Catch up on the journey so far:
Chapter 2 – The Jump, the Justifications, and the First Victory
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Assembling the Dream Team
After our win at HackX 2017, there was a spark. Something had shifted.
With Madhushi (my better half) and Chamindi (Damith’s), we had just experienced the power of aligned minds working toward a goal. We knew we couldn’t stop there. We wanted to build—products, platforms, and a team of like-minded people who believed in what EchonLabs could become.
That’s when we heard about Tharindu Bathigama—a first-year student who had just joined our department and was already generating buzz for his passion for development. The moment we spoke to him, it was obvious: this guy was going places. And we wanted him with us on the journey.
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Offers and Deals — The First Build (and the First Breakdown)
With Tharindu on board, the three of us—Damith, Tharindu, and I—met up a few nights at my boarding room and got to work.
Our idea? A platform called “Offers and Deals”.
The concept was simple but ambitious: aggregate real-time promotions and offers from nearby shops, and feature mobile games that brands could use to deliver deals in a fun, interactive way.
Damith took on Android development, Tharindu was our backend guy, and I floated between everything—UI/UX design, prototyping, and managing the project.
One night, I designed the app icon and passed it to Damith. We didn’t have fancy labs or test environments—just our laptops and phones. Damith needed a device to test on. Naturally, I offered mine: my beloved Samsung Galaxy S7, a flagship at the time, and my pride and joy.
Well…
Let’s just say, pride comes before a fall.
After Damith deployed the app build using my icon, the phone froze. Completely. Unresponsive. Bricked. The only fix? A full reset. I lost everything on that phone. Just like that.
A painful lesson, not just in development, but in reality. This was no longer a fun side hustle. We were building real things—and real things can break.
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First Money In
We kept pushing, but “Offers and Deals” wasn’t moving fast. It was heavy work, and we weren’t sure if—or when—it would make a single rupee.
We needed a win. Something tangible. Something to keep the momentum going.
That’s when a friend and batchmate, Ilham Nizam, came to the rescue. He was organizing a university speech competition called Speech Master and needed a simple website.
It wasn’t a big project. The budget wasn’t much. But it was something. I got personally involved, handled it cost-effectively, and delivered it on time.
That website brought in LKR 8,000—our very first revenue.
Not much in numbers, but massive in meaning.
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The Blow We Didn’t Expect
Just as things were gaining momentum, we were hit with a curveball.
Tharindu—our young prodigy—was leaving. He had received an offer to transfer to the University of Ruhuna, and he took it. That was a heavy blow. Losing someone so aligned with the vision felt like being set back to zero.
But that wasn’t the only twist.
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Enter the Hardware Hacker: Tharusha Silva
Around the same time, we were getting curious about expanding beyond software. Robotics, electronics, hardware—we wanted in.
That’s when Tharusha Silva joined us. A fellow batchmate and electronics enthusiast, he had already studied at the University of Colombo and brought serious tech hardware passion with him.
We dreamed up a project called “Probie”—a programmable robotic head platform.
We brainstormed, prototyped, even bought components to tinker with.
But… it didn’t pan out. Like many early projects, it fizzled out before it found footing.
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Why EchonLabs Survived Anyway
You might be thinking:
Two team members left. Projects died. Phones bricked.
So how did EchonLabs survive?
This is one of the most important lessons I’ve learned.
Everyone has different personal goals. Everyone has different limits on how much risk they can take.
• Tharindu was young, ambitious, and brilliant—but he had a path ahead that changed course.
• Tharusha had responsibilities, a career to build, and couldn’t afford to gamble long-term.
• Damith, like many of us, had to start supporting his family right after graduation. He did a 3-year degree and needed income fast.
But me?
I was in it for the long haul.
Being in a 4-year degree gave me more runway. I was fortunate enough—blessed, really—to have a bit more time and financial flexibility. And that made all the difference.
Because when you’re building something from scratch, time is your most powerful currency.
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What’s Coming Next…
In the next chapter, I’ll share:
• How Damith became the first “super-undergrad” from our startup
• How he earned, sent money home, and even began building a house while still a student
• The secret behind why I never gave up, even when it felt like I was starting over
• And how seeing other junior-led startups from our department kept me motivated and in the fight
• Who are the super stars who joined next and carried the light?
This journey is far from over.
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