Ten emerging start-ups took centre stage at First Capital Startup Nation by Hatch Demo Day 2026, marking a significant step in their journey from building innovative businesses to accessing capital, industry connections and international opportunities.
Held recently at Trace Expert City, the Demo Day brought together the founders participating in the 2026 programme before a panel of judges, investors, corporates, media and members of Sri Lanka’s wider start-up ecosystem.
First Capital Startup Nation by Hatch is an initiative by First Capital Holdings PLC, combining First Capital’s capital markets expertise with Hatch’s start-up ecosystem to create greater pathways for emerging businesses.
The programme has also expanded its regional footprint, with Startup Nation now being delivered across four markets, including Sri Lanka, Nepal, India and Bangladesh. This regional scale brings together emerging businesses across South Asia, creating a broader platform for founders to access opportunities, networks and exposure beyond their home markets.
The Demo Day moved the participating start-ups beyond the development phase, giving the founders a platform to present their businesses, demonstrate the problems they are addressing and articulate the market opportunities they are pursuing. It also brought them into direct conversations with investors, corporates and ecosystem stakeholders who can play a role in their next stage of growth.
A key outcome of the event was the selection of the top three start-ups to progress to a closed-door equity funding round, giving them an opportunity to present their businesses in a more focused setting and engage directly around potential investment.
Hatch also announced their new initiative HLAB, a Rs.3 billion collective fund backed by First Capital Holdings as the anchor committing Rs.300 million to fuel early and growth-stage Sri Lankan start-ups ready to scale regionally. This is done in partnership with Lankan Angel Network and BOV Capital.
First Capital Holdings Managing Director and CEO Dilshan Wirasekara said, “Through First Capital Startup Nation by Hatch, we are creating a pathway that brings promising businesses closer to the resources and networks they need to scale.”
Chief Advisor to President on Digital Economy Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya delivered the keynote address.
The programme also creates a pathway to an international platform. The overall number one start-up from First Capital Startup Nation by Hatch 2026 will travel to San Francisco in November to compete at the Startup World Cup, following the programme’s partnership with US-based Pegasus Ventures, organisers of the global competition.
First Capital Startup Nation by Hatch is the official regional partner for the Startup World Cup.
Hatch Co-Founder Jeevan Gnanam said, “With the equity funding round and the opportunity to compete internationally, the founders now have tangible pathways to take what they have built to the next level.”
