Yarl IT Hub

What Yarl IT Hub does

Yarl IT Hub is a non-profit community organization registered as a Limited by Guarantee Company in Sri Lanka, headquartered in Jaffna with offices in Kilinochchi, Vavuniya, and Mannar across Northern Province. The organization's stated mission is to build an innovation ecosystem in post-conflict Northern Sri Lanka by delivering technology education, entrepreneurship support, and community programs across the full lifecycle from school students to established entrepreneurs. Operations are volunteer-driven with 47 stated employees, and the organization maintains explicit independence from commercial, corporate, and political interests.

The organization's core offerings span eleven distinct programs: UKI Technology School for school leavers, YGC Junior and YGC Senior annual competitions, Puthiya Payanangal gamified STEAM program for grades 6-9, a Start Up Accelerator, WeHub for women entrepreneurs, Aki e-learning platform, Kalam coworking space, Thulir research arm, Entrepreneurship Clubs in schools, Intern-preneurship, and AI Incubation. Technology infrastructure is built on third-party cloud services (AWS, Google Cloud) and OpenAI, with an integrated web platform at app.yarlithub.org handling registrations, course delivery, competition participation, and community management. Authentication uses Google OAuth.

The business model is a non-profit structure funded through grants, corporate sponsorships, individual donations, and partnerships. Programs are predominantly free with nominal fees on a subset of specialized offerings, paired with scholarships to ensure accessibility. Distribution relies on direct program delivery through the four offices and Kalam coworking space, a 200+ school partner network via the Provincial Department of Education, the annual YGC Innovation Festival, and district-level mini festivals. The organization reports 100,000+ people reached, 1,000+ founders empowered, 100+ alumni companies, and 1,000+ jobs created, with 2030 targets of 1M+ outreach, 100K students, 12.5K tech talent trained, and 2,500 startups catalyzed.

Name

Yarl IT Hub

Legal name

Yarl IT Hub

Website

https://yarlithub.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Yarl IT Hub is a non-profit community organization operating across Northern Sri Lanka that delivers technology education, innovation competitions, and entrepreneurship support programs spanning school students, school leavers, and emerging entrepreneurs, funded through grants and sponsorships with predominantly free program delivery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Technology Education and Innovation Services

NAICS

Computer Training (61142), Educational Support Services (61171), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Software Engineering & Application Development Training (Languages, Frameworks, Testing) (BPAEANAI), Digital Learning Content Development (eLearning, Labs, Simulations) (BPAEANAD)

Keywords

• Technology education programs
• Entrepreneurship development
• Innovation ecosystem
• Startup incubation services
• Community learning platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Jaffna

HQ country

Sri Lanka

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Grants and Sponsorships: As a 100% non-profit organization, Yarl IT Hub is funded through grants, corporate sponsorships, individual donations, and partnerships. All funds go directly toward programs, infrastructure, and community impact with no commercial interests or profit motives.
2. Nominal Program Fees: Some specialized programs may have nominal fees to cover materials, with scholarships available to ensure no one is excluded due to financial constraints. Most programs are completely free.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Yarl IT Hub delivers technology education, innovation, and entrepreneurship programs across Northern Sri Lanka, operating school-level digital literacy initiatives, structured youth programs (YGC Junior, YGC Senior, Thulir), startup accelerators and AI incubation, women entrepreneurship support, and community programs delivered through four offices in the Northern Province. Programs are offered primarily free or at low cost, supported by grants, sponsorships, and donations.

Product overview

Yarl IT Hub is a non-profit community organization offering a comprehensive technology education and innovation ecosystem in Northern Sri Lanka. The portfolio consists of multiple interconnected programs: UKI - Technology School provides intensive technology training for school leavers; YGC Junior and YGC Senior are annual innovation and entrepreneurship competitions serving school students and emerging entrepreneurs respectively; the Start Up Accelerator delivers mentorship and resources for entrepreneurs; WeHub specifically supports women entrepreneurs; and Puthiya Payanangal delivers gamified STEAM education for school students. The ecosystem is complemented by Aki (e-learning platform with courses and questions), Kalam (coworking space), Thulir (research division), and the annual YGC Innovation Festival. An Entrepreneurship Club program serves school-based entrepreneurship education, while Intern-preneurship and AI Incubation address specific developmental needs. The organization maintains a unified web platform (app.yarlithub.org) for registrations, competitions, courses, and community management across four offices in Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Vavuniya, and Mannar.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• UKI: Technology school offering intensive, outcome-based training programs for school leavers.
• Aki
• Puthiya Payanangal
• YGC - Yarl Geek Challenge
• Start Up Accelerator
• WeHub
• Kalam
• Thulir

