The High Commission of Sri Lanka in Dhaka organized a virtual meeting with the participation of the Information Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) in Sri Lanka and the Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) on 05 January to explore the opportunities of enhancing cooperation in the ICT sector and digital economy of both countries.

Making a comprehensive presentation, Associate Chief Digital Economy Officer of ICTA Sachindra Samararatne and Director Industry Development of ICTA Chiranthi Balapatabendi explained Sri Lanka’s ICT industry, its strengths and potential areas that can be collaborated. They also elaborated Sri Lanka’s 5-year strategy to develop the country’s Digital Economy.

Leading the discussion, Vice President of BASIS Fahim Ahmed and the officials of ICTA discussed potential areas of cooperation, which include connecting ICTA with BASIS members, exchanging ICT sector delegations, increasing links with universities to promote ICT education, sharing expertise in skills development and capacity building.

First Secretary (Commercial) Srimali Jayarathna of the High Commission of Sri Lanka participated in the discussion.

The Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka and partner organizations will mark Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) from 14th -20th November 2022. Over eighty events will be organized by fifty ecosystem enablers covering four themes; ecosystems, education, inclusion, and policy. In addition, a series of events will take place across the country to celebrate and empower entrepreneurs as a driving force in the economy.

Professor Malik Ranasignhe- Chairman ICTA, Mr. Suresh de Mel - Acting Managing Director Global Entrepreneurship Network Sri Lanka and, Chairman & Chief Executive – the Sri Lanka Export Development Board, Mr. Sachindra Samararathne – Associate Chief Digital Economy Officer, ICTA, Ms. Thilaka Jayasundara – Secretary Ministry of Industries, Ms. Lakmini Wijesundara – Co-founder and Executive Director at IronOne Technologies and  BoardPAC, Mr. Charitha Elvitigala – Co- Founder, Bug Zero, along with many other distinguished guests attended the launch ceremony on 14th November 2022

Speaking at the launch Mr. Suresh de Mel stated, “this November, Global Entrepreneurship Network will celebrate 15 years of helping millions of people unleash their ideas to start and scale new businesses through GEW. The campaign began in 2008 with an emphasis on inspiring young people to make their mark and has quickly grown to become a comprehensive effort that engages entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, researchers, support organizations and others collaborating to advance economic growth and innovation in more than 180+ countries around the world., GEW is an international movement dedicated to making it possible for anyone, anywhere to start and scale a company. It is an ideal platform for all aspiring individuals or institutions to connect, understand, support, and celebrate entrepreneurs globally”.

Throughout the GEW, informative and engaging discussions will take place to encourage entrepreneurs, stimulate economic expansion, and improve the welfare of individuals. Apart from entrepreneurs, there will be activities for school students, university students, regional startup hubs and enablers, and aspiring entrepreneurs. Initiatives during the week include Bootcamps, Career Guidance sessions, entrepreneurs' fair, virtual panel discussions, hackathons, and workshops. In addition, topics such as ‘Challenge the Conventions’, ‘Pathways to Entrepreneurship in Japan, ‘Digital SME 101’, ‘Coding for Girls’, ‘Suhuruliya #SheMeansBusiness’, ‘Entrepreneurship policies and challenges in Digital Era’, ‘Bug Hunter Freelancer programs’, and ‘Investor Pitching’ will be covered through the activities.

Associate Chief Digital Economy Officer, ICTA, Sachindra Samararathne stated, “through the engagement of GEW, we hope to celebrate the entrepreneur journey, connect the support ecosystem with entrepreneurs and encourage budding entrepreneurs to start their venture contributing to the economic growth of our Country ”.

Secretary Ministry of Industries, Ms. Thilaka Jayasundara, stated, “as the key Ministry responsible for promoting industrial development in the country within the wide policy framework of the government, we believe entrepreneurs play a key role in driving the economy of the nation”.

