AI startup founded by two Bangladeshi students raises more than $30,000 without giving up equity

Two Bangladeshi school students have raised more than $30,000 for an AI hiring startup without surrendering any equity. AgenticHire secured the money through accelerator programs, competitions, grants and institutional support rather than a traditional investment round.

Sabik Bin Sultan, a Class 11 student at BAF Shaheen College Kurmitola, is the company’s co-founder and chief executive. His brother, Shafi Bin Sultan, a Class 12 student at St Joseph Higher Secondary School in Dhaka, serves as chief operating officer. Haoyang Wu, a Grade 11 student at River Valley High School in Singapore, is the co-founder and chief technology officer.

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The total combines program stipends and non-dilutive program capital from accelerator programs, including East Ventures' My First $1000, with institutional and banking partnerships and support involving Prime Bank, Bank Asia, Guardian Life Insurance, Sportify, Wavesparks, and the National Youth Council of Singapore.

The company operates online and globally. Its wider founding team includes members from Kazakhstan, Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia. Wu joined after meeting the brothers during a startup accelerator bootcamp in Singapore.

AgenticHire lets employers create a role-specific assessment and send candidates a link. Candidates complete the interview on their own schedule, after which the platform generates a structured evidence brief outlining strengths, weaknesses and an overall recommendation. The employer still makes the final hiring decision.

The startup offers a tiered subscription model. Its free plan includes five interviews, while a $100 monthly starter plan covers 200 interviews and all features. Larger organizations can use a customized enterprise plan.

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Early-stage tech startups often do not have a dedicated HR or recruiting team. Instead, founders or senior engineers may conduct 20-30 first-round screening calls before even one qualified candidate reaches a technical interview.

“The total combines program stipends and non-dilutive program capital from accelerator programs, including East Ventures' My First $1000, with institutional and banking partnerships and support involving Prime Bank, Bank Asia, Guardian Life Insurance, Sportify, Wavesparks, and the National Youth Council of Singapore,” Sabik said.

The founders started the venture in December 2025 after developing the idea during a Singapore accelerator. They said early-stage technology companies often lack dedicated recruitment staff, leaving founders or senior engineers to conduct numerous initial screening calls. “Early-stage tech startups often do not have a dedicated HR or recruiting team. Instead, founders or senior engineers may conduct 20-30 first-round screening calls before even one qualified candidate reaches a technical interview,” Sabik said. “We created AgenticHire to remove that bottleneck by enabling AI to conduct the initial technical screen.”

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We created AgenticHire to remove that bottleneck by enabling AI to conduct the initial technical screen.