Sri Lanka Hosts First-Ever South Asia’s Business Summit for Teenagers at Temple Trees
Sri Lanka made history with the successful conclusion of the Teen Business Summit ’25 Powered by The Business School and StartX, the country’s first national-scale business summit exclusively for teenagers, held at the Iconic Temple Trees on the 22nd of June. The summit brought together teens across the island for a powerful day of inspiration, real-world exposure, and hands-on learning.
The event was conceptualized to help teenagers “Discover Their Passion. Design Their Future.” Offering deep insight into entrepreneurship, corporate readiness and power to be anything.
Transformative Panel Discussions with Top Leaders
The summit featured two back-to-back, high-impact panel discussions:
- The Real Corporate Life: Be Corporate Ready Featuring:
- Mr. Jehan Perinpanayagam - CEO of Informate (JKH), Senior Vice President - John Kells Holdings, Immediate Past Chair of ACCA & SLASSCOM
- Mr. Shamal Gunawardene - Chief Operating Officer of CEAT Kelani Holdings (Pvt) Ltd & Former Director - Sales and Commercial Coca-Cola Beverages
- Mr. Surath Chandrasena - Group Finance Director of MAS Holdings, Gold Award for Chief Financial Officer of the Year at the AICPA & CIMA - JXG Pinnacle Awards 2025
These industry giants shared their personal career journeys and the evolving expectations of the corporate world, providing actionable advice for youth aspiring to enter top firms.
- Start Bold. Start Young: The Startup Mindset Featuring
- Mr. Joel Tilekeratne - Founder & CEO of CARNAGE and Fitness Island
- Mr. Janik Jayasuriya (Celeste) - Founder & CEO of Celeste Daily
- Mrs. Nayomi Handunneti - Founder of The Siren and Elixir Ceylon.
Abdur Rahman Eshak
A new generation of Sri Lankan entrepreneurs who started early and built standout brands. The panel encouraged youth to embrace innovation, take calculated risks, and believe in the power of starting young.
Workshops That Sparked Transformation
The summit also featured two powerful workshops designed to unlock clarity and courage among teens:
- The Passion Discovery Workshop was conducted by award-winning coach Mr. Charitha Bandara, helping teens uncover a model to discover their passion and design their future.
- The Set Apart: Power to Be Anything workshop included life lessons from Mr. Dilanjan, Mr. Shehan, and International Music Icon Ms. Yohani De Silva, whose stories deeply resonated with young dreamers in the crowd.
Shukri Salman presenting a tokenof appreciation to Chief Guest Hon. Sajith Premadasa
Teenpreneur Grand Finale: Real Pitches, Real Investment for TEENS
One of the standout moments was the Teenpreneur Grand Finale, where teenage teams pitched real business ideas to a panel of investors, in a “Shark Tank”-style format. Out of the finalists, three teams secured actual investments, marking a rare and impactful opportunity for school-aged entrepreneurs.
Chief Guest Mr. Sajith Premadasa Highlights Youth Potential
The event was graced by Hon. Sajith Premadasa, Leader of the Opposition, who addressed the gathering as Chief Guest.
“Sri Lanka’s youth must be placed at the center of national development. This summit is not just an event, it’s a revolution in how we prepare our next generation.”
Yohani
A Vision Turned Reality
The Teen Business Summit was spearheaded by a passionate team of youth-focused change-makers, led by its founder – an educator and entrepreneur with a vision to make Sri Lanka a hub for future-ready young leaders.
The founder of Teen Business Summit – Mr. Shukri Salman said in a statement “We didn’t just organize a summit we built a stage for tomorrow’s CEOs, innovators, and visionaries. The energy, the ambition, and the dreams we witnessed here prove that Sri Lanka’s future is in powerful hands,”
For the hundreds of teens who attended, June 22nd wasn’t just another day it was the day they realized that their dreams matter, and that the future is something they can design.
“Sri Lanka’s youth must be placed at the center of national development. This summit is not just an event, it’s a revolution in how we prepare our next generation.”
