A meeting to explore investment potential in the North and East of Sri Lanka in London
The Gate Institute, in collaboration with Tamil Ventures, USA, organised an event to explore investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s northern and eastern provinces through its recently launched digital hub, ‘Gate for Innovation Venture and Entrepreneurship’ (www.give.community).
Diaspora investors in the UK attended this meeting, which was held on 23 February 2025 at Carlton Lounge in Kingsbury, London.
The event featured esteemed speakers and experts, including Professor Kanes Raj, rof. Kanes Rajah, Executive Director, Centre for Executive and Professional Development, UK and Senior Academic and RAU Chair in Entrepreneurship Royal Agricultural University, UK, Dr Arumugam, Chairman of the Startup Committee of Tamil Nadu, Prof. A. Atputharajah, Vice Chancellor of the University of Vavuniya, from Vice Chancellor, Eastern University, Sri Lanka, Prof. V Kanagasingam, Former Vice Chancellor of The Eastern University, Sri Lanka, Prof. R. Surenthirakumaran, Dean, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna, Ms Mathivathany, Director of Business Linkage Unit, University of Vavuniya, Sri Lanka, Mr P. Sasitharan, Career Guidance Counsellor of the University of Vavuniya, Mr. P. Parthipan, General Partner at Tamilventures, Mr. Lorenzo Fiorito, an international investment law specialist, Mr. K. Jeyaraj, co-founder and board member of The Gate Institute; Dr. Senthan Selvarajah, Co-Director and CEO of the Gate Institute; and Ms. Mathangie Selvarajah, Co-Director of The Gate Institute, Sri Lanka. Miss Archana Ilankainathan, a member of the Gate Institute, moderated the event.
This meeting aimed to explain how the Tamil diaspora can leverage the GIVE Hub, www.give.community, launched by the Gate Institute, to invest in entrepreneurship in Sri Lanka and how universities in the North and East can help foster their investment in entrepreneurship.
Mr. Jeyaraj presented at the beginning of the event about the Gate Institute and its past activities. Professor Ganesh Raja expressed his enthusiasm for the Northern and East provinces’ economic regeneration and success, highlighting the advantage of university business linkages and the potential of the GIVE Hub initiative in reducing poverty. Dr. Arumgam shared his insights on fostering entrepreneurship and innovation in Sri Lanka’s North and East regions. He emphasised the need for digital infrastructure, digital literacy, and socio-economic bridging to promote sustainable development and social cohesion. He also discussed the potential of advanced manufacturing and digital learning in the region and the importance of the Gate Institute platform in fostering entrepreneurship. Ms. Mathangie Selvarajah, presented a study identifying gaps in the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the North and East of Sri Lanka.
