(LANKAPUVATH | COLOMBO) – The Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka announcedthat it successfully concluded the first ‘Spiralation Demo Day’ for 2022. The event’s main objective is to bring to light and encourage local startups to bring forward their innovations to a global arena. Furthermore, it strongly aligns to generate USD 3Bn of foreign exchange revenue via the knowledge services and technology sectors by 2024.
In line with the ICTA Digital Economy strategy, since 2010, ICTA has supported developing startup ecosystems by creating awareness, instilling entrepreneurship culture, incubation, market access, early-stage seed funding, consulting, and mentoring startups. In addition, initiatives such as removing impediments, credit framework, startupSL platform, and government software sourcing from startups are an asset to all the tech startups in the country introduced to encourage more new tech-related businesses emerging in Sri Lanka.
The ‘Spiralation Demo Day’ brought together potential clientsand investors representing corporates and allowed startups to pitch their products. Furthermore, it was followed by business matchmaking sessions.
Commenting on this initiative, Mr.Oshada Senanayake, Chairman, ICTA stated,“it is a significant moment for the startup ecosystem, especially when it is experiencing tremendous growth. It is encouraging to see our startup founders’ enormous talent and ideas. ‘Spiralation’ is one important platform that encourages startups to keep pushing the boundaries of innovation and idea generation. We are here to help and facilitate and help these startups”.
Mr. Sachindra Samararatne, Director, Startup Ecosystem Development, ICTA, stated, “The startups we see today give us a glimpse of the future. The founders behind the ventures will be the business leaders of tomorrow. ICTA is proud to facilitate this platform for these startups to take their business to the next level. This enables socioeconomic development in Sri Lanka and drives towards creating a technology-driven Startup Nation by 2030. ”
The seven startups that pitched their products included AgXone (Pvt) Ltd, Bluechip Technologies Asia, Direct Pay, ShoutOut Labs, Frammix, Gavesha Labs, and SenzMate (Pvt) Ltd.
Some of the innovations pitched at the forum were, drone based agriculture services for agribusinesses to improve crop productivity (AGXone), In field of Mobile App, AI, E-Commerce, Blockchain, Games and 3D Solutions (Bluechip Technologies Asia), Electronic payments providing a viable alternative to cash, POS and MPOS systems(Direct Pay) and Enterprise-grade loyalty platform, AI chatbots and SMS campaign management (ShoutOut Labs).
Furthermore Immersive Technologies such as Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Mixed Reality for better customer experience(Frammix), Educational tools for curious young explorers to learn and engage with STEM (Gavesha Labs) and integrated IoT Intelligence, collected sensor data and AIoT technologies (SenzMate Pvt. Ltd) were showcased at the forum.
‘Spralation’ – Tech Startup Support and Seed Grant initiative is now accepting applications for the year 2022. Tech startups less than three years in existence are eligible to get up to Rs. 1.5Mn as a grant along with training and workshops. It is a unique opportunity for startups to take their business to the next level and even expand to a global scale. Application submission deadline closes on27th April 2022 (11.59 PM Sri Lanka time). For More Information, Visit: https://bit.ly/ictaspiralation22 or register here https://bit.ly/Spiralation_2022.
