How I Built My Startup – Chapter 2

Missed Chapter 1? Read it here:

How I Built My Startup – Chapter 1

The Moment That Could’ve Crushed the Dream

What I didn’t tell you last time was just how much I had already committed before I sat down with Damith in that boarding room.

By the time we had that talk in March 2017, I had already done quite a bit:

I had come up with the name EchonLabs, bought the domain, built the basic website, and even designed the first logo by myself. I was serious. I had invested not just time, but emotional energy. I was all in.

Here’s a look at the first logo of EchonLabs:

I never told Damith this, but if he had said “No” that day—if he had shown the slightest bit of hesitation or disliked the name or idea—I think a piece of me would’ve cracked. Honestly, I may have lost the drive to move forward altogether. It was one of those make-or-break moments that no one sees from the outside. But thankfully, he didn’t even blink.

He was on board. Fully.

So… Why Damith?

It’s a fair question.

Damith wasn’t just any friend or classmate. He was the guy I trusted when it came to code, commitment, and character. He was a passionate tech geek—loved building things, always ready to try something new, and most importantly, he wasn’t just doing it for fun.

Damith had another powerful motivation: financial independence. He wanted to be self-sufficient, stop depending on his parents as soon as he could, and stand on his own. That kind of drive makes a big difference. I knew that if we started something together, he’d treat it seriously.

I needed a reliable developer. Someone I could brainstorm with, build with, and who wouldn’t throw logic out the window. Someone I could trust.

And I knew that while I could contribute on the technical side, my edge was also in business growth, presentation, and leading the charge. Damith was the steady, code-focused counterpart to my restless vision.

We weren’t identical. That’s why it worked.

Did it really though? You will find out for sure in my upcoming chapters.

Why Build a Startup While Still an Undergrad?

Now, this is something I’ve never really unpacked before.

There were actually three reasons that pushed me to build something like EchonLabs while still being a student:

1. Breaking the Bias – Back when I was in my first year, I remember seniors saying that during interviews, companies would ask, “Wait… your university has a computer science degree?” We were from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, best known for its management faculty, not tech. That stung. I didn’t just want to break that bias—I wanted to shatter it.
2. Building Practical Skills – I knew that by starting something real, we could build a portfolio that was leagues ahead of anything taught in class. We’d be solving real problems, creating real products. That’s something most undergrads didn’t have.
3. Helping Ourselves and Others – A startup would allow us to earn while studying. Cover boarding fees. Maybe even send money home. I saw too many students with potential struggling financially. What if we could build something that helped with that?

Those were my real motivations—quiet ones I kept close to my chest.

Finding the Team That Could Go All the Way

I had led hackathon teams before. We’d placed well—sometimes even as second runners-up. But something always held us back from the top. Usually, it came down to differences in mindset, misaligned visions, or trust.

This time, I wanted to aim higher. Championship level.

So it had to be a fresh team—with full trust, complete alignment, and no ego battles. Alongside me and Damith, we brought in our better halves—two incredibly talented, equally driven women from the same department.

We called ourselves: Team EchonLabs.

The First Big Break: HackX 2017

We entered HackX 2017, the Inter-University Hackathon organized by the University of Kelaniya. The energy was insane. The pressure? Even more so.

But we were prepared. Not just technically, but mentally. We weren’t just coding for the prize—we were building our name. We wanted to prove something—not just to the judges, but to ourselves and to everyone who underestimated students from our department.

Here’s our team at the event:

And guess what?

We won. Champions.

Here’s the winning moment:

It wasn’t just a trophy—it was validation. It was proof that EchonLabs was more than just an idea. It had become a force.

What It Meant to the University—and to Us

Winning HackX 2017 wasn’t just a personal milestone—it was a statement. For the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, and more specifically for our Department of Computer Science, it was a moment of recognition we had long been waiting for. We didn’t just represent ourselves—we represented every student who had ever been overlooked, every CV that got passed on because of where it came from. It felt like we cracked open a door that had been locked for too long. Professors, peers, and even alumni started to take notice. For the first time, our department had not only entered the big leagues—we’d won.

What’s Coming Next…

In the next chapters, I’ll share more untold moments:

• How we found our first real members
• How we landed our first paid project
• How Damith’s bug crashed my brand new, fancy phone
• And the secret that gave me the confidence to take this risky startup journey in the first place—something I’ve never shared before

Because what’s a startup story without a little chaos, a little triumph—and a few secrets?

Stay tuned.