Colombo, Sri Lanka – 2nd October 2025. The First Capital Startup Nation 2025 initiative by
Hatchworks kicked off from 29th September to 1st October 2025, marking a new journey for
Startups to get international visibility. Day One culminated in a groundbreaking collaborative
experience, Sri Lanka’s first-ever Unconference to shape the future of the Startup Ecosystem.
Designed and executed by Impactr, the Knowledge Partner for the event, the session broke
away from scripted panels to embrace a radically different, participant-driven approach. Unlike
traditional conferences where speakers dominate the stage, the Unconference format
empowers attendees to propose, debate, and co-create solutions in real time. Global tech
leaders like Google have long used the method, but this was a first for Sri Lanka’s startup
community.
“An Unconference is where you leave the script behind,” said Sajini Jayawardena, Co-Founder
of Impactr and Innovation Design Consultant. “It allows founders, investors, and partners to
speak openly, challenge assumptions, and co-design solutions. Startups in Sri Lanka have the
passion to grow, but too often less of a voice and limited access to resources. This format gives
them ownership, ground-up collaboration, and a genuine chance to shape their future.”
Themed “Breaking Barriers to Market Access & Startup Funding,” the event brought together
almost 50 investors, startups, and ecosystem partners, divided into six clusters. Together, they
analyzed six most pressing challenges under the theme: Funding Gaps, Policy & Regulatory
Issues, Talent & Knowledge Gaps, Cultural Risk Aversion, Financial and Payment Access and
finally Ecosystem Support Gaps. Participants highlighted the lack of adequate seed and angel
capital, alongside outdated laws, excessive bureaucracy, and unpredictable tax changes all
slowing business growth. It was noted that Sri Lanka faces shortages of deep-tech, AI, and
digital specialists, while gaps in digital, AI, deep tech, entrepreneurial and business skills make
local startups less competitive globally. At the same time, cultural attitudes toward risk-taking
remain cautious, with a national bias for traditional, asset-heavy business models. This extends
to banks, which remain reluctant to support high-growth startups without collateral. These being
among the problems, apart from payment restrictions and lack of wider incubation and
acceleration facilities to accommodate the vision of a Startup hub. “Having diverse perspectives
from both Startups and foreign investors at the same time was pivotal, this type of collaboration
is just what Sri Lanka needs” added Indu Nanayakkara, Co-Founder of Impactr and Social
Media Consultant.
The Unconference concluded with strong recommendations: tax reforms to support startups,
incentives for banks to launch venture capital arms, smoother policies for foreign investors,
international payment access, and heavy investment in advanced skills development. Without
action, experts warned, Sri Lanka risks losing ground to regional peers like Vietnam and
Bangladesh, which have successfully leveraged policy and capital to fuel startup ecosystems.
Impactr’s leadership as Knowledge Partner was pivotal. It is an entity that is becoming widely
popular for its upskilling programs, innovative strategy, and design-thinking consultancy, and
novel events such as Bootcamps, Sprints, Unconferences and more which it conducts for
Companies, Communities and Organizations. Impactr has worked with companies, startups,
and professionals in Sri Lanka, US, UK and APAC to spark creativity and build sustainable
ventures.
