Enabling eager entrepreneurs to venture on the challenging journey of pursuing their dreams is one of the motives that drives the Women Technopreneurs Forum (WTech) of the Sri Lanka Association for Software and Services Companies (SLASSCOM). The forum is driven by a group of innovative female technopreneurs who have enjoyed success in their entrepreneurial journeys, among which the story of Tracified Co-Founder Uthpalie Thilakaratna is an inspiring one.
“The WTech Forum is driven to increase the number of women-led enterprises in the realisation of SLASSCOM’s vision of establishing 1,000 start-ups and transforming the current US$ 1.5 billion local IT industry into a US$ 5 billion export-centric ecosystem by 2025,” shares SLASSCOM Board Lead of the WTech Forum and COO of 99x, Shehani Seneviratne “It is indeed inspiring to have success stories such as Uthpalie’s to inspire future female technopreneurs to embark on this challenging yet rewarding journey.”
For Uthpalie Thilakaratna – Co-Founder of Blockchain-based traceability solution provider Tracified – the journey of entrepreneurship has been one of leaving her comfort zone, balancing different aspects of life and finding her true passion.
Uthpalie is a corporate personality-turned-entrepreneur, who switched from IT Project Management – a career she pursued for 16 years – to IT Sales, Marketing and Consultancy before launching Tracified via StartupX Foundry, the startup accelerator powered by technology company, 99x.
Tracified is fuelled by Blockchain technology that facilitates a tamper-proof platform, which streamlines the data flow within a supply chain using a crypto-economic model. The originality of the solution is further enhanced by its ability to be customized to suit the needs of each business.
The innovative traceability solution has won gold at the National Best Quality Software Awards (NBQSA) 2017 in the e-Logistics and Supply Chain Management Category, and was recognised at the 2017 E-Swabhimani Digital Social Impact
Awards in the Business/Commerce Category. Uthpalie also emerged winner of the Founder Institute full scholarship in Norway for ‘Best Sustainability Start-up Pitch’ at Oslo Innovation Week 2018. Most recently, the company received an equity investment from 360ip – a venture capital firm based in Tokyo.
Having earned much recognition and success, both locally and internationally, Uthpalie is keen to encourage more females to take the leap towards technopreneurship, making an observation about a factorthat hinders the emergence of more technopreneurs in Sri Lanka: “Most people think that technopreneurship involves businesses that are 100 percent technology-related, but it is also about businesses with either an eCommerce presence or with the potential to be digitalised. So in essence, any entrepreneur can be a technopreneur without being specialised in a specific technology.”
“As a member of the WTech forum, I see the value it adds in helping businesses to lift off and I am certain that it will be a true force for change, essentially by creating awareness among female technopreneurs, including those outside Colombo, on how to venture out,” she added.
Committed to bridging the digital gender divide in Sri Lanka’s technopreneur landscape, WTech is passionate about inspiring more female entrepreneurs to embark on their entrepreneurial journeys. Through its three-pillared approach encompassing skills development, mentorship and networking, and funding and sponsorship, the forum is focused on enabling more success stories in future.
“When you get to know other women technopreneurs, you will be inspired to find something you’re passionate about and one that will go hand-in-hand with your personal priorities,” said Uthpalie, inviting other women to get connected to the forum and to build their journey towards being successful technopreneurs.
Woman Technopreneurs Forum is an initiative by SLASSCOM to create positive change across the tech ecosystem in Sri Lanka and to harness the potential of female tech entrepreneurs to achieve the goal of 1,000 start-ups by 2025. It aims to support, promote and grow women technopreneurs, startups and businesses, with majority or equal shareholding or CxO Level, with the potential to generate additional export revenue into the country.