The Women Technopreneurs Forum of SLASSCOM made waves with the thrilling conclusions of two flagship initiatives—Hack Like a Girl 2.0 and Fast Forward 4.0—both designed to empower Sri Lanka’s next generation of female tech founders and redefine the country’s innovation landscape.
At the grand finale of Fast Forward 4.0, five standout startups—Meribel, Ivena (Littoral), Ceylon Speechi, Electriquote, and Innosync—emerged victorious, impressing judges with their innovative business models and strong market potential. The winners will receive comprehensive support including access to funding, expert guidance in strategy, legal affairs, product development, and marketing. Additionally, four startups will gain personalized mentorship from an experienced venture capitalist, and two founders will be granted complimentary office space at GrandSpace, the event’s official Serviced Office Partner.
Now in its fourth year, Fast Forward is a two-month accelerator program exclusively for female tech entrepreneurs. The program features expert-led sessions on critical topics like product development, sales, finance, and pitching, culminating in a dynamic Demo Day in Colombo, highlighted by a keynote from Makers Global CEO Nevindaree Premarathne. An expert judging panel of industry leaders brought valuable insights, spotlighting the transformative potential of women-led startups in Sri Lanka.
Running concurrently from July to November 2024, Hack Like a Girl 2.0 challenged young women nationwide to develop tech solutions addressing pressing issues in health, education, sustainability, tourism, and agriculture. Following three regional mini-hackathons, 12 university teams competed in the Grand Finale. Winning teams from Sabaragamuwa University, Vavuniya University, and IIT-KDU impressed judges with innovative solutions including a child health tracking app, a smart cane for the visually impaired, and a tour guide app with integrated hotel bookings. These purpose-driven projects demonstrated the fearless innovation defining the future of Sri Lankan tech.
The hackathon finale was judged by experts including Shehan Selvanayagam (MD, Loops), Dr. Buddhima Subasinghe (NIBM), Dr. Kalpana Ambepitiya (KDU), and Abith Latiff (ICTA Sri Lanka).
Both initiatives were supported by the Royal Norwegian Embassy, with MAS Holdings as Platinum Sponsor for Hack Like a Girl and GrandSpace as Serviced Office Partner for Fast Forward.
Since its founding in 2020, the Women Technopreneurs Forum of SLASSCOM has grown from 14 to over 110 women-led startups, playing a crucial role in Sri Lanka’s national goal of 1,000 new startups by 2030. Through mentorship, financial backing, and industry collaboration, the Forum is nurturing a thriving ecosystem for women technopreneurs.
