About
Ahmed Ali (often styled as Ahmed R. “Leon” Ali) is a technology entrepreneur and investor who serves as Founder and Chairman of TISTA Science and Technology Corporation and appears as one of the Sharks on Shark Tank Bangladesh, the local edition of the global business reality franchise. On the show, he hears pitches from Bangladeshi founders looking for capital, guidance, and connections, and he has already taken part in notable early deals across consumer goods and tech-driven ventures as the series has rolled out.
Respected for his plain-spoken but supportive approach, Ali brings cross-border expertise to the Tank: he took TISTA from a small beginning to a big, multi-million-dollar technology services firm, expertise that allows him to weigh in within minutes on whether a young Bangladeshi company has what it takes to grow. His inclusion highlights the larger mission of the show—bridging local creativity with capital, guidance, and international expertise.
Before Fame
Ali’s path to entrepreneurship was not linear. Inspired in part by the aviation-driven spirit captured in the film Top Gun, he joined the military when he was young, using that route to fund his education. In uniform he specialized in radio frequency engineering—a technical background that later gave him confidence to tackle complex communications and security problems in the private sector.
After leaving military service, Ali shifted into information security and broader IT services. Those skills formed the backbone of TISTA Science and Technology Corporation, the company he founded and grew through persistence and long hours. Accounts from Bangladesh Brand Forum describe how he pushed through early setbacks and ultimately scaled TISTA into a sizable enterprise, highlighting discipline learned in service and a refusal to give up when contracts were scarce.
Trivia
- Name note: In Shark Tank Bangladesh materials and press coverage he is sometimes referred to as “Ahmed Ali,” “Ahmed R. Ali,” or “Ahmed Leon Ali.” If you see any of those forms, you are looking at the same Shark.
- Roots reflected in a company name: Ali chose the name “TISTA” to honor his Bangladeshi heritage—an affectionate nod to the Teesta River region known to many Bangladeshis—underscoring how personal identity shows up in brand building. (Public profiles highlight that he was raised by Bangladeshi immigrant parents and intentionally wove that heritage into his firm’s identity.)
- From global format to local impact: Ali joined the inaugural Bangladeshi season after producers evaluated more than 2,000 applicant companies to populate the show—evidence of the pent-up entrepreneurial energy he hoped to help unlock.
- Deal-making range: In the premiere episode he helped negotiate investments that spanned food mixes (Cookoly) and skincare (Beauty Solutions), showing an appetite for consumer brands alongside tech.
- Episode stakes: That debut episode alone saw more than Tk 1 crore committed across pitches, a strong signal to founders that real money is on the table when they step into the Tank with Ali and the other investors.
Family Life
Public reports mention Ali was brought up by Bangladeshi immigrant parents, and that family and homeland connection has remained at the core of his narrative. He has talked (in profiles) of needing to “give back” to Bangladesh—one of the reasons he took on the opportunity to invest in and mentor entrepreneurs on the nation’s iteration of the program. Returning capital and know-how to the country of his parents’ origin is one theme that keeps appearing in reporting about him.
Since Ali maintains much of his personal life out of the public eye, in-depth personal information—including names of immediate family or daily routines—hasn’t found its way into public sources. What does ring through is that he is proud of the experience of his parents and how that frames his investor perspective: often, he’ll seek out founders with determination that reminds him of immigrant resolve.
Associated With
Ali sits alongside a rotating group of well-known Bangladeshi business leaders on Shark Tank Bangladesh. Season 1 core investors announced include Sami Ahmed (Startup Bangladesh), Nazim Farhan Chowdhury (Adcomm), Golam Murshed (Maestro/Majesto), Kazi Mahboob Hassan (rVentures/Robi), Navin Ahmed (Gala Makeover Studio & Salon), Fahim Mashroor (Bdjobs), and others who appear across episodes, including Sausan Khan Moyeen, Samanzar Khan, and additional guest Sharks.
During the show’s launch period, Ali appeared with the broader partner group that helped bring the franchise to Bangladesh—Bongo (streaming platform), Deepto TV (broadcast partner), and a slate of corporate sponsors ranging from telecom to finance. His presence in that coalition signals credibility with both local and international stakeholders trying to grow the country’s startup scene.
