SRI LANKA'S PREMIERSTARTUP CONFERENCE &
INNOVATION FESTIVAL
Date
Time
Location
ColomboWhat is DA in 2025?
Disrupt Asia 2025 is Sri Lanka's premier startup conference and innovation festival, where visionaries, investors, and disruptors come together to shape the future. Showcasing Sri Lanka as South Asia's epicentre for cross-border collaboration, the event features industry-defining tracks, exclusive insights into emerging opportunities, and a venture competition showcasing the nation's top startups.
Disrupt Asia Journey : Key Milestones from 2016 to 2019
2016
Keynote by:
Brian Wong and JF Gauthier
Attendees:
300+
2017
Keynote by:
Cheryl Edison & Kevin Petrovic
Attendees:
400+
2018
Keynote by:
Nick Marino & Glenn Robinson
Attendees:
750+
International Reach:
From 11 Countries
2019
Keynote by:
Casey Lau & Amarit Charoenphan
Attendees:
1000+
International Reach:
From around the world
This year, the event aims to achieve three key goals
LAUNCH A USD 50 MILLION FUND OF FUNDS
To support deserving local entrepreneurs and mission-driven startups to succeed
LEGAL AND POLICY ADVOCACY
To create a channel and platform through which the private sector can participate in investment, policy reform, and digital initiatives at a national level
LAUNCH OF A VIRTUAL SEZ
To create a favourable, cost-effective, and innovation-friendly environment for global tech firms and startups so they may consider setting up in Sri Lanka
Main Events
Disrupt Asia Main Conference
Since 2016, Disrupt Asia has stood as Sri Lanka’s iconic flagship event celebrating entrepreneurship and the startup ecosystem. With each passing year, the conference has grown in stature and influence, attracting innovation luminaries, visionary entrepreneurs, business leaders, and global companies to the sunny shores of Sri Lanka. The 2025 edition promises to be bigger and better than ever, proudly powered by title sponsor Mastercard.
Main Highlights
- •Established in 2016 as Sri Lanka's leading tech and startup event
- •Attracts top innovators, entrepreneurs, and global business leaders
- •Renowned for high-impact discussions, showcases, and networking
- •2025 edition powered by Mastercard, promising an expanded, world-class experience
Speaker Highlights
H.E. Hon. Anura Kumara Dissanayake
President of Sri Lanka
Hon. Eranga Weeraratne
Deputy Minister of Digital Economy
Dr. Hans Wijesuriya
Chief Advisor to the President on Digital Economy
Rajan Anandan
Managing Director Peak XV & Surge
Sanjiva Weerawarana
Founder & CEO, WSO2
Urmila Chandrasekaram
Co-founder & COO MintPay
Bhanuka Harischandra
Founder & CEO, Surge Global
Jiffry Zulfer
Founder & CEO, PickME
Past Event Speakers & Investors
Mark Moffat
Chief Executive Officer of IFS
Megha Jain
Early stage impact focused investor
Rajan Anandan
Managing Director, Peak XV & Surge
Ravi Narayan
Pioneer in the Venture Catalyst/Startup Accelerator space
Romesh Ranawana
Group Chief Analytics and AI Officer at Dialog Axiata
James Tan
Managing Partner at Quest Ventures
Lakmini Wijesundera
Founder & CEO, BoardPAC
Siddhartha Raja
World Bank Senior Specialist
Alejandro Alvarez
Country Manager for Sri Lanka and Maldives at the International Finance Corporation
Craig Dixon
Founding General Partner of Accelerating Asia Ventures
Priyan Fernando
Chairman of Brandix Lanka for the Indian and South Asian region
Alok Lall
Chief Operating Officer at Microsoft
David Mann
Chief Economist - Asia and MEA for Mastercard
Sanjay Jain
EIR at Khosla Labs and a PM at Google
Agenda
Main Conference
The flagship day of Disrupt Asia 2025
Plenary Session
Registration & Tea/Coffee
Opening Remarks
High-Level Government Address
Unlocking Sri Lanka as South Asia's Innovation Hub
Panel Discussion: Roadmap to Becoming South Asia's Innovation Hub
Fireside Chat: Lessons Learned in Digitally Transforming a Nation
Lunch
Lunch Break
Track Based Sessions
Track 1: Scale and Exit
Taming the Naysayers: Startup Case Study
Panel Discussion and Q&A: The Art of Being Globally Relevant
Panel Discussion and Q&A: South Asia's Investment Landscape: A Foreign Investor Perspective
Track 2: Next Frontier
Panel Discussion and Q&A: Zebras, Camels or Unicorns: What investors can expect from the Sri Lankan startup ecosystem
Taming the Naysayers: Startup Case Study
Panel Discussion and Q&A: Investor's Dilemma: The Funding Landscape
Closing Session
Panel Discussion and Q&A: Gateway to the Global South
Closing Keynote
Post-Conference Networking
Break out to rooms
Cocktails
Partners
HYPER ATTRACTIVE VISIBILITY FOR PARTNERS
of energetic events
tech enthusiasts & entrepreneurs
local & global investors
Organized by
Powered by
Event Partner
National Partner
Strategic Partner
Ecosystem Partner
.png)
Hospitality Partner
Airline Partner
Telecommunication and
TV Partner
