Now in its ninth year, this esteemed list highlights young visionaries under 30 who are revolutionizing their industries and pioneering innovative strategies to meet the demands of a dynamic business environment.
The Asia list is part of the larger Forbes 30 Under 30 franchise, which has been celebrating youthful excellence for over a decade.
As the co-founder and CEO of Elzian Agro, Dayananda has made significant contributions to agricultural innovation.
His remarkable achievements include being recognized as one of the top ten Youth Social Entrepreneurs at the Global-South Development Expo 2022, an honor bestowed by the United Nations Youth Envoy’s Office, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and UNDP Youth Co:Lab.
Additionally, in 2022, he was awarded the Commonwealth Youth Award for excellence in development work.
In 2023, he was named among the top 100 meaningful business founders by Ernst & Young (EY), Hogan Lovells Global Law Firms, and Babson College, in collaboration with the Meaningful Business Community.
He holds a Business Management (Special) Degree from the University of Kelaniya and is currently pursuing a Master's Degree at Wayamba University.
He is also an ALS Public Policy fellow at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago and an Anubhav fellow at the Indian School of Public Policy.
Furthermore, he has completed the Stanford Seed Spark Program at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Since its establishment in 2021, Elzian Agro, under Dayananda’s guidance, has been dedicated to research and innovation, developing validated solutions in climate-smart, data-driven precision agriculture, regenerative agriculture, biodiversity restoration, analog forestry, and agroforestry.
His primary goal is to implement sustainable solutions to enhance food security in all its aspects.
