Entrepreneur Wired

21/04/2022

Joel Outschoorn is a YouTuber, Content Creator, Emcee, TVC Actor, Voice Artist and Influencer.

Before making a jump as a full-time Entrepreneur, Joel wore different hats in many large companies, including one of the largest media companies in Sri Lanka.

Watch this Podcast episode to understand the making of one of Sri Lanka’s favourite Media Personalities.

Joel Outschoorn is a YouTuber, Content Creator, Emcee, TVC Actor, Voice Artist and Influencer.Before making a jump as a full-time Entrepreneur, Joel wore dif...

27/03/2022

Fathhi Mohamed is a seasoned entrepreneur who has raised investments for multiple start-ups. His take on fundraising is that there are plenty of investors who’ll be happy to invest in the right people and right businesses.

Fathhi Mohamed

11/02/2022

The much-anticipated Hela Apparel (Hela Clothing) IPO at the CSE had a positive response from investors, with the shares closing at LKR 18.60 compared to the issue price of LKR 15.

The shares have been listed on the Main board of the CSE (Colombo Stock Exchange) under the ‘Consumer Durables and Apparel’ sector.

03/02/2022

Here’s Platinum Business Academy Co-Founder Wasim Imtiasz’ take on what the Sri Lankan authorities should do to improve higher education in the country.

Watch Waseem’s full podcast episode on the Entrepreneur Wired YouTube channel. Link on bio.

Platinum Business Academy

22/01/2022

On the 13th episode of the Entrepreneur Wired podcast we caught up with Lahiru Pathmalal, a prominent figure in the business circle in Colombo.

Shakya Lahiru Pathmalal co-founded, E-commerce company ‘Takas’ back in 2012. Having enjoyed an illustrious career stretching across many disciplines, Lahiru currently serves as the Director, E-Commerce at Komar.

Takas

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9J7aE1VvXWE&t=6s

On the 13th episode of the Entrepreneur Wired podcast we caught up with Lahiru Pathmalal, a prominent figure in the business circle in Colombo. Lahiru Pathma...

16/12/2021

CEO of Macquarie Group, Shemara Wickramanayake, received a reported pay of $15.97M in the 12 months to June, making her the highest-paid CEO in the land down under.

A report compiled by OpenDirector indicates that the top 50 highest paid Chief Executives in Australia earned an average of $6.18M last financial year.

07/12/2021

How did Rohan Jayaweera become the ‘Google Man’ of Sri Lanka? Learn the full story through the podcast on the Entrepreneur Wired YouTube channel.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9kRbli_ShY&t=2s

15/11/2021

For us, this statement is as true as it gets. Do let us know your thoughts on this in the comments section below ⬇️

24/10/2021

Meraki United (PVT) Ltd. is now an internationally recognized brand. But it had very humble beginnings. Both Randy and Portia, the 2 founders, had to overcome numerous challenges, including financial ones and grind their way to the top.

Watch Randy Perera full podcast on the Entrepreneur Wired YouTube channel.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9MGyDQkG24&t=1s

19/10/2021

Following a proposal at the 2021 budget last November, the Cabinet has approved the bill to extend the retirement age of the private sector from 55 years to 60 years.

The private sector employs nearly 8 million people representing 42.7% of the total working population in the country.

Let us know your thoughts on this in the comments section below.

16/10/2021

Praneeth’s long term goal would be to build a basketball training centre in Sri Lanka. It would completely revolutionize the way the sport is being played in the country.

Praneeth Udumalagala

Watch Praneeth’s full podcast on the Entrepreneur Wired YouTube channel. Link on bio.

14/10/2021

American semi-conductor manufacturer Qualcomm will acquire Swedish automotive tech company Veoneer for USD 4.5 Billion.

Veoneer was to be initially acquired by Canadian mobility technology company Magna until Qualcomm offered a significantly higher bid forcing Magna to walk away. Veoneer will pay a ‘break up fee’ of USD 110 Million as a result of this.

This acquisition is bullish news for Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) technology.

Earlier this year Qualcomm acquired high-performance computing start-up Nuvia for USD 1.4 Billion signaling its overarching ambition to venture out to markets beyond telecom.

12/10/2021

The largest listed company in the Colombo Stock Exchange, John Keells Holdings will invest USD 70 Million in 3.2 Million 20-Foot equivalent container terminal in Colombo Port taking a 34% stake.

This will be a joint venture with India’s Adani group, and the stake breakdown following the investment would be:

• Adani Group – 51% Stake
• John Keells Holdings – 34% Stake
• Sri Lanka Ports Authority – 15% Stake

The USD 650 Million Colombo West International Container Terminal will be 70/30 Debt-Equity funded.

Construction will begin in early 2022, and 600m stretch is expected to be completed within 2 years.

(JOHN KEELLS HOLDINGS PLC)

10/10/2021

As a young leader, Asim’s leadership was quite autocratic, but it evolved drastically throughout his career.

Watch Asim Younus’ full podcast episode on the Entrepreneur Wired YouTube channel.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA-vHhCwuTE&t=15s

Asim Younoos

05/10/2021

Tag your Entrepreneur Friend and tell them you believe in their dream 💪

21/09/2021

“Entrepreneurs need to find a big enough problem, then build a product around it, validate it and then create a positive unit economy” – Fathhi Mohamed (Fathhi Mohamed), Co-Founder Dish Serve & PickMe.

Watch Fathhi’s full podcast episode on the EW YouTube channel.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHEiG7sLS_U&t=1949s

19/09/2021

The ongoing pandemic has significantly affected the education of school children. Dialog Axiata and the Education Ministry have signed an MoU to launch 10 educational TV channels to tackle this problem.

