CH17 Loyalty, now rebranded as 'More,' is the pioneering corporate loyalty management program in Sri Lanka. 'More' offers a comprehensive suite of 360° loyalty and rewards services specifically tailored to meet the needs of businesses. Through this program, customers enjoy a wide array of unique privileges, including special offers, cashback rewards, flash deals, and various other exclusive benefits. With a customer base exceeding one million, they continue to set the standard in corporate loyalty solutions, enhancing customer engagement and satisfaction.

We are pleased to announce that KReader has recently partnered with CH17 Loyalty.

We are thrilled to share the exhilarating news that KReader has achieved the second position in the prestigious  She Loves Tech competition, Sri Lanka round. 

To begin with, a huge thanks to the organizers of She Loves Tech. Your vision and commitment to creating a platform that uplifts and champions tech innovations has been truly inspirational. We are truly grateful on behalf of the KReader team for the platform and opportunity.

Next, our heartfelt appreciation goes to the outstanding team at Hatch Works, Mevan Peiris , Anshani Bogahalanda , Prashan Fernando, Viji and Biman. As the organizers and mentors behind this competition in Sri Lanka, your dedication and efforts have set the stage for brilliance, and we're ever grateful for the tremendous support and guidance you've provided. Your insights, feedback, and expertise have played a crucial role in refining our approach and our eventual success. 

A special note of gratitude to our esteemed judges; Jeevan Gnanam , Brindha Selvadurai , Aloka Gunasekara and Medhini Gunawardhana. Your dedication to maintaining a fair and high standard for all competitors is commendable.

To our wonderful KReader Team, Heshan J Peiris, Ayesha Ratnayake and Joshua Hinkle your unwavering commitment, passion, and innovation are the true essence of this achievement. This recognition is a testament to the countless hours, dedication, and brilliance you bring to the table every day.

Lastly, to our dedicated staff, who work tirelessly behind the scenes, we extend our deepest gratitude. Your support has been the bedrock of our journey, and this achievement is as much yours as it is ours.

As we bask in this celebratory moment, we remain focused on our vision and are excited about the journey ahead. Together, let's continue to make waves in the tech landscape.

Congratulations to all the fellow winners Nevindaree Premarathne , Pulani Ranasinghe and participants Sasmitha Perera and Vindya. Your remarkable innovations have set the bar high and truly impressed us. It's been an honor to stand alongside such talented individuals.

Learn more about Top 3 She Loves Tech Winners here - Top 3 She Loves Tech Winners

In 2013, the World Intellectual Property Organization – WIPO ratified the Marrakesh Treaty to tackle the prevalent issue of the "book famine." This term refers to the scarcity of publications available in formats accessible to individuals who are blind or visually impaired. Sri Lanka signed the Marrakesh Treaty in 2016 and made the amendments to the National Intellectual Property Act - Amendment 8 in 2021. 

Founder of KReader Heshan J Peiris and Co-Founder Kanchana Priyakantha were invited for a forum organized by The DAISY Lanka Foundation a non profit who are working on the domain of accessible publishing for people with print disabilities. As per their research data there are around 1.3 million Sri Lankans who are print disabled. 

Here are a few noteworthy points that were discussed.

1. In developing nations such as Sri Lanka, the vast majority of books in local languages are exclusively published in printed formats. Consequently, individuals with print disabilities face significant barriers accessing these materials.

2. If the books are born accessible in local languages (If both eBook and Audiobook versions are released along with the printed version of the book) people with print disabilities are able to access them.

3. The significant expense associated with producing audiobooks featuring human narrators.

4. Lack of social awareness among the general populace regarding the social injustices faced by individuals with print disabilities due to the absence of accessible publishing.

Here is how we can assist people with print disabilities as KReader, a subscription based digital reading framework for local languages in Sri Lanka with eBooks, Audiobooks, AI-based natural sounding speech synthesis.

1. All of the printed books published by KBOOKS Publishing, our printed publishing arm, are born accessible (Printed, eBooks and Audiobooks) and we continue to do so for all the future titles.

2. To date, we've converted over 500+ eBooks with accessibility friendly formats and produced several audiobooks featuring human narrators, all backed by appropriate Digital Publishing Agreements signed with Authors.

