Sri Lanka’s Best Digital Innovators Honoured at SLASSCOM National Ingenuity Awards 2026

Sri Lanka’s most innovative technology solutions, pioneering entrepreneurs and digital trailblazers were celebrated at the SLASSCOM National Ingenuity Awards (SNIA) 2026, held recently at the ITC Ratnadipa in Colombo, bringing together industry leaders, policymakers, technology professionals, academia and innovators from across the country.

SLASSCOM Chairperson Shehani Seneviratne highlighted the importance of fostering innovation-driven growth and creating opportunities for Sri Lankan talent to compete on a global stage and reaffirmed SLASSCOM’s commitment to nurturing a vibrant technology ecosystem that empowers entrepreneurs, startups and enterprises to drive sustainable economic growth.

Haridhu Abeygoonaratne, Vice Chair of SLASSCOM and Chair of the SNIA Committee, outlined that the awards journey encompassed a comprehensive multi-stage evaluation process, with submissions assessed through provincial and national judging rounds by expert panels.

Supported by independent compliance oversight, the programme ensured credibility, consistency, and integrity in recognizing Sri Lanka’s most outstanding innovations.

Chief Guest Hon. (Eng.) Eranga Weeraratne, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Digital Economy, commending the winners, reaffirmed the Government’s vision of building a USD 5 billion digital economy by 2030 through strong Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), enhanced digital governance, secure digital identity systems, and inclusive access to technology.

He highlighted the importance of fostering innovation, strengthening digital infrastructure, advancing artificial intelligence capabilities, and creating a digitally empowered society.

He noted that initiatives like the SLASSCOM National Ingenuity Awards play a vital role in nurturing innovation, recognizing local talent, and enabling solutions with meaningful local and global impact.

The awards segment unveiled diverse categories, bold innovation, entrepreneurial spirit and impactful technology solutions.

Apola AI from Zahira College won Best Innovative Product – School and SLIIT’s An Intelligent System for Coastal Erosion Forecasting and Resilient Infrastructure Planning secured Best Innovative Product – University.

In the Best Start-up category, Scaling NOVALITH® – The World’s First Passive AI Pregnancy Guardian by Amor Developers (Pvt) Ltd emerged Winner, while Dr. Dhanushi

Thathsara of Ophtha Innovations (Pvt) Ltd was named Woman Technopreneur of the Year.

Xians.ai – An Agentic AI Platform for Autonomous Workflow Orchestration by 99x Technology Limited secured Best Innovation in Internal Processes, Technology or Framework, and Hiru TV’s AI-Powered End-to-End TV News Streamline the Best TECH FOR GOOD Software Innovation or Product.

In sector awards, Transforming Supply Chains to Value Chains by Spectrify AI won Agri-tech, StudyFly by Expo Visa Services (Pvt) Ltd won Edu-tech, FinSphere by Unique Infotech Solutions (Pvt) Ltd won Fintech & Banking, and FreightSense – AI Freight Mode Recommendation Agent by MAS Legato won Transportation & Logistics.

In Manufacturing, AI-Powered Multi-Layer Band Coating Inspection System by Sundaram Lanka Tyres Limited was awarded Winner, while DiabSense by Excel Tech Consulting (Pvt) Ltd was the winner for Health Tech.

Expo Visa Services (Pvt) Ltd’s EZ Visa bagged another award for E-commerce & Retail, whilst Competitor IQ by Classic Travel (Private) Limited won Hospitality & Tourism, and novolingo.ai by Mitra Innovation was recognised in the General category.

Automation of Electricity Billing with SMART Meters by Lanka Electricity Company (Private) Limited was awarded for Government, highlighting digital transformation in public utilities.

Nation Trust Bank (NTB) was the Corporate Sponsor and ZOHO the Strategic Sponsor.

The event was further strengthened by Sysco LABS (Best Innovative Product – University), Innodata (Best Innovation in Internal Processes, Technology or Framework – RPA), Vital Hub (Best Innovative Product – School), and Frontwalker (Best Start-up and Best Innovative Product in Government) as Category Sponsors, with Munchee serving as Official Snack Partner.

The event was also supported by Deloitte as Process and Governance Partner, alongside the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Digital Economy, and Ministry of Industry & Entrepreneurship Development as National Partners.

Ecosystem partners included the Export Development Board (EDB), CSSL, FITIS, IEEE, ACCA, Lanka Angel Network (LAN), Hatch, nVentures, TRACE, AMCHAM, National Chamber of Exporters (NCE), AICPA-CIMA, NCIT, Fintech Association of Sri Lanka, and the Exporters’ Association of Sri Lanka (EASL).

Photo caption - Winners of SLASSCOM National Ingenuity Awards 2026.