Blog
Notes from NeedTown.
What we're building, why we're building it from Bangladesh, and what the research says about the problems worth solving.
- Photography — an apartment building facade in a dense Dhaka neighbourhood16/9Research
The Hidden Cost of Managing Rentals on Paper
In much of urban Bangladesh, a tenancy is still a handshake and a verbal understanding. That flexibility cuts both ways — and it's the reason so many rent disputes have no record to settle them.
August 14, 2026 - Photography — a shopkeeper's paper ledger (khata) open on a counter next to a calculator16/9Research
Beyond the Khata: Why Bangladesh's Small Shops Still Run on Paper
Millions of small businesses in Bangladesh still track sales, credit and stock in a physical notebook. That's not a technology gap — it's a trust gap, and it's worth understanding before trying to close it.
August 11, 2026 - Photography — a food delivery rider and a ride-hailing driver, side by side on a busy street16/9Research
What Grab, Gojek, and WeChat Got Right About Super-Apps
Southeast and East Asia's biggest 'super-apps' didn't win by cramming features into one icon. They won by solving one problem first, then earning the right to solve the next one.
August 8, 2026 - Photography — a person checking a smartphone at a local shop counter16/9Research
Bangladesh's Digital Economy, In Numbers
Mobile subscribers, internet access and online shopping are all growing in Bangladesh — but the numbers show a market still in the middle of its transition, not past it.
August 4, 2026 - Photography — a hand holding a phone, unlocking it, in natural light16/9Company
One Town ID: Why We Only Want You to Sign Up Once
A single account is supposed to reach everything NeedTown builds. Here's what that promises, and what it deliberately refuses to do.
July 28, 2026 - Photography — a street-level scene in Dhaka: a shopfront, a rickshaw, ordinary daily life16/9Company
Why We're Building From Bangladesh, Not Just For It
Starting in Bangladesh isn't a limitation we're working around — it's the reason the work has to be good.
July 20, 2026