NASSCOM’s DISHA mentorship programme launched in Sri Lanka (Pics)

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Published: 2026-07-16 12:52:13 | Added: 2026-07-16 13:16:07 | 16 views

An India – Sri Lanka Tech SME Partnership titled as ‘DISHA’ was officially launched in Colombo today (July 16).

The event was organised by the High Commission of India in Colombo in collaboration with NASSCOM, the apex body for the technology industry in India.

The DISHA Programme is a structured, high-impact initiative by the NASSCOM SME Council designed to support tech entrepreneurs with strategic business guidance, organizational direction, and actionable growth insights.

The organisers hope that this initiative of NASSCOM will strengthen the SME ecosystem of Sri Lanka through targeted sessions and workshops, driving greater reach, informed decision-making, and sustained guidance, while strengthening the India Sri Lanka Technological connection in the business domain.

President of NASSCOM – Mr. Rajesh Nambiar led a delegation of 16 CEOs/Founders of Indian IT companies for this event.

Expressing his excitement on the launch, Mr. Nambiar said, “technology alone does not build successful companies. And we know this. We need judgement, leadership, relationship, mentorship and so on. And that is the part which I believe DISHA could bring in.”

Adding his remarks, Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka – Mr. Santosh Jha explained that DISHA means direction in Sanskrit. “It is the first flagship programme which has been set up by NASSCOM outside India and it couldn’t be a matter of greater happiness for me as the High Commissioner that it is Sri Lanka they had chosen to do so.”

Addressing the event, Deputy Minister of Digital Economy in Sri Lanka – Eranga Weeraratne said that DISHA can help to bridge a gap experienced by Sri Lanka.

“Sri Lanka does not lack talent. We have capable engineers. Creative founders. And lots of firms that can build excellent products and services. What we often lack is the bridge between technical capability and the commercial skill. Between building a solution and building a company… Between winning a first customer and winning a new market… Between working hard and knowing what to work on next. A programme such as DISHA can help to build and bridge this gap.”

The launch followed a panel discussion on Technology, Partnership and Market as well as mentorship sessions by NASSCOM CEOs for selected Sri Lankan SMEs.