LAN’s Murali Sundar, Platinum Sponsor for Yarl Geek Challenge Season 7
View(s):Longtime Lankan Angel Network (LAN) member Murali Sundar, through his Canada-based multinational company Marcatus QED Inc, has signed on as the Platinum Sponsor for Geek Challenge (YGC) Season 7, which concludes with a Grand Finale in Colombo on November 17.
This annual start-up competition, organised by the Yarl IT Hub, recently held its semi-finals in Jaffna on November 2, 3 and 4.
The strategic partner for YGC since 2014, the Lankan Angel Network is Sri Lanka’s pioneering Business Angel Network, which has collectively invested over Rs. 2.2 billion in 30+ start-ups to date, including YGC Season 3 winner Busseat.lk.
Since its beginnings in 2001, Marcatus QED, which was founded by Mr. Sundar and where he currently serves as President and CEO, has dedicated itself to delivering quality, fresh and safe agricultural products around the world, from its operating offices in UK, Mexico, India, China and Canada. Marcatus QED’s client portfolio includes several well-respected brand names in North America, Europe and soon North and South Asia, LAN said in a media release.
According to Mr. Sundar, “As the Platinum Sponsor of the YGC, it was an incredible experience to meet and support all of the bright young tech talent at this fantastic event. Sri Lanka, and Jaffna specifically, has an immense wealth of innovative minds ready to tackle the world’s most pressing problems.”
Out of 17 teams that took part in YGC in 2018, 11 progressed to the Grand Finale, to be held in Colombo in mid-November. These include Team Phoenix and its Genesan Sole, a device to detect potential symptoms of diabetic foot ulcer; Team Porukki’s robot to collect floating plastic and polythene; and Team Codezilla’s mobile solution for preventing and curing Arthritis.
Also selected, Team Skyline Printers, the developers of an application to print items and get them delivered to your doorstep; Team Codeaxive’s physical platform, Space, for kids to enhance their English communication skills; Team Electros and Metros, a solution to stop wasting electricity; and Team Thulaiko and its app Cuckoo, which only delivers food from restaurants within a 1 km radius.
The remaining finalists were Team IOE and Fooding, which was created to help reduce food wastage; Team TJAMS and its app Greeners that promotes all aspects of urban gardening; Team Crazy Coders and its online vegetable market Angaadi; and Team Atronics who presented an irrigation solution that automatically waters or otherwise resolves crop dehydration issues, the release said.