate in our economic growth.

Our distinct approach to addressing issues at hand also includes storytelling on sustainability which is being carried out by TechShoi's idealistic mission i.e. its non-profit organization ‘Vision Green Organization’. TechShoi is currently supporting VGO by providing technical expertise and social media reach. 

Vision Green Organization is working to build climate literacy among young people of South-Asian region. This organization is currently working in the world's 3 most polluted countries respectively Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. In one year, our team has created a South Asian network that is actively working to inspire over 1000 children & young people to take climate action and be part of environmental development. This is the platform of storytelling for sustainability. The sole purpose of this organization is to build climate literacy mostly among children and young people. The goal of this organization is to build climate literacy among young people by signing as many pledges as possible for young people to build them as climate-resilient citizens. We have already conducted multiple successful campaigns under this organization and thus progressing towards our impact goal of creating awareness about environmental sustainability among people.

TechShoi is solving the plastic pollution and climate change problem in Bangladesh, especially in the capital city Dhaka. Our irresponsible consumption of plastic and non-environmentally friendly products is causing health and wellbeing issues such as cancer, immune system deficiencies, birth defects, increased waste, and carbon footprints, which are causing a disastrous change in our climate.

Plastic ingestion can have multiple effects on an organism's health. Plastic fibers have also been identified in food items like honey, beer, table salt, etc. A large amount of plastic can reduce the capacity of the stomach, leading to feelings of hunger. Plastic can cause ulcerative colitis, perforation of the intestines, and gastric rupture which eventually might lead to death. Plastic carries microorganisms like viruses and bacterias which cause the spread of diseases and health issues like skin cancer and so on.

TechShoi stands to save the urban areas of Bangladesh as South Asian cities are the worst sufferers of pollution and climate change via targeting urban populations, giving them an option of a sustainable life by introducing sustainable, recyclable, and reusable products and through the inclusion of stem-based technologies like 3D printing, storytelling via augmented and virtual reality, etc in TechShoi Manufacturing Co. (eco-friendly product manufacturing) and TechShoi Innovation Lab (plastic alternative and redesigned product development).