The State Ministry of Education Reforms, Open Universities and Distance Learning Promotion and National Institute of Education will jointly develop the content for these channels.

4 of these channels will be specially designed towards GCE O/L and GCE A/L students. The programmes will be conducted by the top tutors in the country.

18/09/2021

What is the status of digital advertising in Sri Lanka?

Watch IdeaHellfounder Janeeth Rodrigo's full podcast episode on the Entrepreneur Wired YouTube channel, where he speaks about this in detail.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea-fRdqe_P8&t=904s

15/09/2021

Yohani's music cover video 'Manike Mage Hithe' continues to go viral on the internet and has passed 100M views on YouTube.

Celebrities including Amitabh Bachchan, Tiger Shroff and Parineeti Chopra have posted Yohani's version of the song on their social platforms.

Yohani is also now the first female singer in Sri Lanka to cross 2 million subscribers on YouTube.

14/09/2021

Enosh Praveen stays prepared for the worst in whatever he does. This helps him deal with challenging situations more effectively.

Watch Enosh Praveen’s full podcast episode on the EW YouTube channel.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STfBlCRONVY&t=1597s

14/09/2021

The Hilton Colombo, a pioneer in the hospitality industry in Sri Lanka, is about to go through an LKR 1.94B interior upgrade. This project will be undertaken by S & T Interiors, a joint venture between Hayleys Group and S & T Omani.

253 Guest rooms will be refurbished over 15-months in 4 phases and will be completed by 2022.

Some of the main challenges they would be facing in completing this project would include:

•Not disrupting daily hotel operations
•Volatility of the economy and regulations

07/09/2021

SIXER VIDEO is a platform designed for smart hiring by enabling pre-screened video interviews by companies.

Here’s Imthiyaaz Hassim, the Co-Founder of the company taking us through the brand’s origins, challenges faced by the business and their plans for the future.

01/09/2021

Here's your chance to get your brand featured on Entrepreneur Wired.

All you have to do is, record a selfie-style video of yourself narrating your brand story in under 2 minutes and send it to us. We'll publish them on our platform and help your story reach a much larger audience.

Please follow the below-listed structure for your video.

- What inspired you to start the brand?
- Obstacles you faced when building the business and how you overcame them.
- Where does your brand stand now, and what are your plans for the future?

Please remember that your video should NOT be a Sales Pitch but rather a Brand story.

We are excited to hear your story. We're sure others are too!

What are you waiting for? Go ahead and record your story and send it to us now!

Video by: Rishkhan Rahan

29/08/2021

Suntharalingam Piranawan, who is just 15 years of age, has built a solar-powered Tuk-Tuk entirely out of scrap metal his grandfather Dureisami Suppaiya helped him collect. This isn’t his first project, nor is it going to be his last. He had invented the following previously:

- Coconut picking machine
- Coconut scraper
- Solar-powered foot-cycle

Piranawan says inventing these machines gives him great happiness and relieves him from any form of stress caused by the ongoing COVID crisis.

The young inventor’s next big goal is to build a solar-powered car, and he requests the government and the general public to help him achieve this dream.

28/08/2021

Most parents in our country still want their children to take the traditional route of becoming doctors or engineers. However, the world has evolved rapidly to a point where anyone can pursue their dream and find success in any given field as long as they are disciplined and work hard.

Watch Wasim Imthiasz's full podcast on the Entrepreneur Wired YouTube channel.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ji94d1EqCk&t=315s

Wasim Imtiasz

23/08/2021

Giving back to the community has always been one of the most important things for Praneeth. Through Iimpact Outreach, he helps out underprivileged kids from all across Sri Lanka. He offers them free training and also provides them with basketballs, equipments and shoes.

Watch Praneeth Udumalagala’s full podcast on the Entrepreneur Wired YouTube channel.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Svoa3s0f2Q&t=194s

22/08/2021

Japan's IT services powerhouse TechnoPro has acquired 100% stake in Robosoft, an Indian based digital solutions provider.

Robosoft founded in 1996, was initially focused on providing software services and app development. They grew rapidly with the explosion of mobile and built their fortune building mobile apps for clients all across the world.

They were the ones who built the original app for Indian News giant NDTV. Some of its other notable clients include media giant Viacom and McDonald's, India.

20/08/2021

We did have a few individuals doing great work in the fitness industry on their own in the past. However, the industry has evolved now, and the fitness community as a whole is a lot more organized.

The rise of quality gyms and fitness influencers have helped spread awareness on the importance of fitness quite fast. Social media too has played a very important role in the rapid growth of the industry in the past few years. This growth in the industry has created opportunities for people to take up a full-time career in fitness and nutrition.

Watch Yasitha De Silva and Senushka Abeywickrema’s full podcast on the Entrepreneur Wired YouTube channel.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPAWJu3A21bBfB-yakJfo1Q

16/08/2021

French philosopher Voltaire famously stated, "Common sense is not so common".

This quote rings true to this day. Unfortunately, common sense is not so abundantly found everywhere.

Watch Ahmed Irfan’s full podcast episode on ‘Design Thinking’ on the EW YouTube channel.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPAWJu3A21bBfB-yakJfo1Q

11/08/2021

Quantum Computers are machines that use properties of Quantum physics to store data and perform computers. These super-powerful computers will be able to help us solve the biggest mysteries of our universe once they reach their full potential. Currently, the best Quantum computers have about 50 Qubits.

PsiQuantum, a US-based company at the forefront of creating the next generation of Quantum computers, just completed a $450M series D funding round to build a Million Qubit Quantum computer. The realms of opportunities that could open us to us as a species if this machine comes to fruition are endless.

This funding round was led by BlackRock with participation from M12, Baillie Gifford, Temasek and Blackbird ventures.