The second day of Disrupt Asia 2025, Sri Lanka’s premier startup conference and innovation festival, took place yesterday (18th) at Cinnamon Life, drawing global attention to the country’s ambition of becoming South Asia’s leading innovation hub.
The event, which runs from September 17–20, has attracted over 100 venture capitalists from 20 countries and international startup delegations, reflecting growing confidence in Sri Lanka’s digital future.
The main conference was held under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who also serves as the Minister of Digital Economy. The President reaffirmed the government’s commitment to placing innovation at the heart of national development and visited the Startup Showcase, according to the President’s Media Division (PMD).
Opening the sessions, Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eranga Weeraratne stressed the government’s vision to use innovation as a national growth engine. “Disrupt Asia 2025 is a catalyst to empower our youth, attract global investment and accelerate our digital economy,” he said, adding that it would bridge talented entrepreneurs with global opportunities and position Sri Lanka as a gateway for South Asian innovation.
Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya, Chief Advisor to the President on Digital Economy, outlined Sri Lanka’s bold digital ambitions. He announced plans to expand the digital economy fivefold to $15 billion within four years, triple digital exports, double the digital talent pool, and raise Sri Lanka’s global digital benchmark ranking by 25 points. He called on global and local partners to seize the opportunity, describing Sri Lanka as an investor-friendly climate with strong FDI safeguards, low churn rates, and guaranteed profit repatriation.
He further unveiled new policies allowing 90% of FDI reinvestment into overseas subsidiaries of Sri Lankan startups and announced that government digital systems would be opened to private developers via APIs and marketplaces. Highlighting a “government-as-a-platform” model, he said the state would build 20% of digital infrastructure while leaving 80% of value creation to the private sector.
The programme featured global leaders, including Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Founder & CEO of Paytm, alongside policymakers, investors, and entrepreneurs.
Disrupt Asia 2025 opened with the Venture Engine competition, where 12 startups pitched to investors, and will conclude with the Innovation Festival at Trace Expert City, expected to attract over 5,000 participants. The festival will feature 50+ startup exhibitions, workshops, pavilions, and networking sessions, making it one of Sri Lanka’s largest public tech events.
With strong government support, ambitious digital goals, and rising global investor confidence, Disrupt Asia 2025 is seen as a landmark step in Sri Lanka’s journey to becoming South Asia’s innovation hub.
Notable attendees included Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs & Foreign Employment Arun Hemachandra, CBSL Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, EY Country Managing Partner Duminda Hulangamuwa, World Bank Country Manager Gevorg Sargsyan, and TWC Holdings Chairman Thilan Wijesinghe, among others.
