GrowLanka

Working with Harvard University's Innovation Lab, GrowLanka developed a voice-based mobile system that delivered job alerts to job seekers in northern Sri Lanka. In the aftermath of a 25+ year civil war that left behind more than 90,000 war widows, the region suffers from high unemployment rates due primarily to an information gap that exists between job seekers and employers. This means that employers do not have the ability to advertise job opportunities to the villagers who would be willing to work for the salaries they offer, and thus, hundreds of jobs go unfilled in the many new factories that are being built in the region. By helping to close the information gap, Growlanka impacted the lives of hundreds jobseekers and local families. After testing and re-testing, the Venture was successfully transitioned to the northern Sri Lankan government.