When a section of the Bay of Bengal coastline needed a detailed structural survey earlier this year, government engineers turned not to divers but to a sleek underwater robot built in Dhaka. Dubotech Digital Ltd., founded in early 2023 by BRAC University alumni A.T.M. Masum Billah (“Mishu”) and Mirza Salman Hossain Beg, has quickly made a name packaging offshore robotics as a service—transforming the way Bangladesh inspects pipelines, monitors aquaculture, and conducts search-and-rescue missions.
“Our vision was simple,” recalls Masum Billah, co-founder and CTO. “We wanted to bring world-class underwater exploration technology to our region—affordable, autonomous, and intelligent.”
Within months of graduation, the duo turned a university lab prototype into a commercial offering, leveraging mentorship from Dr. Md. Khalilur Rahman at BRAC’s Centre for Entrepreneurship Development. By mid-2024, Dubotech had raised a BDT 5 million pre-seed round (for 10 percent equity) on Shark Tank Bangladesh, cementing partnerships with Startup Bangladesh Ltd. and TISTA Trust.
Cutting-Edge Fleet: Tuna, Octopus & Hilsha
Dubotech’s Autonomous Robotics-as-a-Service (ARaaS) model centers on three flagship platforms:
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Tuna 1.0: A lightweight ROV equipped with low-light 4K cameras and real-time streaming—ideal for underwater videography, hull inspections, and public-engagement “virtual dive” events.
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Octopus 2.0: Armed with imaging sonar and UGPS modules, this inspection ROV autonomously maps pipelines and structural foundations, generating instant anomaly reports via Dubo OS.
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Hilsha 1.0: A fully autonomous AUV that conducts programmed survey missions, mapping seabed topology and detecting anomalies using onboard machine-learning algorithms.
All three are powered by Dubo OS, Dubotech’s in-house operating system, and Inspectra, an AI-driven analytics suite that flags corrosion, material fatigue, or biological fouling in minutes.
“We built our stack on ROS nodes with TensorFlow/YOLOv5 for anomaly detection,” explains Salman Hossain Beg, head of software development. “Our real-time middleware ensures low-latency communication even in murky waters.”
Inside Dubotech’s Turag R&D Labs
Tucked away in Turag, Dhaka, Dubotech’s 500 m² lab boasts a custom 10 m testing tank, motion-capture rigs, and an agile workflow:
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Two-week sprints punctuated by fortnightly all-hands demos.
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A peer-review board of senior engineers vets every design iteration.
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Weekly “dive-day” trials where engineers pilot ROVs in simulated offshore conditions.
“Seeing our robots navigate complex obstructions first-hand is invaluable,” says lead mechanical engineer Farhana Akter. “We iterate on-the-spot—reconfiguring thrusters, tweaking buoyancy, refining controls—all in a single afternoon.”
Growth, Funding & Partnerships
Since its BDT 5 million Shark Tank win in July 2024, Dubotech has:
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Signed ARaaS contracts with two major energy firms for pipeline inspections.
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Partnered with the Government ICT Division for Bay of Bengal sediment studies.
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Received grant support from BRAC’s Business Innovation Center.
The team is now negotiating a Series A, tapping into a 10 percent fundraising pool reserved for growth capital—strictly segregated to avoid diluting founder or employee stakes.
Accolades & Industry Impact
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Shark Tank Bangladesh (July 2024): Pre-seed investment spotlighted Dubotech across national media.
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Startup Connect 2025: Exhibited at the Bangladesh Investment Summit (Apr 7–9), drawing interest from Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern investors.
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GSEA Bangladesh: Co-founder Shranto Rahman won “Best Student Entrepreneur,” advancing to the GSEA Global finals.
Local port authorities report a 40 percent reduction in inspection time using Octopus 2.0, and early trials in shrimp farms show Hilsha’s anomaly detection cutting maintenance costs by up to 25 percent.
Charting the Future
With an eye on Southeast Asia and the Middle East in 2025–26, Dubotech plans to:
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Launch Dubo AI for predictive maintenance—anticipating equipment failures before they occur.
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Develop micro-ROVs for delicate coral reef monitoring and environmental research.
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Introduce Dubo Ride VR, a public-facing platform offering immersive, live underwater tours for tourism and education.
“Our mission is to democratize access to the underwater world,” says Billah. “From inspecting oil rigs to inspiring students with virtual dives, Dubotech is just getting started.”
As Bangladesh’s first homegrown underwater robotics services provider, Dubotech Digital Ltd. is poised to redefine marine operations across the region—melding deep-tech innovation with agile execution, and proving that world-class robotics can emerge from Dhaka’s labs to global waters.
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