A staple event of the Sri Lankan tech calendar, Season 9 Finale of the Yarl Geek Challenge (YGC) has come to an end. A competition organized annually by the Yarl IT Hub, the YGC is known to attract the best in entrepreneurship and technology. Over the years, many of the ideas at the Yarl Geek Challenge have become successful startups. ...
For Microsoft in the era of Satya Nadella, fruitful partnerships have come to define its success and recognition as a leader in technology. Annually, at their annual Microsoft Inspire Awards, the global tech giant recognizes the contributions of these partners towards fueling digital transformations across industries. At the 2020 virtual awards ceremony, John Keells IT received 3 awards in recognition ...
The Sri Lankan state sector has shown gradual warming up to digitalization. Taking a lead from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s Digital Sri Lanka initiatives, there are ambitious plans to give the Sri Lankan state sector a much-needed digital makeover. However, there is one area of the state that has been sluggish to implement digital transformations, it is perhaps the most vital ...
Inspired by a fascination with mind-controlled technology, the Myndrone started out as an intern project at Effective Solutions. For the unfamiliar, the Myndrone is a drone flight system that is entirely operated via mind-control. The first step in a line of EEG based systems, Effective Solutions plans on launching similar products as their research in the technology matures. While plenty ...
As marketers, we rely on various tools to help us with our day to day work. Unfortunately with COVID, you might have discontinued some of the more expensive tools you were using. Luckily for us, some fantastic cost-effective options are available. Most of them have free versions so you can upgrade to the paid version for better features. Here are ...
Sri Lanka, an Agriculturally driven state, relies on rice production for both its food security and its economy. Agriculture accounts for 7.42% of the GDP (2019) and 23.73% of the labour force (2020). However, with global warming, an ever-increasing threat, and a declining workforce, the Agriculture sector struggles to keep up with the demand of an ever-increasing population. Even under ...
The idea of a cashless future isn’t a novel one. Yet, as the Central Bank stated in its payments bulletin for Q2 of 2020 cash remains the popular mode for retail payments. When asked about the persistence of cash, Channa de Silva, the General Manager & CEO of LankaClear responded, “It’s too convenient. Today you can walk out of your ...
If there is anything COVID-19 has taught businesses from around the world, it is the power of technology. Over the past year, many businesses have turned to technology to help their business survive. As such, digital services and technology providers saw a boom in the number of new customers. Sri Lanka’s very own transport and logistics service, PickMe, steals the ...
Born out of the desire to make the art of electronics and programming accessible to children all over Sri Lanka, Gavesha is a locally made microcontroller. Designed with modularity in mind, Gavesha is LEGO for technology. A plug and play system, it requires no soldering of components and simplifies assembly, making it user friendly for kids. Describing the vision of ...
Yes, that’s right. It’s another ride-hailing app, this time in the form of the European brand, Bolt. The company marked its entry into Sri Lanka through a pilot launch in Colombo yesterday. Incidentally, this is also the first time the European ride-hailing company has tested the waters in the South Asian region. What is Bolt? Markus Vilig and Martin Vilig ...
Yes, that’s right. It’s another ride-hailing app, this time in the form of the European brand, Bolt. The company marked its entry into Sri Lanka through a pilot launch in Colombo yesterday. Incidentally, this is also the first time the European ride-hailing company has tested the waters in the South Asian region. What is Bolt? Markus Vilig and Martin Vilig ...
Healthnet is not your typical pharmacy. Through its app, you can seamlessly order your medicines and have them delivered to your doorstep. Still, this is merely scratching the surface of the startup’s noble mission towards helping patients suffering from chronic illnesses live a better life. As the Co-Founder and CEO of Healthnet, Deeshana Basnayake puts it, “We want to be ...
As part of Facebook’s efforts to empower local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the social media giant announced the launch of the #BeDiscovered campaign. Conducted in partnership with local influencers running businesses on Facebook’s platforms, the campaign will feature a series of Facebook and Instagram Live discussions. Their goal is to offer a platform for local entrepreneurs to share their ...
As part of Facebook’s efforts to empower local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the social media giant announced the launch of the #BeDiscovered campaign. Conducted in partnership with local influencers running businesses on Facebook’s platforms, the campaign will feature a series of Facebook and Instagram Live discussions. Their goal is to offer a platform for local entrepreneurs to share their ...
In a country where 50% of the population has a smartphone, one would assume that going cashless is a click away. But it’s easier said than done, Channa de Silva, the General Manager & CEO of LankaClear says. “We have 23 million debit cards in circulation, which is more than the population of the country. But most people use it ...
Across the world, citizens are continuously demanding for 2 things. The implementation of good governance and transparency systems to ensure sustainable development. Data is primarily recognized as the ‘heart ‘of digital government initiatives across the globe. In most of the e-government initiatives, secure storage, organization, and maintenance of data across the government is challenging and complex. As per the IDC ...
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of the Sri Lankan economy. According to the Adovcata Institue, SMEs account for 45% of domestic employment and 52% of Sri Lanka’s GDP. Following the coronavirus outbreak businesses large and small turned to technology for continuity. Recently, 2 surveys released by Facebook found SMEs and consumers increased their use of digital tools ...
“This was a great campaign! You should write a blog about what you learned from it” “Yeah! If I find the time I certainly will” This is an all too familiar conversation among marketers that rarely results in a blog. Why does this happen? I can think of several reasons. One that stands out is that writing is seen as ...
“This was a great campaign! You should write a blog about what you learned from it” “Yeah! If I find the time I certainly will” This is an all too familiar conversation among marketers that rarely results in a blog. Why does this happen? I can think of several reasons. One that stands out is that writing is seen as ...
As Sri Lanka deals with the second wave of the coronavirus and its economic impacts, a somewhat novel aspect of the new status quo is our increasing dependency on Digital Services. Many of which, we have come to stability, continuity, and convenience. A notable change in this aspect is the shift of key private and government services to digital. However, ...
