SLASSCOM marked another milestone during Global Entrepreneurship Week 2025 with the successful conclusion of the Xcellerate Inter University Hackathon 2025, uniting Sri Lanka’s brightest young innovators. Held recently at TRACE Expert City, the Grand Finale saw the top 15 teams pitch bold, transformative solutions to a panel of industry leaders, investors, and tech experts.
Now recognized as SLASSCOM’s flagship platform for university entrepreneurship, Xcellerate drew nearly 100 applications from state, and non-stateuniversities across the country. Following rigorous screening, hands-on workshops, masterclasses, and focused mentoring, the most promising teams earned their place on the final stage to compete for top honors.
Ideas presented at the Grand Finale spanned a wide range of focus areas including Artificial Intelligence/ Machine Learning, Sustainability, Deep-tech, Healthtech, IoT, and Social Innovation, reflecting the growing breadth of innovation among Sri Lankan youth.
The Final Pitch featured an inspiring keynote address by Julius Nilsson, Co-founder & CEO of Docupath, who encouraged young entrepreneurs to embrace resilience, experimentation, and global ambition as they move forward in their startup journeys.
Impressing the judges with their creativity and technical skill, Team DART from the University of Moratuwa took the top spot and Team ITSELF from the University of Kelaniya followed as first runner-up, while Team Amor Developers Group from IIT secured second runner-up.
Shehani Seneviratne, Chairperson of SLASSCOM stated “Xcellerate continues to prove that Sri Lanka’s greatest strength is its young talent. The creativity, passion, and problem-solving mindset we witnessed this year reaffirms our commitment to nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators who will shape the country’s digital future.”
Haridhu Abeygoonaratne, Vice Chair 2 and E&I Forum Board Lead of SLASSCOM added “ Xcellerate Inter University Hackathon 2025 clearly demonstrated the depth of talent and ambition within our university ecosystem. Our goal is to build an environment where young founders can transform promising ideas into scalable, globally relevant solutions. The passion and capability shown by these teams highlighted the future innovators who will drive Sri Lanka’s digital economy forward, and we are committed to supporting them as they grow.”
This year’s program was supported by the Royal Norwegian Embassy (RNE), with Neo Ventures joining as the Ecosystem Partner, both committed partners deeply interested in supporting and empowering young innovators with their combined guidance, mentorship, and industry expertise.
The Xcellerate Hackathon plays a important role in advancing SLASSCOM’s mission to build a strong pipeline of tech-driven entrepreneurs and innovators who can shape the future of Sri Lanka’s digital economy. As part of the national plan to facilitate 1,000 startups by 2030 and groom them for growth, this hackathon is a key initiative. By igniting the potential of young talent and equipping them with real-world exposure, mentorship, and industry connections, the program is accelerating Sri Lanka’s journey toward becoming a vibrant, globally competitive innovation ecosystem.
Photo Caption
Left to right – 1 -Keynote address by Julius Nilsson, 2 – The Winning Team DART– University of Moratuwa, 3 – The participating teams
