GLX, or GoodLife X, is a programme offering support and solutions for innovative sustainable businesses that can have a positive impact on wellness, health, and the environment to scale their products and services to reach local and global markets. The concept was borne of a pressing need to bridge the gap between the use and accessibility of technology in Asia and its traditional natural value chains. GLX Director Randhula de Silva shared with us that most activities catering to the development of these sectors were in need of a serious paradigm shift.
Randhula, who is currently a council member of the National Council for Start-ups, member of the Board of Global Entrepreneurship Network’s Sri Lankan chapter, and formerly Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and currently Director of Hatch Works, stated that GLX started its journey in 2018 after identifying the existence of this disconnect between tech-enabled innovators and the entrepreneurs in the traditional sectors.
She commented that the Asian region has an abundance of natural resources, however it remains a barely tapped market, stating that natural value products do not get marketed as they should, except perhaps tea which too is a colonial product. She said that having recognised the need to enable agriculture and the rise of millennials hungry to solve problems, developing GLX as a programme was a no-brainer, and stated that it exists in order to facilitate innovative ethical and sustainable business ideas that improve people’s lives, while also assisting these businesses to cater to the sophisticated needs of international markets and create economic opportunity in Sri Lanka.
GLX focuses on start-ups and SME (small and medium enterprise) (and/or tech-enabled) business models that can shape consumer behaviour and make significant contributions to solve ecological and social challenges stemming from the food and agriculture, wellness and travel, design, and energy sectors.
Providing an ecosystem with a unique platform to support creative and engaged entrepreneurs and their sustainable business ideas; enabling innovation through international knowledge, networks and market intelligence; and funding opportunities are at the core of GLX’s focus areas. Therefore, according to Randhula, interested companies are selected for individually tailored GLX business programmes, aimed to provide access to numerous necessary resources including investment opportunities and funding.
In its latest venture, GoodLife X partnered with the Sri Lanka Tourism Alliance to initiate the “Grants for Tourism Resilience” programme to assist SMEs in the tourism industry, and it was designed to guide SMEs in successfully navigating the changing environment and adapting to new markets by identifying and leveraging opportunities brought on by the current global crisis.
Does your business qualify?
Randhula shared that they utilise cyclic programmes, called accelerator programmes, to facilitate and kick-start those businesses that join the project. These offer a combination of intense, rapid, and immersive business coaching, mentoring, and seed financing for early start-ups.
In order to join, a prerequisite must be that your business must be out of the idea stage and must be “post revenue”. However, she said that this does not mean that it must be generating a large income, only that you must have at least several customers dedicated to paying for your product. And, of course, your product or service must embody values based on sustainability and creating an impact; and if not, be in dire need of adopting and adapting to such values.
GLX started their first accelerator with six start-ups, which have gone on to become household names around the island – Ananta Sustainables, Bellissima, Honest Greens, Kimbula Kithul, SOZO, and Us on Earth. In their most recent iteration in 2020, GLX has 10 start-ups that have completed the programme which include the coconut-based brand Sebastco, Moonshadow Naturals, Refreshing Ayurvedic Wellness (RAW), Olai Shop (Pvt.) Ltd., BusSeat.lk (TechKitez [Pvt.] Ltd.), Wawamu, Mindful (Pvt.) Ltd., Local Forecast, Goodfolks (Pvt.) Ltd., and Owita Naturals.
During Covid-19
Randhula shared that while the new situation no longer allows for their international experts to travel and visit onsite, as it makes a difference when you are unable to physically interact, it is a drastic change. However, a positive outcome has been that since everything has gone virtual, they are able to have everyone engaged together on a regular basis, whereas in the pre-Covid-19 period, this level of time commitment would not have been so possible, and they would not have explored the potential of the virtual space.
She said that while for start-ups the virtual space is nothing new, the SMEs they work with are facing a challenge in facilitating virtual connectivity. However, she said that the adapting process was quick and smooth, sharing an example where they have people like 77-year-old Gordon De Silva whose daughter is currently in the process of taking over the business, and Gordon himself has adapted well in the transition.
Additionally, she shared that in response to Covid-19’s impact on businesses and the economy, they launched the “Stay Good in Business” programme followed up by the GLX Garage programme as a tailor-made five-month programme for sustainable-minded SMEs in the travel, wellness, food, and design sectors to improve business through marketing strategy, push into new markets, and international partnerships.
