In November 2023, EDUS joined the Yarl Geek Challenge (YGC) Innovation Festival - one of the longest-running technology gatherings in Sri Lanka's Northern Province. YGC has been quietly producing builders, founders, and engineers since its first edition over a decade ago, and the festival is where the wider community converges to meet, demo, and learn from each other.
Why YGC matters to us
EDUS is not the first Jaffna-based technology effort. It stands on the work of every YGC team that came before, every Yarl IT Hub initiative, and every patient mentor who has spent evenings teaching first-time founders the basics of running a startup. Participating in the festival is partly recognition of that lineage, partly an opportunity to keep meeting the people who will define what the next decade of Northern Province technology looks like.
What happened at the festival
The team showcased EDUS's structured online tuition model, met student teams competing in the parallel YGC competition, and sat in on mentor sessions covering startup operations, product thinking, and fundraising. We had the kind of unscheduled hallway conversations that are usually more valuable than any panel session.
A community we keep showing up for
If you've ever wondered how a Jaffna-based education institute ended up serving students across Sri Lanka, India, the Maldives, and the global diaspora - YGC and Yarl IT Hub are part of the answer. The photos in this album capture some of that community in action. Thank you to the YGC team for keeping this going year after year.
