High Commission of India
Colombo

PRESS RELEASE

Capacity-Building Programme for Sri Lankan Start-ups at India’s Centre of Excellence IIT Madras Parvartak.

  A 25-member delegation from the Sri Lanka Association for Software and Services companies (SLASSCOM) visited India from February 2nd - March 13th, 2026 to participate in a specialised Training and Capacity-Building Programme. The delegation comprised founders, owners and co-owners of Sri Lankan Start-ups. 

2. The programme was organised pursuant to the announcement made by Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, during his visit to Sri Lanka in April 2025, under which India committed to offering 700 customised training slots annually for Sri Lankan professionals.

3. The 45-day training programme was conducted by the Government of India at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Parvartak (IITM Parvartak), Chennai. It featured a comprehensive set of technical and thematic sessions covering entrepreneurial frameworks, financial tools, strategic mindsets to scale start-ups, hands-on learning of Artificial Intelligence applications tailored to Sri Lanka’s key industry sectors. Additionally, it prepares participants with investor-ready pitch decks and company valuations and builds leadership capabilities including manifestation, subconscious rewiring and CEO-level decision making. During this training programme, participants have been exposed to India’s innovation ecosystem through research park visits and sector-specific interactions.

4. The programme contributed meaningfully to strengthening professional competencies, promoting knowledge exchange, and deepening institutional and government-to-government and business-to-business linkages between India and Sri Lanka, reflecting the shared commitment of both countries to capacity building and people-centric economic cooperation. This fully funded programme is part of the rapidly expanding tech and innovation partnership between India and Sri Lanka.

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Colombo
18 March 2026