Two teams from Sri Lanka, team Sipsara and The Green Tycoon, successfully qualified to the World Finals (Asia) stage at Microsoft Imagine Cup 2023, Microsoft’s global competition for students to dream and build new ways of using technology to improve lives. 

The competition is a platform for students across the world to tap into their entrepreneurial skill and develop a technology solution for some of the most pressing local and global issues. The teams from Sri Lanka were among the 48 from across three regions, which competed to advance to the World Championship.

Team Sipsara, competing under the category of Education from Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), presented an e-learning education system for children with down syndrome where technologies such as Artificial Neural Networks and Machine Learning are used to establish the first web-based application that measures and develops the skills of children with down syndrome in order to develop a reliable and efficient approach to predicting their development. 

Under the category of Earth, The Green Tycoon Project also from SLIIT, presented Carbo Meter, a project that can simplify Carbon Accounting by offering an innovative, real-time mobile-based emission management system using the latest technologies for organizations to monitor, achieve emission goals, reduce carbon taxes, and encourage going greener. 

“It’s truly exciting to see such amazing, talented students in the Southeast Asia New Markets region use the Imagine Cup as an opportunity to unlock their potential and creativity and build something that matters to them. 

In speaking with the students, it was clear that there was a deeper personal connection to each of the innovations the students had come up with. It is truly inspiring to see these students be driven by something bigger and more powerful and create solutions to help change the world,” commented Sook Hoon Cheah, General Manager, Microsoft SEA NM.

Sharing their experience on the competition, students of both teams were extremely grateful for the opportunity to showcase their tech talent on a global platform such as this competition. 

In speaking about the inspiration for their innovation, it was clear both teams had drawn from a personal story and experience to decide on what their technological solution would be. Team Sipsara was emotionally invested in devising a platform for students with down syndrome who were unable to continue their education during the pandemic due to the unavailability of suitable technology specifically designed and catered towards students with down syndrome. The Green Tycoon project, similarly, was inspired during the national crisis with the understanding that alternative and sustainable options could solve existing issues such as the emission of carbon in the country.Harsha Randeny, Country Manager of Microsoft for Sri Lanka and Maldives said, “I am extremely proud that two Sri Lankan teams qualified to the World Finals of Microsoft Imagine Cup 2023. We receive an overwhelming response every time we launch the competition, and it is always great to see students passionate about technology taking the initiative to compete on a global platform. While congratulating Team Sipsara and The Green Tycoon, we also hope that this will encourage more students to participate in Microsoft Imagine Cup in the future where they get to experience innovation and technology with some of the best in the industry.”

This is not the first time that students from Sri Lanka have reached the final stages of Microsoft Imagine Cup. In the 2022 edition, Nana Shilpa, a team from SLIIT clinched the title of Winner in the Health category in Asia, and further went on to win Runners-Up at the World Championships.