A Sri Lankan expat living in Adelaide, 31-year-old Nilan Mihindukulasooriya has made it to ‘South Australia’s 40 under 40 - 2022’ list, annually compiled by the ‘CitiMag’ - the Adelaide based print/digital magazine. An entrepreneur, a business leader and an accomplished IT professional, Nilan moved to Adelaide three-and-a-half years ago and founded Firehouse Technology while also taking up leading roles in several other initiatives.
It was his remarkable work during the Covid-19 pandemic which aimed to ‘democratise technology’ to support SMEs that earned him this coveted recognition on Australian soil.
‘CitiMag’ held the ‘40 under 40’ awards for the fifth consecutive year and this year’s event took place at the Adelaide Oval. In line with their goal to recognise and appreciate talented young business leaders with outstanding entrepreneurial vision in South Australia, the judge panel had selected the final 40 stars from across multiple industries.
Having arrived in Adelaide before the onset of the pandemic, Nilan’s work was somewhat cut out with the challenges posed by the pandemic. He was the leader behind a number of successful software solutions created during this period that addressed key issues in certain critical areas.
One such product that catered to SMEs ‘Mortar Initiative’ was a revolutionary analytical platform that combined customer data with programmatic advertising which equipped SMEs with top level enterprise technology at an affordable price. His other applauded initiative was livestock trading platform for overseas farmers whose trade has been adversely affected by the pandemic.
“It gives me great pleasure and a tremendous sense of achievement to be recognised as one of South Australia’s ‘40 under 40’. Although my journey in Australia started just over three years ago, the foundation was laid back in Sri Lanka and many people were part of it. My parents, my wife, friends and family as well as my alma mater Mahanama College, Colombo and all the teachers and mentors deserve the credit for this. A special thank must go to my two business partners Nisal Karunathilaka and Grant Baker, my team as well as my clients for their unwavering support’’ Nilan stated of his achievement.
Nilan started his journey with a First Class Honours BSc in Information Systems from SLIIT and another BSc in ICT from University of Colombo.