3. We're enhancing our AI stack with advanced speech synthesis technology to create natural-sounding Audiobooks from eBooks in batches for Sinhala and Tamil languages. This capability enables us to produce Audiobook versions for every eBook available on our platform.

4. We can utilize social media platforms to raise awareness about the rights of individuals with print disabilities. By sharing this message, we aim to promote equality and advocate for equal rights to reading, learning, and empowerment for all.

Spotify has recently introduced Audiobooks for its Premium subscribers in the UK and Australia, offering them the opportunity to indulge in up to 15 hours of audiobook content each month. The service will soon extend to the US market as well.

Here are several worldwide audiobook trends that prompted Spotify to introduce audiobooks to their platform.

1. Audiobooks have emerged as the most rapidly expanding sector in the realm of book publishing. According to the Audio Publishers Association (APA), revenue from audiobooks in the United States showed a 10% rise in 2022, resulting in an annual sales figure of $1.8 billion.

2. In recent years, China's audiobook industry has been experiencing consistent double-digit growth. In 2022, the market had expanded to a value of 7.2 billion Yuan.

3. The audiobook industry in Europe surpasses $850 million in value and is projected to experience an annual growth rate of 18.6% until the year 2025..

4. The worldwide audiobook industry currently exceeds $5.3 billion and is anticipated to grow to $35 billion by 2030. This indicates an annual growth rate of 26.4% for audiobooks over the next seven years, contrasting sharply with the book publishing market, which is expected to expand by just 1.9% annually.

With these global trends, the opportunity to scale in local language space is exponential and we launched KReader MVP on 27th of September 2023(Kudos to KReader Core Team, who made this a reality with many long hours), a subscription based digital reading framework for local languages (Sinhala and Tamil) in Sri Lanka with eBooks, Human Narrated Audiobooks and AI powered speech synthesis to batch process human-sounded Audiobooks with emotions for local languages. (Audiobooks will soon be enabled in the platform)

For a startup, finding the balance between growth and profitability is crucial. While growth drives excitement and opportunities, profitability ensures sustainability. Startups must strategically pursue growth while maintaining financial health. By setting clear goals, focusing on scalable strategies, and prioritizing financial discipline, startups can navigate this balancing act effectively, driving long-term success and resilience in the dynamic startup landscape.

I'm eager to hear your take on Growth vs Profitability. In your view, which should take precedence for a startup? How do you propose maintaining a balance between the two as the business expands? Share your thoughts.

We have built KReader, a subscription based digital reading framework for local languages (Sinhala and Tamil) in Sri Lanka with eBooks, Human Narrated Audiobooks and AI powered speech synthesis to batch process human-sounded Audiobooks with emotions for local languages. (Audiobooks will soon be enabled in the platform)

Sri Lankan Politician Imthiaz Bakeer Marker's autobiography Mage Kathawa(My Story) was launched recently at the Kularathna Hall, Ananda College.

Mage Kathawa is a 600+ pages cross section of his own life and Sri Lankan Politics. It is a mirror to understand what went wrong in Sri Lanka. Why we failed as a nation. There was a remarkable set of words he said during his vote of thanks for us to progress as a nation.

"Culturally Diverse - United as a Nation - This is what we need in Sri Lanka"

Within a short period of time, KReader has become a diverse and inclusive digital reading platform. KReader offers contents in Sinhala, Tamil and English languages written by Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim writers, written by Buddhist, Christian, Catholic, Hindu and Islam writers, written by writers with different political ideologies, written by writers with different literary techniques, written in different genres. Simply, KReader has united diverse Sri Lankan local language contents into a single digital platform.

All the books written by Imthiaz Bakeer Marker are now available in KReader in eBook format with KReader Unlimited Reading Subscription.

We are pleased to announce the onboarding of Seshadrinathan "Nathan" Krishnan, FCA, CFA Krishnan as our Investment and Funding Advisor for KReader, a subscription-based digital reading platform for vernacular languages.

With a distinguished 25-year career spanning Asia and the US, Nathan brings extensive experience in strategy, valuations, corporate finance, financial planning and analysis, forecasting, and investments across six continents, with transaction values reaching up to $1 billion.

In addition to his new role with us, Nathan serves as the Director of Seshadri Nathan Securities Pvt Ltd, established in 2006, where he manages family funds in Indian markets, investing in both listed and unlisted equities and other financial instruments.

