ICTA launches SPARX to nurture early-stage start-ups

From left: LankaBell Ltd Managing Director/FITIS Chairman Dr. Prasad Samarasinghe, Niftron Founder Shamilan Somasundaram, ICTA Chief Executive Officer Eng. Mahinda B. Herath, Hatch Works Founder Jeevan Gnanam, Technology Ministry Secretary Jayantha De Silva, ICTA Chairman/TRCSL Director General Oshada Senanayake, ICTA Chief Digital Economy Officer Anura De Alwis, ICTA Senior Manager Nevindaree Premaratne and IronOne Technologies & BoardPAC Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Lakmini Wijesundara 

The Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) announced the launch of SPARX Lab, with an opening ceremony held recently.

It was participated by Technology Ministry Secretary Jayantha De Silva, ICTA Chairman/TRCSL Director General Oshada Senanayake, ICTA Chief Executive Officer Eng. Mahinda B. Herath, ICTA Chief Digital Economy Officer Anura De Alwis and representatives from the start-up ecosystem, including Hatch Works Founder Jeevan Gnanam.

SPARX Lab is a physical space dedicated to nurturing early-stage start-ups in Sri Lanka. In line with the ICTA mandate to develop, support and help nurture the start-ups, this dedicated workspace will foster budding entrepreneurs and provide orientation, consultation, guidance and mentoring for entrepreneurs planning to establish their own start-up. 

In addition, these entrepreneurs will get the chance to develop networks with like-minded people, academia, government and all other entities within which the ICTA Start-up Ecosystem Development unit closely works.
Since 2010, the ICTA has supported developing start-up ecosystems by creating awareness, instilling entrepreneurship culture, incubation, market access, early-stage seed funding, consulting and mentoring. In addition, initiatives such as ‘10,000 Ideas’, STEP Pre-Incubator, StartupSL and Regional Startup Hubs will further support the development and growth of the start-up ecosystem in Sri Lanka. 

Commenting on this initiative, De Silva stated, “Within the prevailing cultural and economic setup in Sri Lanka, initiating start-ups is a huge challenge. Therefore, the Technology Ministry, along with the ICTA facilitates and nurtures these start-ups to create a technology-driven environment conducive for the growth of start-ups.”
Senanayake addressing the opening ceremony stated, “I think it’s indeed a significant moment for the ICTA. The key pivotal point for us is the development of the next generation of technopreneurs and start-up enablers.

Therefore, the ICTA has an important role to play in enabling and empowering the Sri Lankan start-up ecosystem.” 
Primarily, SPARX Lab will act as a hub for budding entrepreneurs and early-stage start-ups that can come together and be groomed with the support of the ICTA, start-up ecosystem and the government. In addition, SPARX Lab will be the central hub for all regional start-up hubs and university incubator networks formed due to the roll-out of the Entrepreneurial University framework. Finally, it allows key ambassadors to get together and work on one national agenda along with the ICTA. 

“ICTA has been incubating start-ups for a long time and it comprises a mature, though young team to support and nurture start-ups. The facilities that have been developed bythe ICTA here will be a massive addition to the start-up ecosystem,” said Herath.

SPARX Lab will be open for any team or individual whose idea qualifies or has already qualified as one of the 10,000 Ideas tech-innovation programme initiated by the ICTA, to empower the next generation of tech innovators. In addition, the registrants in the StartupSL platform, who do not own a business registration or who have not completed one year since registering their business, would also be eligible. StartupSL is the national online platform for start-ups in Sri Lanka, which allows its registrants to connect with the start-up ecosystem enablers and vice-versa. Cohorts of ‘STEP’, the ICTA pre-incubator programme, will also have access to SPARX Lab.

“The ICTA has remained particularly close to the start-up ecosystem and have played an important role in changing the lives of many entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka” stated Gnanam, who was recently awarded the Best Co-Working Space in the world at Global Startup 
Awards 2021.