SLASSCOM launches ‘Women Technopreneurs Forum’ fuelling female-led tech start-ups

The SLASSCOM team of the Women Technopreneurs initiative

SLASSCOM Chairman Channa Manoharan

SLASSCOM Vice Chairperson Sandra De Zoysa addressing the forum

Sri Lanka has proven itself to be a promising birthing ground for innovation, entrepreneurship and technology-led businesses. However, although the country boasts of parenting several successful IT conglomerates, the island’s tech-based entrepreneurs have less female representation in this arena. 

This led to the formation of the Women Technopreneurs Forum – an initiative by SLASSCOM to create positive change across the tech start up ecosystem in Sri Lanka and to support, promote and grow women technopreneurs in the country.

“We need to encourage and nurture our new age female entrepreneurs who are talented dynamic, innovative and use technology to create start-up businesses. Once successful, these technopreneurs can expand their startup ventures to the global markets whilst disrupting current business models,” explains Sandra De Zoysa, SLASSCOM Vice Chairperson and Executive Sponsor of the Women Technopreneurs initiative. 

SLASSCOM believes in the power of women helping women and ‘He for She’ where the men support women to succeed. SLASSCOM’s aspiration of 1,000 start-ups by 2025 will be supported by this initiative in which we hope to promote a fair proportion to be female-owned and female led. We will be working in close collaboration with other like-minded chambers, associations and government institutions to fuel, facilitate, sponsor and support women to be successful female technopreneurs,” said Sandra.       

These sentiments were further echoed by Chairman Channa Manoharan who averred that “the forum will be an initiative that will create a profound impact in the lives of women and transform the IT industry and Sri Lanka’s economy.” 

The forum launched was attended by Guest of Honour the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway to Sri Lanka Trine Jøranli Eskedal, SLASSCOM office bearers, the women’s tech advisory committee and female tech trailblazers. “It gives me great pleasure to be a part of this launch,” said Eskedal, adding that “this initiative has an immense potential to create positive and fast change across Sri Lanka’s tech eco-system”.

SLASSCOM Director and Forum Board Lead Shehani Seneviratne in her address stated: “We are driven by several objectives: increasing the number of women-led enterprises within the 1,000 start-up goal, enhancing contribution of Foreign Revenue by women-run tech businesses, providing access to local and international ecosystems including networking, mentoring and coaching, and funding opportunities.”

The keynote was delivered by Founder, CEO of iSTEM Without Borders and former Lead System Integration Mechanical Engineer at SpaceX Melony Mahaarachchi via a video presentation from the US. 

Director and Board Lead for Entrepreneurship & Innovation and Lead – Advisory Committee Member of Wtech Anura De Alwis as well as Forum Head and Careerly Founder Hira Fernando also spoke at the event, elaborating on the plans they have to ensure the success of SLASSCOM’s newest initiative.

Sandra is a firm believer that women who aspire to achieve success must come out to take on leading roles. “From handling the pandemic to pursuing higher education, women have proven to be very capable and creative and now is a good time as any for women to start up a technology enabled business and we are here to help them take the risk and make the leap to success,” she notes. 

She thanked SLASSCOM and its corporate sponsors, Hatch and Dialog Axiata and launch event co-sponsor and platform partner Ideamart, as well as other partners ,advisory committees and all those who have pledge their support to the SLASSCOM Wtech forum and all the invitees who took time off to attend this glamourous event to make it a success.