Nathan will provide invaluable expertise in valuation, corporate finance, investments, and strategic advisory services for KReader.

We are confident that Nathan's addition to our team will drive our success further and deliver innovative solutions to our readers.

Download KReader

Super excited to announce that KReader has emerged as a winner in the SLTMobitel Entrepreneurship Studio. A heartfelt thank you to the SLTMobitel Management for this incredible opportunity and their unwavering support. And congratulations to all the fantastic startups and winners who participated, your innovation and dedication are truly inspiring.

Joe Foster is the Founder of Reebok. A Global brand we all know as we hear the name Reebok. Joe drove Reebok from a Startup to taking the company to a $4 billion business, overtaking Adidas & Nike to become the World's No. 1 sports brand. Joe has written his book Shoemaker to share his story and help inspire the next generation of budding entrepreneurs.

It has been a great pleasure to announce that KReader has secured translation rights for both Sinhalese and Tamil Languages for Reebok's story Shoemaker by Joe Foster. 

Sinhalese Translation of the book will be released in Paperback Format via KBOOKS Publishing and eBook and Audiobook Formats via KReader. Tamil versions will be released in 2025.

More importantly, we are baking something unique for the Sri Lankan business community during September. Stay Tuned.

Join us as we dive into dynamic discussions with CxOs from Sri Lanka, South Asia, and around the globe. 

We're gearing up to Rapid Fire Questions on specific topics, delivering insightful, fast-paced conversations you won't want to miss. Tune in weekly as three CxOs take the same stage to share their expertise on specific topics related to startups.

Subscribe to our channel to stay updated and be the first to catch our episodes. 

Don't miss out on the chance to gain valuable business insights straight from industry leaders. And KReader CTO, Heshan J Peiris will be the Podcast Host.

Subscribe Link - CxODiaries

We are excited to announce that KReader has been chosen as one of the 3 startups from Sri Lanka for the Uber Springboard program. This exceptional opportunity includes mentorship sessions at the Uber Technology Centre in Hyderabad, India, and the opportunity to participate and showcase KReader at the Global Artificial Intelligence Summit in Hyderabad in July, with an invitation extended by the Telangana Government.

KReader CTO Heshan J Peiris also participated as a panelist in the discussion on "Turbocharging the Tech Startup ecosystem in Sri Lanka," where He shared his perspectives as a founder.

We extend our heartfelt appreciation to the entire Uber team from Uber Sri Lanka & Uber India for this incredible opportunity. We would also like to express our gratitude to the Ministry of Technology & ICTA for facilitating this opportunity.

KReader, the first runner-up of the She Loves Tech local competition in 2023, is a subscription-based digital reading framework tailored for local languages such as Sinhala and Tamil in Sri Lanka. It offers a diverse range of content, including eBooks, human-narrated audiobooks, and utilizes AI-powered speech synthesis technology developed in-house. This technology employs a generative AI model to batch-process audiobooks, ensuring natural-sounding narration infused with emotions.

KReader Co-Founder Kanchana Priyakantha met Sharon Lim, the Chief Content Officer of She Loves Tech, visited Sri Lanka recently. It was an insightful conversation about the Tech and AI Startups in Sri Lanka, Neurodivergents in Startups which is her research area and shared Kanchana's knowledge about the print-disabled community in Sri Lanka.

With KReader, we sign agreements with different parties such as Authors, Cover Designers, Voice Artists...etc everyday. Initially we did physical signing, but it was a time and resource consuming process and we realized that we need a total digital solution to automate this process to seamlessly onboard as many parties as possible.

We tried several industry leading signing services and among them, Zoho Sign was the best fit for us with strong API integration possibilities and fair subscription based pricing structure.

Here is how we integrated Zoho Sign with KReader to offer a seamless onboarding experience.

https://www.zoho.com/sign/customers/kreader-esign.html

We're thrilled to share that our journey with the Q1 Funding Lab cohort at Founder Institute has officially begun. Over the next three months, we will be working alongside more than 50 talented FI Alumni, learning everything about startup fundraising and strategies with the help of FI's powerful tools, methodology, and the expansive FI Venture Network.

