As part of its efforts to empower female entrepreneurs across the country, Citizens Development Business Finance PLC (CDB) collaborated with patpat.lk to host an exclusive workshop for women entrepreneurs of the Sri Lanka Army, Corps of Agriculture and Livestock. During the workshop, participants were introduced to a multitude of services offered by CDB SMB Friday and patpat marketplace to elevate their businesses and enhance their presence across platforms.

The dedicated ‘Viru Liya’ web page in the patpat digital marketplace was also officially launched at the workshop, providing these aspiring women entrepreneurs an even greater reach to seek and meet their potential buyers.

Darshana Jayasinghe, Senior DGM Marketing at CDB, spoke about the initiative, “At CDB, we believe in empowering aspirations of entrepreneurs. This is why we took the initiative to link up the brave women entrepreneurs of the Sri Lanka Army, Corps of Agriculture and Livestock with the large marketplace of buyers we have cultivated through patpat.lk. The Viru Liya web page will function as a central location for them to gather and sell and make connections, opening them up to the world,” he said.

Product demonstrations by multiple women entrepreneurs took place during the event, showcasing the breadth of their efforts. R.P Kusumawathi, an award winning woman entrepreneur who has excelled in producing handcrafts using Water Hyacinth plants (Japan Jabara) carried out a demonstration to up skill the ladies in the audience, fueling their passion to make it big.

Shanthi Abeysekara, President, Seva Vanitha Unit – Sri Lanka Corps of Agriculture and Livestock spoke at the event. “The women entrepreneurs you see here today work hard, day in and day out, to make their ventures successful and to carve out a good future. They are true viru liyan, and the outstanding support extended by CDB and patpat through their SMB Friday initiative and the patpat marketplace respectively will further ensure the fruition of their efforts. We are forever grateful for CDB and patpat for empowering aspirations and will make the best use of the opportunity to market our produce.” She stated.

The CDB SMB Friday initiative, initially launched in 2018, facilitates the aspirations of SME entrepreneurs by providing them digital presence by featuring their businesses on the web and social media platforms. CDB recently launched SMB Friday 2.0 which focuses on approaching entrepreneurs outside the Colombo region and empowering them; by not only promoting their businesses on social media but also by collaborating with patpat marketplace to create both a digital and a physical marketplace for their products.

“When we initially launched SMB Friday, the videos about our partners averaged 35,000 views for a video and helped increase their visibility through our social media channels and corporate website. ‘Tosakanth's Roast Paan and The Sugar Shack’, a venture by two sisters following their passion in cooking,  ‘Creative Play’ an enterprise that helps children enjoy the world of their own making, ‘Cally Reuasble Bags’ that help reduce and reuse and ‘U'r Zest Gami Gedara’ with a new take on traditional food that is fast disappearing, are some of the women led businesses that have gained traction through CDB SMB Fridays. Now, with the addition of the patpat marketplace, the sky is the limit for these aspiring entrepreneurs.” Jayasinghe added.

For more information on CDB SMB Friday and to sign up to be featured as part of the initiative, small and medium entrepreneurs can visit https://www.cdb.lk/cdbsmbfriday/