Ms. Lakmini Wijesundara, Co-founder and Executive Director at IronOne Technologies & BoardPAC, shared her insights on how entrepreneurs should rise amidst challenges, especially in the context of female entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka, and discussed the immense potential the path of entrepreneurship offered for females.

The line up of activities coinciding with Global Entrepreneurship Week is made possible by the generous support of corporate sponsor Bug Zero, media partners, Digital Content (Private) Limited, Arteculate, and MTV News First, along with many ecosystem enablers.

To learn more about how you can be a part of Global Entrepreneurship Week, follow twitter.com/GEWSriLanka or follow facebook.com/ictasrilanka/ . Register for a GEW activity at https://lnkd.in/gr8ZttrF

Women Will, together with Impactr is excited to celebrate Global Entrepreneur Week 2022 (#GEW2022) hosted by the ICTA in Sri Lanka. In celebration of GEW, the two entities are hosting a significant and insightful virtual workshop on Thursday, 17th November 2022, at 5.30pm. This workshop is exclusively for business owners, solopreneurs, startup founders, SME owners as well as working professionals.

The workshop will consist of two sessions. The first, “Personal Branding for Entrepreneurs” will be conducted by Indu Nanayakkara, Digital Marketing Strategist and the Country Lead for Women Will and Co-founder of Impactr.

The second session, “Design Thinking for Starters” will be conducted by Sajini Jayawardena, Business Strategy & Design Thinking Trainer & Consultant. Sajini is also the Country Manager for Google Business Group and is the Co-founder of Impactr. This workshop is specifically for entrepreneurs and professionals who are new to Design Thinking and its fundamentals.

In 2022 and beyond, it is vital for business owners, startup founders and even professionals to build their personal brand online. Online Personal Branding has become vital for a successful business, not only helping to reduce its marketing budget, but also attracting the top of the talent pool to the business.

Additionally, Design Thinking has become one of the most trending topics of 2022 and is used as the means of harnessing innovation for businesses, startups, professionals and project teams to think out of the box and adopt creative methods to find the best course of action to a given problem. It also focuses on offering customer-oriented solutions to businesses and an opportunity to finetune existing product ideas, services or diversification plans. Design Thinking also helps to reinvent business models, stagnant products and services and to spark creativity throughout the teams by emphasizing on the customer, the design and the innovation aspects.

Due to the nature of the event only a limited number of participants will be accommodated, therefore, prior registration and confirmation of attendance is required. Registration can be made on https://weareimpactr.page.link/GEW22.

The Official Facebook Event page https://www.facebook.com/events/2473942636108210/ and @weareimpactr on Instagram provides more updates and details on the event.

Indu Nanayakkara, Digital Marketing Strategist and the Country Lead for Women Will and Co-founder of Impactr

Sajini Jayawardena, Business Strategy & Design Thinking Trainer and Consultant, Country Manager for Google Business Group and Co-founder of Impactr

Images of political complication and economic strife are the norm across world media coverage of Sri Lanka this year. After a recent market study visit however by Vikram Bharati, founder of Draper Startup House—having links to Tim Draper, the billionaire investor, known for his bold bets like Hotmail, Tesla, and Coinbase—he is confident the entrepreneurship ecosystem Sri Lanka is building presents the country’s greatest opportunity in overcoming its hardships.

“Sri Lanka has tremendous potential to emerge a true start-up nation. It has all the ingredients we’ve seen before, so we’re betting on it,” Vikram said in an interview.

In Colombo, Vikram met with Jeevan Gnanam and Brindha Selvadurai, creators of the award winning Sri Lankan co-working space, start-up incubator, and accelerator, “Hatch”. Together, they envision an economy fueled by purpose driven innovators and are on a mission to develop a thriving startup ecosystem by empowering budding entrepreneurs.