As part of the Founder Institute global portfolio that includes over 7,000 companies from 100 countries, we feel incredibly privileged to represent one of the 20+ countries and 30+ industries in this cohort. It's an exciting opportunity to collaborate with fellow up-and-coming Founders and build a brighter future together.

Dang Thuy Tram, a heroic figure and professional doctor, played a significant role in the Vietnam War, demonstrating an extraordinary level of selflessness and altruism. Today, Vietnam is reaping the benefits of the dedicated commitments of people like her.

This year, the Sinhala translation of Dang Thuy Tram's book, "Last Night I Dreamed of Peace," will be released in Paperback Format via KBOOKS Publishing and eBook and Audiobook Formats via KReader. 

On the first of January, we officially signed the contracts with Professor Hiniduma Sunil Senevi for the translation. And Since 2020, Prof Sunil Senevi and we have tirelessly worked to secure the translation rights for this book.

Read the full Article here

Get the KReader App now and experience Unlimited Reading for Sri Lankan Books.

FOSWAL Literature Festival was held from 3rd to 6th December 2023 in New Delhi, India. At the festival, KReader Co-Founder Kanchana Priyakantha presented a paper discussing the profound anguish stemming from war. She is also the Advisor and Coordinator for Sri Lanka for Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature.

"Delving into the heart of conflict, one can't help but recognize the profitability attached to it, often at the expense of millions of lives. The question that lingers is whether such a business, thriving on the sacrifices of humanity, deserves to exist. I firmly believe that anything demanding such sacrifices should not endure. It must be eradicated at any cost for humanity to prevail, and by extension, for the world to thrive. After all, the essence of our existence shouldn't be entwined with ventures that compromise the very fabric of our shared humanity."

Recently, KReader had the incredible opportunity to participate in the Stanford Seed Spark program, an initiative that supports and nurtures startup entrepreneurs across South Asia, spanning countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bhutan, Nepal, and India.

The culmination of this enriching program was marked by a pitch competition, and we were honored to announce that KReader made it to the top five finalists in Stanford Seed Spark Cohort 7. 

We would like to express our gratitude to the Founder Institute, Founder Institute South Asia for nominating KReader to be a part of this transformative experience.

We invite you to learn more about the Stanford Seed Spark program, Founder Institute and the other remarkable finalists. 

SCINLABS (Supply Chain Intelligence Labs) - Nilesh Gowardipe 

ProMeat - Pranjuli Garg

Easy Hai - Shreya Bajaj Shah

Glibzter - Varun C Bhagath

Once again, we would like to thank everyone who has been a part of this amazing journey, and we look forward to the continued growth and success of KReader.

Learn more about Seed Spark here: Seed Park

Learn more about Top 20 Finalists here - Top 20 Finalists

Super excited to share the news that KReader snagged the Technopreneurship Excellence Awards 2023 Gold for Best Software/Digital Industry Application from the IDB and Ministry of Industries. 

Big shoutout to our amazing team who put their hearts and brains into making KReader top-notch. Huge thanks to the IDB and Ministry of Industries for recognizing our dedication to transform the way people read books in their local languages.

Major gratitude to everyone who's been part of our journey. This award is for all of us, and we're stoked to keep bringing you the best with KReader new developments.

KReader Co-Founder Kanchana Priyakantha had the privilege of introducing KReader at the official launch of the Global Entrepreneurship Week 2023, held at the Presidential Media Centre (PMC) by the Information Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA). This event celebrated the boundless spirit of innovation that unites dreamers, creators, and visionaries worldwide.

We extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Spiralation programme and ICTA for their commendable initiatives in uplifting startups in Sri Lanka. A special thanks goes to Sachindra Samararatne, Abith Latiff, Mohammed Jaseem, and Michelle Perera for their unwavering efforts and commitment to bringing out the best in Sri Lankan tech startups. Their dedication is truly commendable, and we are grateful for the opportunity to be a part of such a transformative journey.

We're thrilled to announce that we have been selected as a Tech Exhibitor at the esteemed Digital Investment Summit 2023. 

Don't miss the Sri Lankan Digital Investment Summit - your gateway to tech opportunities. Secure your seat to explore the digital frontier and connect with leading tech exhibitors. Discover cutting-edge solutions transforming Sri Lanka's digital landscape.

Save the date: October 13th, 2023, at Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo. Be part of this transformative digital journey.