Hire1, overall winner at ‘Venture Engine 2016’

Hire1’s courier and fleet management app-based enterprise clinched top honours at Venture Engine 2016.

Hire1, one of the over 200 entrants at this year’s contest, was selected as the Overall Winner in addition to receiving the inaugural Impact Entrepreneurship Award, for the wide social and market impact of the concept.

Founded by Harvard Business School Graduate, Yeshanth Gunewardena and a SLIIT Honours Graduate and Tech entrepreneur, Indika Tantrigoda, Hire1 was launched last year and allows users including businesses, merchants and individuals, a hassle-free approach to logistics, to pick up or deliver anything, anywhere in real-time. Founder Gunewardena said, “Our mission in Sri Lanka is to help businesses grow by reaching the customer’s doorstep in the shortest time, and doing this by empowering existing transport providers.”

“Venture engine is a great platform for passionate start-ups like us to really prove ourselves, validate what we are doing and get input. The entire process really helped us shape and focus our strategy.

Venture Engine is a platform that provided exposure to international VCs and entrepreneurs. It was a rewarding experience,” he said.

Venture Engine Co-Founder Blue Ocean Venture Capital’s Prajeeth Balasubramaniam said, “This was a result of an exciting and novel concept and execution strategy.

Not only does the Hire1 team epitomize the very best of entrepreneurship, offering up an idea suitable to both adaptability and scalability, they also most importantly possess a drive to succeed that is rarely witnessed.