The upcoming Cyril Dharmawardana Foundation (CDF) Annual Gala Fundraiser will be held in Sydney, Australia, on August 10th, 2024, at the 5-star venue, Epping Grand in The Epping Club in NSW. This black-tie gala is one of the key events in the Sydney Sri Lankan event calendar. Sydney is a place where high-profile Sri Lankan expatriate professionals live, and this annual event makes a major contribution to sustaining Sri Lanka’s first and only non-emergency ambulance service, which is run by the CDF Charity. The Founder and Chairman of CDF, Binara Dharmawardana, spoke with SLF. He mentioned that the 2023 event raised over $70,000, demonstrating the significant impact this gala has on supporting underprivileged individuals battling cancer in Sri Lanka. As the first event of the new financial year, scheduled for August 10th, 2024, in Sydney, it sets the stage for a series of upcoming events in London, Melbourne, Brisbane, and
Read More →

Rowan Bandaranaike, M.D., is a dedicated and resilient individual who began his residency in Internal Medicine in Alabama. His journey to this milestone has been marked by perseverance, hard work, and the support of those around him, especially the team at J Med. SLF had the opportunity to speak with Rowan, and he said, “I would like to thank both of my parents Primal and Rashika Bandaranaike. I would not be where I am today without their sacrifices, support, and unconditional love. Through their courage, perseverance, and strength, I learned to follow my dreams and have faith in myself. Thank you for believing in me before I believed in myself. The love and encouragement of my parents have been my compass; they have guided me through every obstacle and achievement.” Rowan also thanked the J Med team and said, “John and his staff were very welcoming when I joined J
Read More →

Sri Lanka America Chamber of Commerce (SLACCOM) is a non-profit organization headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, with chapters in other metropolitan cities. The chamber is a premier business forum to facilitate and develop trade, commerce, and investment between the United States of America and Sri Lanka. Information Technology (IT) and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) promotion is one of their key initiatives, and they have been working closely with SLASSCOM, DIGIECON, and the Tech Industry, in general, to find new business opportunities, channel investments, and promote Sri Lanka as a destination for IT and BPO. Their first Tech Startup Invest Forum was held on Saturday, June 22nd, and the event saw a large turnout of potential investors who joined via SLACCOM’s portal and various social media channels where the event was live-streamed. The panel featured industry leaders who discussed the sector’s current state and its growth over the past decade into
Read More →

Meet Dr. Yasantha Rajakarunanayake, a celebrated technologist and scientist with an extensive three-decade career in Silicon Valley. As the VP of R&D and ML at Analog Inference, Dr. Yasantha is a leading authority in Artificial Intelligence, renowned for his innovative contributions that have culminated in 130 patents. More recently, he has partnered with the Taiwanese semiconductor chip giant to research and develop Artificial Intelligence chips and algorithms, including using AI techniques for cancer detection. On its merit, he has personal algorithms that can detect lung cancer with over 95% accuracy, and they have reached the top 10 in the world in terms of public dataset accuracy. His achievements were recognized in 2022 with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award by the Sri Lanka Foundation. A brilliant mathematician, Dr. Yasantha has adeptly transferred his expertise in optimizing space and time into the world of board games. His latest invention, Vediic, is a
Read More →

Sri Lanka Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Sanjeev Nandakumaran as a Physician Director, Professional Development at Kaiser Permanente in Baldwin Park. He is the oldest son of Mr. Navaratnam Nandakumaran, who is well-known in the Sri Lankan American community in Los Angeles. In this role, Dr. Nandakumaran will build upon the incredible foundation he and Dr. Teri Kim, his partner, have established as Co-Chairs of the Pathways to Partnership Program for the last twelve years in Baldwin Park. Dr. Nandakumaran begins this role with a background that includes serving as a Physician in Charge of Family Medicine at Baldwin Park Medical Office Building. Additionally, he was a facilitator and panelist for the Regional South California Permanente Medical Group (SCPMG) University sessions and a decade of Co-Chairing the Clinical Patient Communication Committee. Outside of Kaiser Permanente, Dr. Nandakumaran teaches at the USC School of Medicine as a
Read More →

Hatch and its network of startups raised $1 million in funding in 2023, demonstrating they have a blueprint that demands our attention. Amidst the economic turbulence that has engulfed Sri Lanka, a beacon of hope emerges. Hatch, co-founded by Brindha and Jeevan Gnanam and Nathan Sivagananathan, and its startup community have raised an impressive $1 million in 2023 (as of September). This achievement isn’t just a financial milestone, and $1 million is not much compared to other businesses – let alone sectors – in the economy. However, it embodies what it will take for Sri Lanka to change its economic fortunes. “We started this year with the ‘Troubled Nation to Startup Nation’ initiative,” said Brindha, recalling the origins of their journey. “In the last six to nine months, we’ve witnessed a resurgence in the startup ecosystem. Through problem-solving, these startups can offer solutions that have global relevance. That’s the essence
Read More →

Four Hatch startups: Hyperglade, Miris by Islandmom, True by Tina, and Feelo have acquired funding to take their businesses to the next level. The most significant of these funding opportunities came from Silicon Valley investor Tim Draper who funded Hyperglade with USD350,000 proving that the local entrepreneurial talent among Hatch startups is capable of making a global impact. Hatch prides itself on being the center of gravity for all things startup empowering entrepreneurs, through its startup incubator and accelerator programs and co-working space. Hatch strives to connect entrepreneurs by creating a collaborative environment that provides equal opportunity to all, with the goal of creating a thriving startup ecosystem that powers Sri Lanka’s economy. At the start of 2023, Hatch launched an initiative titled ‘Sri Lanka: From Troubled Nation to Startup Nation’ to highlight how Sri Lanka’s top entrepreneurial talent could pave the path to recovery. The first part of this
Read More →