GLX prompts startups to realise their true potential
Twelve weeks. That’s how long it took six startups to completely revolutionise their business.
Created by the German Development Corporation (GIZ) and hosted at Hatch Works, Good Life X (GLX) is an intensive business development programme that gave six startups everything they need to amplify their business. Six startups in food and agriculture received coaching in key areas of running a business such as management, HR, finance, internationalisation, investors, marketing and law. The startups were given strict and thorough deliverables and their job was to rise to the challenge within 12 weeks to take their brand to the next level.
Why “Good Life”?
The term “good life” is coined because it focuses on startups that are “good and scalable”.
The Good Life Accelerator program was invented to foster ethical and sustainable business ideas, that can improve life in South and Southeast Asia.
The programme which ran on its beta version and concluded on November 6th 2019, was open to the public and had received 22 applications out of which these six startups were selected. All members of the six startups are now by default, members of the Hatch Community.
Sessions of the GLX included topics such as “How to find co-founders?” done by Stephan Anpalagan from MHP — A Porsche Company in which Stephan covered recruitment, onboarding, corporate culture, roles and functions and finally, the burning question of what to do if the relationship isn’t a success story.
“It’s no longer the numbers you make, but the value you bring in to the table,” said Stephan speaking about the shift in the importance of bringing in numbers vs the value that humans add to the equation and to the greater society.
What do the six startups gain from GLX?
Ashish Advani from Honest Greens (a 3-year-old business that grows plants vertically and indoors) said that it was a multifaceted programme that gave their startup incredible resources, mentorship and insight.“What we’re doing is not done in Sri Lanka. Through GLX, we were able to connect with people from the industry and gain exposure. I can proudly say that I wouldn’t be in the same position today if not for GLX,” says Ashish.
Dush Ratnayake from Belissima (an artesian desserts brand established five years ago) “For me, it was a free MBA! It got me to think out of the box about our business and showed me the potential of going global with my brand. The milestones we had to achieve within the programme were definitely challenging and out of our comfort zones but it really pushed us to the next level.”
Dushyantha De Silva from Sozo Beverages (a healthy beverage producer running over three years) said that GLX led him to fine-tune his venture and meet higher standards than it already does.
Chanchala Gunewardena founder of Kimbula Kithul says “It was almost too good to be true to get access to this programme. As someone running a business alone, I initially thought that there were too many areas that needed my attention. Within the programme, however, I felt I had a friend who I could go over a particular problem with and get constructive feedback and guidance from, which I could then put into action.”
Medhini Igoor from Us on Earth (a startup working on a holistic approach to sustainable food and farming) said that GLX propelled their venture from the starter/experimental phase to set up as a business.
Savera Weerasinghe from Ananta Sustainables (a startup since 2018 that help Sri Lankan companies switch to sustainable packaging) said that GLX gave her team a completely new and different perspective that helped them reframe it.
The next round of GLX will start in 2020 and will focus on startups in the wellness sector.
Stay updated on more sessions of GLX via our FB page and join in the sessions with external experts that are open to the public. We invite everyone to use these valuable opportunities to learn and evolve! :)
