July, August & September 2020
Startup News Asia’s third quarter 2020 round-up of Sri Lanka’s startup news from July, August and September.
Each news headline listed below details a tech or startup news item from Q3 2020 connected with an aspect of Sri Lanka’s startup ecosystem; a Sri Lankan startup announcing a new service, product or VC investment, or an article covering something affecting the Sri Lankan startup ecosystem in some way, such as a government or corporate startup investment program, for instance.
The focus is obviously on Sri Lanka’s startups, but technology and startup news headlines are included from the wider region and the world beyond where useful to provide points-of-reference, food for thought, and wider industry knowledge for Sri Lankan startups.
September 2020 | August 2020 | July 2020
Sri Lanka startup news: September 2020
- Sri Lanka: Sixer Video platform selected by AIA Insurance to enable online interviews for agent recruitment
- Sri Lanka: Derana Startup 2021 reality show launches, bringing young entrepreneurs to TV screens with support from the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs
- Sri Lanka: A brief look at Shop Cuban, 2-year-old clothing brand grown using social media from an initial line of 2 t-shirt designs
- Sri Lanka: A deep-dive introduction to HatchX, the country’s first fintech accelerator, now running virtually
- Sri Lanka to introduce PayPal online payment solutions in near future, once concerns around potential money laundering and criminal activities are addressed
- Sri Lanka: LANKAQR launches as a national QR code standard for local currency payments, aiming for 50K merchants accessing digital financial transactions by year-end
- Download: Sri Lanka E-commerce Readiness Assessment Report (pdf)
- Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau announces plan to livestream from national parks
- Sri Lanka: An intro to the 7 fintech startups that presented at the recent HatchX Demo Day
Sri Lanka startup news: August 2020
- Sri Lanka’s Veracity AI partners Australia’s GoMicro for AI-driven mobile phone microscopy in agriculture to identify pests, disease and mineral deficiencies
- Sri Lanka: The Angel Fund, Lankan Angel Network initiative with corpus over $500K, opens applications from early-stage startups with regional and global potential
- Sri Lanka: Tracified gains equity investment from Japan’s 360ip VC firm with blockchain-based traceability solution for supply chains
- Sri Lanka: A brief 2-page round-up of recent Sri Lanka focused technology, startup and funding news, drawn from Startup News Asia’s daily updates
- Sri Lanka: National Savings Bank to implement solution for mitigating fraud in partnership with ACI Worldwide digital payment software and solutions firm
- Sri Lanka: An intro to the women-led startups from the recently-launched Hatch Kickass Bootcamp
- Sri Lanka: Information and Communication Technology Agency and UN Development Programme sign 4-year MoU to focus on public sector digital transformation
Sri Lanka startup news: July 2020
- Sri Lanka: Central Bank’s Monetary Board considering 3 shortlisted tech firms to develop proof-of-concept around blockchain-based, shared KYC facility
- SLASSCOM, Sri Lanka Assoc’ of Software and Services Companies appoints Advisory Leader of PwC Sri Lanka as new Chairman
- Sri Lanka: Hatch cowork and startup hub launches Open House, free mentorship program connecting mentors with founders to provide guidance and insight
- 2020 Global Startup Ecosystem Report from Startup Genome and Global Entrepreneurship Network ranks Sri Lanka as number 2 Global Ecosystem for Affordable Talent
- Sri Lanka: PickMe on-demand mobility startup partnered by Microsoft to boost driver benefits and cut passenger wait times
- Sri Lanka: Central Bank to develop ]proof-of-concept for blockchain-based, shared know-your-customer system, in part aiming to boost digital financial inclusion
- Sri Lanka: Hatch coworking partners HubSpot software firm to launch HubSpot for Startups program
- Sri Lanka: A quick look at Hatch’s Open House mentorship program, currently supporting 54 startups across fintech, advertising, fashion and more
- Sri Lanka: An overview of the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka’s Vision 2024 road map
- Sri Lanka: Applications for Founder Institute’s Colombo Virtual 2020 program close August 23rd, with discounted Early Admissions closing July 19th
- Sri Lanka: Derana START UP 2021 applications open, seeking under-35 entrepreneurs with business operations not older than 24 months
- Sri Lanka: Veracity AI partners Australia’s GoMicro for use of mobile phone-based AI-powered microscopy in agriculture
- Sri Lanka: Hack:bit 2020 virtual hackathon registrations close 15th August for school and university students considering STEM studies and careers
