Introducing Harriken
Growing up in the mid-nineties, every few months the family would head to Hwang Ho, our friendly neighborhood deshi Chinese restaurant that used to be in Paribagh, less than a mile from our home. At the time, this was a huge deal and we’d plan the entire excursion for days. My sister and I would debate over which dishes to order, based on our experience from our last visit. This little exchange would begin days in advance and drag on until the food was finally served.
With endless additional dining options, 20 years down the road, today, it seems as if getting access to the perfect meal is still as difficult in spite of considerable technological progress. Quite ironic, isn’t it?
Harriken was founded on the principle of making it easier to search for things. Quite literally, হারিকেন দিয়ে খোঁজা, a common saying in Bengali, which means searching with a lantern. Our focus now is on the one thing this entire team loves to do (and does well), which is to eat. In whichever goli a delicacy exists in Dhaka, I can guarantee that at least one of us at Harriken has not only had it, but has actively campaigned for (or against) it. Our love for food combined with our love for tech is a brilliant marriage, and that’s how we embarked on our Harriken journey.
I’m proud to say that we’re a homemade recipe, aka মাছে-ভাতে বাঙালি. Fully cooked in Dhaka, our team is #ProudlyMadeInBangladesh with the odd international seasonings here and there. For many of us, this has been a season of firsts — first job, first app, first leadership experience. I hope to see this immensely talented bunch strive forward, explore their potential and grow as future leaders, wherever they end up.
I’ve been privileged enough to have had the opportunity of spending a some number of years abroad; however, three things were never far from my mind. First, food. Second, that I wanted to do something I’m passionate about (7+ years of corporate banking will get you in the end). Third and most important of them all, it had to be something back home in Bangladesh. Not because it’s necessarily easier, or because I like to think I have connections, but because I’ve always been bullish on this country, and I see tremendous potential in the younger generation, kids who can code, who can pitch, and who can problem-solve without hand-holding.
The startup scene in Dhaka is a really exciting place to be in, particularly today. We are seeing a growing number of fresh graduates becoming interested in joining entrepreneurial ventures — something that was almost unheard of a few years ago, as opposed to taking the more traditionally accepted route, which provides a less tiresome answer to the ‘জামাই কি করে’ question. To this day, both my dad and father-in-law scratch their heads wondering how I’ll make a proper living.
The purpose of our blog, Harriken Tales, isn’t to just promote our core business. We’re looking to leverage the blog as a means of complimenting our work. We’d like to share unique stories of how Harriken is looking to address a problem for a user at a given moment. We’d also like to highlight trends in the rapidly growing yet highly competitive restaurant industry in Dhaka and the obstacles it faces today, such as escalating real estate costs that are forcing restaurants to raise prices, issues related to food adulteration and inadequate customer service. We’ll also talk about the numerous positives that are happening that go unnoticed.
We’ll also be looking to better showcase Harriken’s unique culture and values, all of which collectively make us who we are today. We hope that this paves the way for our increasingly entrepreneurial youth to get out there, break the status quo, and go live their dreams.
