Global Entrepreneurship Week 2023: Sri Lanka thrives in entrepreneurial spirit

The Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka hosted the Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) in Sri Lanka for the second consecutive year, from 13 to 19 November. Themed “Entrepreneurs Thrive Here,” GEW 2023 in Sri Lanka accentuated the ecosystems, education, inclusion, and policy, aiming to celebrate and empower entrepreneurs across various industries by fostering collaboration among local entrepreneurs, investors, and researchers.

GEW is a dedicated celebration of visionary entrepreneurs globally that dare to dream big and bring their startup ideas to life. Organised by the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN), GEW is a signature event spanning nearly 200 nations to recognise and promote entrepreneurship worldwide. Each November, collaborators worldwide join forces to organise events and activities that honour and empower local entrepreneurs, reaching diverse individuals of all backgrounds and age groups through local, national, and global events.

The official launch of GEW 2023 in Sri Lanka was held on 13 November at the Presidential Media Centre. State Minister of Technology Kanaka Herath, highlighted the initiatives under the Digital Economy 2030 roadmap during the launch, emphasising a startup ecosystem development strategy encompassing mindset creation, establishment of incubators and accelerators, connection to angel investors, global market access, and venture funding. The State Minister expressed belief that startups have the potential to drive Sri Lanka’s economic growth.

Distinguished participants such as the Ministry of Industries Secretary Thilaka Jayasundara,  GEN Global’s National Ambassador for Sri Lanka Suresh de Mel, Mastercard Sri Lanka Director Mahesha Amarasuriya, ICTA Associate Chief Digital Economy Officer Sachindra Samararathne, and representatives of industry associations, partner organisations, and ICTA officials attended the launch. Global Entrepreneurship Network Founder and President Jonathan Ortmans, cited the launch of GEW 2023 in Sri Lanka as one of his favourite highlights of this global celebration.

In 2022, the ICTA was named the host of Global Entrepreneurship Week in Sri Lanka. Remarkably, despite hosting GEW for the first time, Sri Lanka climbed to be among the top ten of the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) leaderboard last year. This year, Sri Lanka was placed 7th on the GEN leaderboard at the end of GEW 2023. Also, ICTA was recognised as a finalist at the prestigious GEN Compass Awards 2023, for its pivotal role during GEW 2022. This underscores ICTA’s unwavering commitment to nurturing entrepreneurship, innovation, and technology-driven growth in Sri Lanka.

Under ICTA’s stewardship, GEW 2023 in Sri Lanka achieved noteworthy success with Mastercard as Title sponsor and Bug Zero as  Silver partner, along with 65 ecosystem partners. A spectrum of over 160 events, such as educational talks, awareness sessions, introductory sessions, hands-on workshops, competitions, and many more were held across the Sri Lankan entrepreneurial ecosystem, attracting more than 10,000 individuals from 21 districts. These events targeted students, young entrepreneurs, startup founders, and MSMEs, covering a wide range of topics, such as entrepreneurship, technopreneurship, tax, company registration, and cybersecurity.

Globally, GEW 2023 brought together 10 million people across nearly 200 countries at over 40,000 events and activities organised by 20,000 partners, inspiring action and providing tools for entrepreneurship. Beyond a single week, GEW 2023 extended its impact throughout November, offering a platform to open the doors of entrepreneurship and innovation to everyone and instilling a passion for business among the next generation.

The Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka, established in 2003, is the apex ICT institution of the Government. ICTA is a wholly-owned institution of the Government of Sri Lanka, mandated to take all necessary measures to implement the Government’s policy and action plan related to ICT. Startup Ecosystem Development is a key sub-vertical under ICTA’s digital economy pillar, and has played a pivotal role in fostering a vibrant startup ecosystem through a number of initiatives, including the Global Entrepreneurship Week. 

ICTA Spiralation provided diverse support to tech entrepreneurs and startups; the “Spiralation Demo Day” offered a platform for presenting concepts to investors; “Startup SL” facilitated networking among startups and connected with stakeholders; “Sparx Lab” provided a collaborative workspace for startups; the “STEP Pre-Incubation Program” guided entrepreneurs toward incubation and seed funding, and “10,000 Ideas” served as a platform for novel startup concepts. These Startup Ecosystem Development initiatives, part of ICTA’s Digital Economy pillar, have left a lasting impact on the entrepreneurial landscape of Sri Lanka, leading to a robust digital economy.