Jeevan’s passion for disruptive innovation and supporting the startup ecosystem in Sri Lanka as a means to build the economy started when he was growing Orion City, Sri Lanka’s largest IT-park. “Innovation is known to breed in crisis, Sri Lanka must focus on adopting a growth mindset and remaining resilient as they have done several times before. The community at Hatch and the ecosystem we are building represents the hope that still remains in Sri Lanka.” says Jeevan. He added “Sri Lanka has the potential to produce pioneer innovations as elements of the crises we are currently facing head first are being seen across the world”

Hatch runs several incubator and accelerator programs aimed at building a strong local ecosystem by creating new paradigms for idea commercialization in Sri Lanka. Hatch encourages local entrepreneurs to build start-ups which can be taken to the global stage. For Sri Lanka to emerge as a start-up nation, it is important that ecosystem players work together, hence partnerships with local universities and start-up hubs across the country allow Hatch to reach as many aspiring entrepreneurs as possible. In addition to this, Hatch collaborates with local government institutions in Sri Lanka like SLASSCOM and the ICTA, the apex ICT institution of the Government mandated to drive digital transformation.

In 2021, Sri Lanka’s start-up ecosystem was valued at USD 132 million with year-on-year growth of 13% since 2010. Although the current economic situation has seen the ecosystem take a hit from hyperinflation to increased taxes, and brain drain, Sri Lanka’s potential and promise can reverse this. Sri Lanka needs to successfully leverage its unique selling points, such as its educated, english speaking, resilient human capital and its advantageous geopolitical location, with several key Asian and Middle Eastern economies within a short, five-hour flight.

Organizations like Hatch are front runners in driving Sri Lanka’s startup ecosystem. Having grown from just 40 members to over 800 in just four years and rapidly bouncing back to 100% occupancy, despite Covid lockdowns and mass protest movements in the area - a testament to the strength of a community which organically developed through a set of shared values and the belief in building something greater than themself.

As a female entrepreneur herself, Brindha is passionate about empowering other female entrepreneurs and one of the core programs of Hatch is AccelerateHer aimed at addressing barriers faced by women in entrepreneurship through mentorship, business development, and investor matching. AccelerateHer has reached over 140 women entrepreneurs across Sri Lanka since its inception in September 2021 with alumni going on to win local rounds of global programs like SheLovesTech 2022, launch their brands and expand their distribution channels locally.

The Hatch community has generated many firsts in the Web3 and Artificial Intelligence space. Its recent partnership with IFS, a global tech firm to launch Sri Lanka’s first AI-Machine learning Incubator, is yet another example of Hatch leading the way in facilitating market disruption and supporting Sri Lankans in developing solutions with global value. This along with facilitating regular Web3 meetups and an NFT auction through a startup called Hyperglade to raise funds for medical supplies, shows that the community is focused on solutions for the new economy and building a new way forward.

Hatch also led the Green Energy Champion Accelerator program as part of the Green Energy Championship. This program was designed to identify businesses actively trying to implement energy-efficient projects and give participants the opportunity to tap into global markets. The program accelerated South Asia’s first route optimization solution as well as Sri Lanka’s first electric smart bicycle - Rhoda which went on to partner with Pickme, a local ride hailing service during the fuel crisis.

Despite the hardships that Sri Lanka continues to go through, organizations like Hatch remain a testament to resilience and hope for the start-up ecosystem in Sri Lanka which will be a major determinant of Sri Lanka’s economic recovery. 

The Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) recently concluded the third ‘Spiralation Demo Day' at the SPARX Lab. ICTA has been supporting the development of the startup ecosystem since 2010 by creating awareness, instilling entrepreneurship culture, incubation, providing market access, early-stage seed funding, consulting, and mentoring.

Seven startups presented their solutions to potential investors at the third 'Spiralation Demo Day'. The seven startups include Expoloader (space optimization software), Billable (All in One Business Management Toolkit), Eimsky (one-stop vendor for RFID/Access management needs), Helios (peer-to-peer lending and alternative financing platform), QBus (online bus ticket booking service), AnyBanq (digital banking information platform), and Superb Business Solutions (Pvt) Ltd. (Student MIS).

