On 6 September 2023, Hemas and Hatch officially launched Slingshot - a catalyst programme designed to accelerate Sri Lankan startups with structured mentorship, operational coaching, and capital introductions. EDUS was honoured to be selected into the first cohort, and this album captures the team alongside the founders, mentors, and partners who attended the launch.
Why programmes like Slingshot matter
Sri Lanka has a long tradition of talented founders solving real problems. What's been harder to find is structured support that scales beyond informal networks - the kind of programme that picks early-stage teams, sits with them month after month, and helps them sharpen the operational basics that turn ideas into companies.
Slingshot was launched to fill exactly that gap. It is not just capital. It is the mentorship and the operational discipline that come with capital, delivered through a cohort model so founders learn alongside peers who are working through the same hard questions.
What EDUS brings to the cohort
EDUS joined Slingshot as one of the education-focused startups in the cohort. Our work is to deliver structured online tuition with measurable academic outcomes - and the Slingshot framework pushed us to sharpen the narrative around student impact, tutor quality, and the operational systems that make consistency possible at scale.
Gratitude to the organisers
Programmes like Slingshot are built by people who care more about ecosystem outcomes than headlines. Thanks to the Hemas team, the Hatch team, and every mentor who showed up for the founders in our cohort. This launch was a milestone for Sri Lankan startups, not just for EDUS.
