Ten emerging startups took centre stage at First Capital Startup Nation by Hatch Demo Day 2026, marking a significant step in their journey from building innovative businesses to accessing capital, industry connections and international opportunities.

Held on 1 October at Trace Expert City, the Demo Day brought together founders participating in the 2026 programme before a panel of judges, investors, corporates, media and members of Sri Lanka’s wider startup ecosystem. First Capital Startup Nation by Hatch is an initiative by First Capital Holdings PLC, a subsidiary of JXG (Janashakthi Group), combining First Capital’s capital markets expertise with Hatch’s startup ecosystem to create greater pathways for emerging businesses.

The programme has also expanded its regional footprint, with Startup Nation now being delivered across four markets, including Sri Lanka, Nepal, India and Bangladesh. This regional scale brings together emerging businesses across South Asia, creating a broader platform for founders to access opportunities, networks and exposure beyond their home markets. Against this backdrop, the Sri Lankan Demo Day forms part of a wider regional platform supporting the growth and development of emerging startups.

The Demo Day moved the participating startups beyond the development phase, giving founders a platform to present their businesses, demonstrate the problems they are addressing and articulate the market opportunities they are pursuing. It also brought them into direct conversations with investors, corporates and ecosystem stakeholders who can play a role in their next stage of growth. A key outcome of the event was the selection of the top three startups to progress to a closed-door equity funding round, giving them an opportunity to present their businesses in a more focused setting and engage directly around potential investment.

Hatch also announced their new initiative HLAB, a LKR 3 billion collective fund backed by First Capital Holdings PLC as the anchor committing LKR 300 million to fuel early and growth-stage Sri Lankan startups ready to scale regionally. This is done in partnership with Lankan Angel Network, and BOV Capital.

Dilshan Wirasekara, Managing Director/CEO of First Capital Holdings PLC, said, “The next phase of Sri Lanka’s entrepreneurial growth will depend not only on the ideas we generate, but on our ability to connect those ideas with capital, expertise and markets. Through First Capital Startup Nation by Hatch, we are creating a pathway that brings promising businesses closer to the resources and networks they need to scale. As a subsidiary of JXG, First Capital brings a strong understanding of capital markets to this platform, and we see real value in using that expertise to support the next generation of businesses being built in Sri Lanka.”

Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya, Chief Advisor to the President of Sri Lanka on Digital Economy, delivered the keynote address at the event, and stated that: “Sri Lanka offers a compelling proposition for global investment in the digital space, anchored on two core pillars: Talent which is renowned to be of the highest calibre and a Trust Framework which is world-class. As Sri Lanka advances towards a $15 billion digital economy by 2030, it generates in its wake a $25 billion or so in cumulative value creation, which is up for grabs by investors and innovators alike. Sri Lanka will continue to enhance its portfolio of entrepreneurship and competitiveness enablers - soon to be introduced Capital Mobility facilitation, will enable Sri Lankan startups to expand regionally while retaining their base in-country, and a Virtual Special Economic Zone for Digital Businesses is in the pipeline as is enabling regulation for Virtual Asset Service Providers.”

The programme also creates a pathway to an international platform. The overall number one startup from First Capital Startup Nation by Hatch 2026 will travel to San Francisco in November to compete at the Startup World Cup, following the programme’s partnership with US-based Pegasus Ventures, organisers of the global competition. First Capital Startup Nation by Hatch is the official regional partner for the Startup World Cup.

The opportunity gives the selected startup the chance to take its business to an international platform, connect with a wider ecosystem of entrepreneurs and investors, and represent Sri Lanka on a global stage through First Capital Startup Nation by Hatch.

Jeevan Gnanam, Co-Founder of Hatch, said, “Demo Day is where founders move from building within a programme to putting their businesses into the wider ecosystem. What makes this stage particularly meaningful is the access it creates. Access to investors, corporates, feedback and opportunities that can help businesses move forward. With the equity funding round and the opportunity to compete internationally, the founders now have tangible pathways to take what they have built to the next level.”

The ten participating startups presented a range of emerging business concepts and technology-led solutions, offering investors, corporates and other stakeholders an insight into the ideas and businesses being developed by the next generation of Sri Lankan founders. With three startups progressing to an equity funding opportunity and the programme’s overall winner set to compete internationally, First Capital Startup Nation by Hatch 2026 is creating a structured pathway that connects entrepreneurship with capital, market access and global exposure.

For the participating founders, Demo Day represents a point of transition from developing their businesses to pursuing the capital, connections and opportunities that can help turn promising ideas into scalable businesses.

Photo Caption - First Capital Startup Nation by Hatch