Qualia closes series A at approximately $ 1 m valuation

Trishaws are the most ubiquitous mode of transport in Sri Lanka and are one of Sri Lanka’s most visible cultural tropes. Clad in a limited number of colours, and often adorned with humorous slogans and the occasional piece of ‘tuk tuk wisdom’, no-one has formally engaged with their potential as a marketing tool until now.

Qualia was founded in 2017 by Avinesh Nareshkumar and Sanjay Pathmanathan. The company was driven by an initial seed funding raised by two directors of the Sri Lankan owned, internationally renowned Akbar Brothers. 

Earlier this year Qualia raised their first round of funding with Esufally-backed, Dhow Ventures Ltd., who bought a stake in Qualia after valuing the company close to $ 1 million. Qualia recognised the as yet untapped potential of trishaw branding for the corporate world and has set out to change the way the trishaw industry is perceived. 

A challenge for Qualia was to find an efficient way of connecting with trishaw owners which was resolved through a partnership with PickMe, Sri Lanka’s leading trishaw ride-hailing app. Through collaboration with PickMe, Qualia has gained access to over 10,000 trishaws in the Colombo district alone.

The strategic partnership of PickMe and Qualia provides technological benefits through an overarching platform not offered by any other advertising agency. Qualia leverages the PickMe platform to provide its clients with accurate data on vehicle mileage, and therefore brand reach, which Qualia visualises by producing a ‘heatmap’. This data includes specific areas the trishaw has visited, and the total number of passenger trips the trishaw has made.

Qualia uses this information to help its advertising customers develop targeted strategies on market engagement, product placement and service improvement.

There are considerable socio-economic benefits to Qualia’s work too. By working with independent trishaw owners registered on the PickMe platform, Quali provides them with additional revenue through paying them a monthly fee for use of the branding space. 

Qualia performs monthly inspections to ensure that brand standards are maintained and provides the trishaw owners with constructive feedback on how they can ensure these standards are met.

“The PickMe Qualia partnership supports PickMe drivers with an additional revenue stream and more importantly a face lift to their Tuks,” said PickMe Chairman Ajit Gunewardene.

Qualia is disrupting traditional advertising by maximising geographical coverage at a fraction of the price. Qualia’s mission is to alter the perception of the humble trishaw, and promote its ability to significantly increase brand impact across a demographically diverse market. 

With 1.3 million trishaws in the country and almost 300,000 in Colombo, trishaws are here to stay. “Qualia believes that Sri Lanka’s advertising landscape is one that can be changed for the better,” added Qualia COO and Co Founder Sanjay Pathmanathan.