Sri Lanka
As a young technology-focused entrepreneur, Harsha Purasinghe (Sri Lanka 2014) was instrumental in initiating and leading a unique social innovation in the aftermath of an Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. He developed “DEWN – Disaster & Emergency Warning Network” in collaboration with Dialog Axiata – Sri Lanka’s leading mobile operator. At present, it is being used by the government of Sri Lanka’s Disaster Management Center for mass dispatch of disaster and emergency warning messages through multiple technology channels to alert citizens via text message.
His commercial software venture Microimage HCM is a leader in Digital HR technology. He intends to take the product to global market towards becoming the leader in Mid-Market Human Capital Management. He also led the company to build broadcast automation solutions which is used in Sri Lanka and some of the regional media networks.
And though he had already made major contributions to the field of technology commercially, he wanted to expand his personal interest towards driving social impact. After returning home from his fellowship, he brainstormed ideas with like-minded friends who are working towards creating the social impact ecosystem in the country. Eventually he appeared as an impact investor in a reality TV show for social entrepreneurs. The TV show enabled him to educate the broader public on the concept of social entrepreneurship while giving potential entrepreneurs a chance to access seed funding.
In addition, he partnered with Nathan Sivagananathan (Sri Lanka 2015) on the recent launch of a Colombo-based accelerator hub that will house 700 seats. A portion of the seats will be dedicated to entrepreneurs who are designing businesses that have a positive financial, environmental and social impact. He is exploring further partnerships with Fellows especially in the Asia Pacific region, in addition to Fellows in his home country of Sri Lanka.
Listen here to learn about his many endeavors.