The forum provided valuable networking opportunities for potential startups to meet with industry-heavy hitters and expand their professional sphere of influence. The event was made possible by the generous contributions of alumni of the Spiralation programme: Bhasha Lanka Pvt Ltd, Direct Pay, Loops Digital Pvt Ltd, Nanosoft Global Pvt Ltd (Smart COOP), SenzMate Pvt Ltd, and Univiser.io. 

Mr Sachindra Samararatne, Associate Chief Digital Economy Officer ICTA, stated, “promoting entrepreneurship is of paramount importance. It should be encouraged at this point as it contributes to revitalizing the local economy despite many challenges. Spiralation is facilitated by ICTA with the support of the startup ecosystem to uncover startups that are hidden gems, and we are proud to facilitate the Spiralation Demo Day to help these startups take their business to the next level.”

He went on to say, "This year, over 24 firms have had the opportunity of presenting at the 'Spiralation Demo Day', and they have been able to generate over 50 new leads altogether. There are many success stories of companies that have been a part of this initiative, which shows the trust and credibility created".

Commenting on the initiative, Mr Hithesh Fernando, founder and CEO of Fintech Digital Pvt. Ltd. stated, "we owe a great deal of our success and presence to ICTA. It has enabled us to build connections with the startup ecosystem and helped us reach a range of markets worldwide. "

The startup ecosystem has been growing steadily thanks to the support of several partners contributing to this worthy cause. These measures will catapult Sri Lankan enterprises to new heights and aid in contributing to the development of the Sri Lankan economy. Potential startups interested in being a part of ICTA Spiralation programs can connect with us via startups@icta.lk

The Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA), announces that Professor Malik Ranasinghe has assumed duties as Chairman, ICTA.

Professor Malik Ranasinghe is a Senior Professor in Civil Engineering at the University of Moratuwa (UoM) He is a Chartered Engineer, International Professional Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka, Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, Sri Lanka, Fellow of the Institute of Project Managers, Sri Lanka and Graduate Member of Sri Lanka Institute of Directors.

Prof. Ranasinghe is the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Moratuwa, former Fellow of the National University of Singapore, former Commission Member of the University Grants Commission, former Council Member of the National Research Council, and the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU).

Prof. Ranasinghe obtained his PhD from The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, in Civil Engineering Economics as a Canadian Commonwealth Scholar. He has over 130 research publications, of which over 70 are international refereed. He is a Sri Lanka Tier 4* researcher and his Hirsch Index (h-Index) for research publications is 18.

Since 2003 he has been involved with the corporate sector as an Independent non-Executive Director of Public Listed Companies (PLCs). At present he is an independent non-Executive Director of Access Engineering PLC, Resus Energy PLC, Teejay Lanka PLC and United Motors Lanka PLC. He was a former Chairman of Sampath Bank PLC and former non-executive Director of the Colombo Stock Exchange, Sampath Bank PLC, Hemas Power PLC and Lanka IOC PLC.

He commented on his appointment,”Sri Lanka is at a crucial juncture where technology plays a pivotal role in driving the nation forward. I am happy to be a part of ICTA to effectively and efficiently drive the nation forward. I would like to congratulate Ms. Vishaka Nanayakkara on her appointment as a Member of the ICTA Board.

Ms. Vishaka Nanayakkara is a Senior Lecturer and Director of the Centre for Open and Distance Learning (CODL) at the University of Moratuwa. Prior to that, she was  Head of the School of Information Technology & Electrical Engineering at the Northshore College of Business & Technology, Sri Lanka.  She was the Coordinator for introducing ICT for BA Degrees on behalf of the Ministry of Higher Education, Sri Lanka. She has over twenty five years of experience teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students in Computer, Electrical, and Electronic Engineering in various IT-related subjects. Furthermore, her research interests include e-Governance, ICT4D, performance modelling and analysis, and Technology-based teaching, learning, assessment in higher education.

Ms. Nanayakkara received her Bachelor of Science in Engineering specializing in Computer Science and Engineering from University of Moratuwa and Technical Licentiate from the Department of Computer Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden.