In a milestone celebration of innovation, entrepreneurship and regional empowerment, the David Pieris Group awarded over Rs. 20 million in seed funding to selected young entrepreneurs at the Thalir Seed Funding Awarding Ceremony 2025, held this morning at the North Gate Hotel in Jaffna.

This event marked the next phase of the Group’s visionary ‘Thalir’ initiative, launched just a few months ago to uplift aspiring entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka’s Northern Region.

Meaning “sprout” in Tamil, Thalir reflects the spirit of growth and fresh beginnings—an apt symbol for the energy and ambition of the young business minds now poised to make their mark. Thalir is part of a broader northern development strategy initiated by the David Pieris Group in 2021 under the guidance of Mr. David Pieris, President, David Pieris Group of Companies.

Designed to provide both capital and mentorship, the programme aims to support scalable business ventures across key sectors including automotive, logistics, information technology, agriculture, tourism, and exports.

The ceremony saw four individuals each receiving grants of Rs. 500,000 to kickstart their business ideas, while three standout ventures secured convertible funding totalling approximately Rs. 20 million. These entrepreneurs were selected from over 100 applicants, with 26 shortlisted for the second-round workshop designed to assess project viability, innovation and community impact.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Jeyaraj Sayanthan, Project Lead – Thalir and Group Chief Information Officer of David Pieris Holdings (Private) Limited, noted, “We were impressed by the sheer creativity and commitment shown by these young visionaries. Thalir is not just a funding programme—it’s a platform to inspire long-term economic growth in the North through sustainable, forward-thinking entrepreneurship.”

The occasion was graced by Mr. Rohana Dissanayake, Group Chairman and Managing Director of David Pieris Group, who served as the Chief Guest. The event also welcomed Mr. Jekhan Arulliah, Northern Entrepreneurial Consultant and Project Consultant and senior leadership from the Group and its companies.