Published: 11:03 AM, 24 May 2026 Last Update: 11:04 AM, 24 May 2026
From Dhaka to Silicon Valley: The Journey of Markopolo AI
Founded in Dhaka in 2021, Markopolo AI has grown from a startup into a globally recognized company that helps e-commerce and DTC businesses recover sales they would otherwise lose. After earning a place at HF0, one of the most competitive startup residencies in San Francisco, the company relaunched its product with a new focus on e-commerce and is now on a mission to recover $100 billion in lost revenue for businesses worldwide by 2030.
The story begins with two founders who refused to wait for the right moment. In 2021, with the world still in the middle of a pandemic, Tasfia Tasbin and Rubaiyat Farhan launched Markopolo AI in Dhaka.
Before Markopolo, Tasbin built years of experience in artificial intelligence, including at Gaze AI, an AI-powered visual technology startup operating out of Singapore and Bangladesh. She had also advised the UN and Bangladesh's national digital innovation program. Farhan studied at both BUET and DU IBA, and previously built a global software product from the ground up as the founder of Onethread. Together, they started the company as an AI marketing platform, helping businesses run better ad campaigns using artificial intelligence.
Recognition came quickly. Markopolo AI won the AI Oasis Hackathon at LEAP 2024, a major technology conference in Saudi Arabia, taking home a $40,000 grant. The company also reached the top 10 in the K-Startup Grand Challenge, a South Korean government initiative that identifies promising startups globally. In 2023, both founders were named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Asia, making the Bangladeshi flag rise higher.
The biggest turn came when Markopolo AI was accepted into HF0, a founder residency in San Francisco that takes in fewer than 10 teams per year from thousands of applicants worldwide. Working alongside teams from OpenAI and Midjourney, the founders made a decisive shift. Instead of focusing on marketing tools, they turned their attention to a bigger problem for e-commerce businesses: building predictive AI for e-commerce.
"We want Markopolo AI to be the company that helps every online store in the world grow. It does not matter where you are based or how big you are. We want to be the reason your customers come back," said Tasfia Tasbin, CEO and Co-founder.
What sets Markopolo AI apart is “ATHENA”, a predictive AI for e-commerce. It can predict intent 10-30 seconds before action. For early customers, cart recovery jumped from around 12% to over 35%.
Markopolo also has multilingual capabilities, including Bengali. When a shopper leaves, Markopolo follows up through email, SMS, WhatsApp, push notifications, or an AI voice call in a way that feels human.
Athena is an ultra-lightweight Edge AI API that gives shopping assistants "emotional intelligence." It doesn’t just see what users view; it senses intent in real time.
"Most brands send the same message to everyone and hope it works. What we built actually understands each shopper and reaches out in a way that feels personal," said Rubaiyat Farhan, CTO and Co-founder. Backed by HF0, Transpose VC, Startup Bangladesh Limited, Accelerating Asia, iDEA, Joa Capital, and TAQADAM, Markopolo AI now operates across Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, and the US, making a strong case that world-class innovation and talent are not limited by geography.