Products and services

• UKI School-level program introducing digital literacy and technology concepts to school children in Northern Province partner schools, primarily free and delivered through the school system.
• YGC Junior Structured technology learning program for younger children (typically pre-teen) offered through Yarl IT Hub centers, focused on early tech engagement.
• YGC Senior Structured technology learning program for older youth covering more advanced tech skills, aligned with career readiness and employability outcomes.
• Thulir Kids-focused learning program offered by Yarl IT Hub to engage younger participants in technology and innovation activities.
• WeHub Entrepreneurship program dedicated to women founders and aspiring entrepreneurs, providing training, mentorship, and community support through structured cohorts.
• Accelerator Startup acceleration program supporting selected early-stage founders with structured sprints, mentorship, and product validation support.
• AI Incubation Incubation track focused on founders building AI-centric products and ventures, combining the Accelerator framework with AI-specific guidance.
• Intern-preneurship Internship-style track that places participants within Yarl IT Hub operations or partner initiatives to gain hands-on entrepreneurial experience.
• Puthiya Payanangal Community-focused outreach program offering broader technology and innovation exposure to Northern Province participants outside the core cohort tracks.
• Aki E-learning platform developed and maintained by Yarl IT Hub to support continued learning, content delivery, and engagement for program participants beyond the physical centers.
• Kalam Idea-bank and content platform used to capture, curate, and share ideas, stories, and lessons from across Yarl IT Hub's programs and community.
• Innovation Festival Annual flagship event convening program participants, mentors, and community stakeholders to showcase innovation outcomes and reinforce engagement with the Yarl IT Hub ecosystem.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100+ companies founded by alumni creating employment for 1000+ people
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered pioneer partner, platinum partner, gold partner and core partner.

• ITEEpioneer partnerOthersITEE is featured as a Pioneer Partner of Yarl IT Hub, supporting the organization's mission to build an innovation ecosystem in Northern Sri Lanka.
• Synamon Globalplatinum partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerSynamon Global is a Platinum Partner supporting Yarl IT Hub's programs and initiatives in technology education and entrepreneurship development.
• WUSC (World University Service of Canada)platinum partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerWUSC is a Platinum Partner providing support for Yarl IT Hub's student programs and international development initiatives in Northern Sri Lanka.
• University of Jaffnaplatinum partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Jaffna is a Platinum Partner collaborating with Yarl IT Hub on technology education and research initiatives for Northern Province.
• Aravanaigold partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerAravanai is a Gold Partner supporting Yarl IT Hub's activities, programs, and community outreach efforts.
• Provincial Department of Education, Northern Provincecore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial government partner for YGC Junior competition, enabling school-wide participation across Northern Province through joint program delivery.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Village Capital: Non-profit supporting early-stage entrepreneurs solving social and economic problems. Comparable to Yarl IT Hub's Startup Accelerator and WeHub programs in target audience and entrepreneur-development model.
• Acumen: Global non-profit focused on tackling poverty through entrepreneurship and innovation. Comparable to Yarl IT Hub in mission (social impact via entrepreneurship), funding model (grants/donations), and long-term patient-capital orientation.
• Code.org: Non-profit focused on computer science education access, particularly in K-12. Comparable to Yarl IT Hub's YGC Junior, Puthiya Payanangal, and broader mission of democratizing technology education for school students.
• Generation: Global non-profit delivering technology training and job placement for underserved populations. Most directly comparable to Yarl IT Hub's UKI Technology School and accelerator in mission, target audience, and employment-outcome model.

Regional players

• Rootcode Labs: Sri Lankan tech startup studio and software agency. Operates in the same Sri Lankan ecosystem and overlaps with Yarl IT Hub's alumni company profile (e.g., Xtellig, Cogntix) and tech talent development role.
• SLIIT (Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology): Leading private technology university in Sri Lanka. Comparable to Yarl IT Hub's UKI Technology School in delivering technology education and producing employable tech graduates, though at a formal-degree level.

Broad incumbents

• Khan Academy: Global non-profit providing free online education across many subjects. Comparable to Yarl IT Hub's Aki e-learning platform in mission (free, accessible education) and community-driven scaling model.
• Andela: Tech talent development organization focused on emerging markets (originally Africa). Comparable to Yarl IT Hub in producing market-ready software talent and alumni-founded companies (e.g., Xtellig, Cloud Parallax) in underserved regions.
• IIT Madras: Indian technical university with strong entrepreneurship and incubation focus (including GRIET-style incubators). Comparable to Yarl IT Hub's integration of technology education with entrepreneurship and startup support, though at a much larger formal scale.
• ICTA Sri Lanka: Government body responsible for ICT development in Sri Lanka. Operates at a national level in the same sector where Yarl IT Hub operates at a regional level, with overlapping mandates around digital skills and innovation ecosystem building.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/yarlithub
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yarlithub

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Yarl IT Hub