Where Breakthroughs Begin
Powering the next generation of innovators
LaunchPad is a technology startup competition and innovation exhibition empowering young innovators to build impactful solutions.
Innovation
Ideas and prototypes developed
Mentorship
Guidance from industry experts
Competition
Cash prizes and recognitions
Where Ideas Become Reality
The Launchpad is Sri Lanka's premier student tech & entrepreneurship competition, run by the Electronics and Computer Science Club (ECSC) at the University of Kelaniya. We empower the next generation of builders, makers, and visionaries.
Ideate
Develop your idea from scratch with structured workshops and mentoring sessions designed to sharpen your concept.
Build
Prototype real solutions with the guidance of industry professionals and access to cutting-edge tools.
Collaborate
Work in interdisciplinary teams of up to 5 members — school and university students together.
Exhibit
Showcase your project to a live audience of judges, investors, and fellow innovators at our grand finale.
Win
Compete for cash prizes, trophies, and recognition on a national stage — plus invaluable real-world experience.
Grow
Connect with Sri Lanka's brightest minds and build a network that lasts well beyond the competition.
Project Timeline
A structured five-step roadmap — from initial concept to final results — engineered for precision, clarity, and success.
CONCEPT
Define the core problem you are solving. Validate your idea through research, competitor analysis, and early user interviews to ensure product-market fit.
COMMUNICATION
Align your team and stakeholders. Establish clear channels, set expectations, document requirements, and schedule regular syncs to keep everyone on the same page.
BUDGET
Plan your resources and finances. Break down costs into categories, allocate funds per milestone, and set contingency buffers to keep the project financially healthy.
DEVELOPMENT
Build iteratively in sprints. Write clean, tested code, conduct regular code reviews, and ship working increments to gather real feedback as early as possible.
RESULTS
Launch, measure, and iterate. Track KPIs against your initial goals, gather user feedback post-launch, and document learnings to continuously improve the product.
Define the core problem you are solving. Validate your idea through research, competitor analysis, and early user interviews to ensure product-market fit.
Align your team and stakeholders. Establish clear channels, set expectations, document requirements, and schedule regular syncs to keep everyone on the same page.
Plan your resources and finances. Break down costs into categories, allocate funds per milestone, and set contingency buffers to keep the project financially healthy.
Build iteratively in sprints. Write clean, tested code, conduct regular code reviews, and ship working increments to gather real feedback as early as possible.
Launch, measure, and iterate. Track KPIs against your initial goals, gather user feedback post-launch, and document learnings to continuously improve the product.
LAUNCHPAD PHASES
From ideation to the grand exhibition, discover the journey of tech entrepreneurship and innovation.
Launchpad Finals
Teams demonstrate functional, real-time MVPs to attendees and corporate executives.
Mentorship Phase
Finalized teams enter an exclusive expert-led developer workshops and corporate pitch-polishing sessions.
Pitching Round
Shortlisted teams present their working prototypes, hardware builds and financial models live.
Proposal Submission
Registered teams submit an exhaustive technical architecture blueprint alongside a product introduction video.
Tech Inspiration Series
A series featuring renowned tech entrepreneurs and engineers to expose students to real-world technical ideation frameworks.
Why Join The Launchpad?
Bridge the gap between academic theory and real-world impact by building the technology of tomorrow.
Ideas to Impact
Inspire students and innovators to turn creative ideas into practical solutions through technology and entrepreneurship.
Accelerate Innovation Development
Support participants in refining their ideas and prototypes into practical, user-focused solutions with real-world potential.
Solve Real-World Challenges
Provide a platform for innovators to develop practical solutions to real-world problems while connecting with industry professionals, mentors, and potential collaborators.
Drive Meaningful Innovation
Empower participants to leverage technology and innovation to create impactful solutions for real-world challenges and contribute to sustainable development.
Competition Categories
To ensure equitable judging benchmarks, structured evaluation, and tailored mentorship, the competition tracks are split into two distinct parallel streams.
School Category
Secondary school students and emerging junior tech innovators nationwide. Nurturing original curiosity, basic technical problem-solving, and foundational presentation confidence.
University Category
Undergraduates from technical universities, institutes, and higher education campuses. Rigid validation of full-stack engineering architectures, Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) software modules and operational business logic.
Prizes
In addition to the best opportunity of meeting professionals in the industry, teams will get rewards for their performances.
Winner
LKR 60,000
1st Runner-up
LKR 40,000
2nd Runner-up
LKR 25,000
Winner
LKR 30,000
1st Runner-up
LKR 20,000
2nd Runner-up
LKR 15,000
Sustainable Tech Award
LKR 10,000
Awarded to the team with the most sustainable technology solution.
People’s Choice Award
LKR 10,000
Recognizes the team with the highest public engagement and community votes.
We'd Love to Hear From You
Got a question, need guidance on registration, or looking to partner with us? Our friendly team is here to support you every step of the way!
General Inquiries
contact@ecsc-uok.comOrganizing Headquarters
ECSC, University of Kelaniya
Dalugama, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka
Talk to Our Team
Send a Message
Fill in your query and we'll get back to you personally
Fast Response Guarantee
We typically reply within 2–4 hours on weekdays.
Support Hours: Mon – Sat, 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM IST
“Whether you're a school team taking your first step or a university startup scaling up, our door is always open. Feel free to reach out anytime!”
— ECSC Student & Faculty Committee
Backed by the Best
The Launchpad 2K26 is made possible by an incredible community of sponsors, industry partners, and organisations who believe in the next generation of innovators.
IEEE Student Branch
Google Developer Group
Mozilla Sri Lanka
HackerSpace Colombo
Open Source LK
Our full partner network
Interested in sponsoring?
Partner with The Launchpad and connect your brand with Sri Lanka's brightest student innovators.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about The Launchpad 2K26. Can't find the answer? Reach out to us.
The Launchpad is open to both school and university students across Sri Lanka. Teams of 2–5 members are eligible to participate. At least one member must be currently enrolled in a recognized school or university.
We welcome tech and entrepreneurship projects across any domain — from AI/ML applications, web & mobile products, to hardware prototypes and social-impact solutions. Your project must present a real problem and a functional or well-scoped solution.
No. Registration for The Launchpad 2K26 is completely free of charge. We believe access to opportunity should not be gated by cost.
The competition runs in three phases: (1) Idea Submission — submit your concept for initial screening; (2) Prototype Pitch — shortlisted teams present a working demo to a panel of judges; (3) Grand Finale — top teams exhibit their products at the live showcase event.
Winners receive cash prizes, certificates, mentorship from industry professionals, and exclusive opportunities for incubation support. Detailed prize breakdowns will be announced closer to the event date.
Not at all! You can start with just an idea or a concept. As the competition progresses, you will be expected to develop a prototype. Our mentors will guide you through each stage.
You can register your team and submit your project idea through the registration form on this website. You will receive a confirmation email with further instructions after submitting.
The Launchpad is an initiative by the Electronics and Computer Science Club (ECSC) at the University of Kelaniya — a student-led club dedicated to fostering innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship.
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