Hussain M Elius

Hussain M Elius is a Bangladeshi serial entrepreneur, best known as the Co-founder and former CEO of Pathao, Bangladesh's leading on-demand digital platform. 🚀 Born and raised in Dhaka, Elius completed his postgraduate degree from North South University, Bangladesh. 🎓

🛵 Building Pathao — Bangladesh's First "Super App"

📦 In 2015, Elius co-founded Pathao with Shifat Adnan, starting as a small courier delivery service from a secret Facebook group. The concept evolved when the team realized they could utilize motorbikes more efficiently for transportation. 🛵

📊 The Pathao app officially launched in December 2016, marking a turning point. As Elius explained: "Unlike many other countries, Bangladesh did not have a motorcycle as transportation culture. With Pathao, we have helped create that culture." 🌏

📈 Under Elius's leadership, Pathao scaled to:

• 👥 5 million+ users across 5 cities in Bangladesh and Kathmandu, Nepal
• 🛵 50,000+ drivers serving the ride-sharing network
• 🏪 40,000+ merchants on the food delivery platform
• 🏢 1,500+ employees across operations
• 💰 $50 million+ in total funding raised from multiple rounds

🎯 Elius envisioned Pathao as Bangladesh's "super app," inspired by Indonesia's Go-Jek (one of Pathao's key investors). The company became one of Bangladesh's most successful technology startups and helped reshape the entire technology business scene in Dhaka. 🌐

🏆 Forbes 30 Under 30 Recognition

🌟 In April 2019, Elius was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list in the Consumer Tech category. Forbes recognized him and Shifat Adnan for cofounding "the leading ride-sharing, on-demand logistics, and food delivery platform in Bangladesh." 📋

🏅 Prior to the Forbes recognition, Elius was also named Tech's Person of the Year 2018 by Future Startup and featured in their Innovators Under 35 list, acknowledging his role in building a consequential technology company in Bangladesh. 📈

💡 Post-Pathao: Wind and Fin.com

🌐 After stepping down as Pathao CEO, Elius founded Wind (now Fin.com) in 2022, a decentralized banking replacement platform. Wind raised $3.8 million in funding and was processing $100M+/month in transactions before being acquired by Fin.com in 2025. 🏦

🎯 Elius's journey from a garage startup to building Bangladesh's first super app, and then moving into decentralized finance, represents the evolution of Bangladesh's technology ecosystem. He continues to be an influential figure in South Asian startup and fintech circles. 📈