Kickstart Weekend 2026 Empowers Future Innovators at the Department of Information Technology
The Department of Information Technology, Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce, successfully conducted the Kickstart Weekend 2026 from 12th to 14th June 2026 at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura as a three-day workshop series. The event was organized in collaboration with the Students’ Association of Information Technology (S@IT), SquareHub (Pvt.) Ltd., and PayMedia (Pvt.) Ltd. with the objective of fostering entrepreneurial thinking, innovation, and business acumen among second-year BIS students.
The opening ceremony was held at the E524 Lecture Hall of the FMSC New Building with the participation of Prof. Dushan Jayawickrama, Dean of the Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce; academic staff members of the Department of Information Technology; trainers and mentors from the SquareHub community; representatives of S@IT; and second-year BIS students. The esteemed guests of the opening ceremony, Mr. Kanishka Weeramunda, CEO of SquareHub Sri Lanka, and Prof. Dushan Jayawickrama, Dean of FMSC, emphasized the importance of entrepreneurship among the undergraduates of Sri Lanka and officially inaugurated the Kickstarter weekend.
The three-day workshop series was carefully designed to enhance the personal and professional development of students through experiential learning, teamwork, leadership development, creativity, and entrepreneurial problem-solving. The second day of the programme focused on entrepreneurial mentoring and skill development. Students worked closely with industry trainers and mentors who shared their expertise and guided participants through idea generation, business model development, market validation, and effective pitching techniques.
The final day of the programme culminated in a business idea pitching competition, where student teams presented their entrepreneurial solutions before a distinguished panel of judges comprising industry professionals and academic experts. The judging panel included Mr. Ahamed Nishadh (Founder, Plus Studio International), Mr. Rajeeva George (Head of IT – Assistant General Manager, Global IT Operations, Axiata Digital Labs), Ms. Pulani Ranasinghe (Chief Executive Officer, Loons Lab (Pvt.) Ltd.), Prof. Lasith Gunawardena (Former Head, Department of Information Technology), Dr. C. R. Peiris (Head, Department of Information Technology), and Mr. Thanuja Wickramanayaka (Lecturer (On Contract), Department of Information Technology).
Following a highly competitive evaluation process, Team “Lumos” emerged as the overall winner of the Kickstarter Entrepreneurial Weekend 2026. Team “NextGen IT” secured the position of First Runner-up, while Team “Last Warning” was awarded Second Runner-up.
The event was coordinated by Mr. Thanuja Wickramanayaka on behalf of the Department of Information Technology under the guidance of Prof. Lasith Gunawardena, with the support of Dr. C. R. Peiris, Head of the Department of Information Technology, and the assistance of the department’s academic staff members.
The Department of Information Technology remains committed to providing students with opportunities that bridge academic learning and industry practice, thereby nurturing the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, and technology leaders.