Logical, an artificial intelligence startup founded by two Sri Lankan engineers, has achieved a major global milestone after being accepted into Y Combinator, the world-renowned Silicon Valley startup accelerator behind successful companies such as Airbnb, Dropbox, Stripe, and Reddit.
The achievement marks what is believed to be the first time a fully Sri Lankan founding team has been selected for the prestigious programme. Alongside its Y Combinator acceptance, Logical has secured more than LKR 150 million in initial funding, providing the company with a strong foundation to develop and scale its AI technology globally from Silicon Valley.
Building the Next Generation of AI Productivity Tools
Logical is developing a proactive AI desktop copilot designed to support modern knowledge workers by understanding their work context across multiple applications and helping them complete tasks more efficiently.
Unlike traditional AI assistants that respond only when prompted, Logical’s platform is designed to proactively understand workflows, transfer context between applications, and help users take action with minimal effort.
The AI copilot can assist users with tasks such as drafting emails, creating documents, recording meeting notes, identifying action items, and managing workflows across different digital platforms.
Sri Lankan Founders with Global Ambitions
Logical was founded by Samurdhi Karunaratne (Sam Karu) and Anushka Idamekorala, two engineers who began their journey in Sri Lanka before moving into advanced technology roles in the United States.
The founders first met at the age of six as students of Dharmaraja College, Kandy. Both later achieved outstanding results in the mathematics stream at the G.C.E. Advanced Level examination, ranking first and second in the Kandy District before entering two of Sri Lanka’s leading engineering faculties—the University of Peradeniya and the University of Moratuwa.
Logical CEO Samurdhi Karunaratne graduated from the University of Peradeniya before receiving a PhD scholarship from UCLA and gaining professional experience at NVIDIA. He later joined forces with Anushka to build Logical.
Logical CTO Anushka Idamekorala, a graduate of the University of Moratuwa, developed his career as a software engineer with international experience, including work in Singapore. He later received a PhD scholarship from the University of Virginia and has also been recognised for his achievements in competitive programming, including securing first place in Sri Lanka at IEEEXtreme, one of the world’s leading programming competitions.
A New Chapter for Sri Lankan Entrepreneurship
Reflecting on the company’s journey, Samurdhi Karunaratne said that building a company together after knowing each other since childhood has been a remarkable experience.
He noted that acceptance into Y Combinator represents an important milestone, while also reinforcing the belief that Sri Lankan founders can aim to build globally competitive technology companies.
With Y Combinator’s global network and fresh investment backing, Logical is now positioned to accelerate the development of its AI platform and pursue its vision of transforming how people work with technology.
Short Circuit Strengthens Leadership Capabilities to Drive Next Phase of Growth
Short Circuit has announced a new group leadership structure, appointing five experienced senior leaders across its portfolio companies as it enters its next phase of growth and transformation.
The appointments span Surge Global and Calcey Technologies, the group’s technology services businesses; Payable, its payments platform; and SurgeOS, its product division. The new structure represents a strategic shift from a founder-led organisation towards a broader leadership model powered by internal talent, industry expertise, and proven business experience.
The newly appointed leadership team includes Lahiru Dissanayake as CEO, Kasun Delgolla as CTO, and Mevan Perera as CMO of Surge Global and Calcey Technologies; Yohan Wijesiriwardane as CEO of Payable; and Steve Ludewyke as Chief Product Officer of SurgeOS.
The appointments reflect Short Circuit’s long-standing commitment to identifying, developing, and empowering leaders who have played a key role in building and scaling the organisation from within.
Strengthening Technology Leadership
Lahiru Dissanayake, appointed CEO of Surge Global and Calcey Technologies, brings nearly two decades of enterprise technology experience developed through his journey within the group across Pyxle, Trabeya, and Surge Global.
Starting his career as a Business Analyst and progressing to the role of Chief Executive, Lahiru has built extensive expertise in enterprise architecture, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation. His experience spans multiple industries including stock exchanges, government services, retail, and telecommunications across six continents.
As CTO, Kasun Delgolla brings more than 14 years of expertise in software engineering, enterprise architecture, AI, cybersecurity, and digital transformation. Having served as the chief architect behind several large-scale enterprise programmes, he has contributed to the development of cloud-native platforms, AI-powered solutions, data ecosystems, and secure enterprise architectures across government, banking and financial services, telecommunications, retail, and enterprise sectors.
Driving Digital Strategy and Growth
Mevan Perera, appointed Chief Marketing Officer of the services business, brings over 14 years of digital marketing experience, including seven years building the group’s digital strategy capabilities.
During his career with Short Circuit, he progressed from Content Strategist to Strategy Lead and Partner, developing the organisation’s Digital Strategy Blueprint covering SEO, paid media, content, web development, and analytics. His work has supported clients across the US, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
Scaling Payment Innovation
Yohan Wijesiriwardane, CEO of Payable, brings a strong track record in fintech and payment innovation. As co-founder of Payable, he helped build the platform with the vision of making global payment infrastructure accessible to merchants.
Under his leadership, Payable has grown into a payments platform processing LKR 6 billion in monthly transactions across 45,000 merchants, while introducing industry-first solutions including South Asia’s first Tap2Phone payment solution and instant merchant settlements.
Yohan also became the first non-bank CEO in Sri Lanka to secure direct funding support from both Visa and Mastercard, strengthening his position as a leader in the country’s evolving fintech sector.
Building a Leadership-Led Future
Through this expanded leadership structure, Short Circuit aims to accelerate innovation, strengthen operational excellence, and create greater value across its technology, payments, and product businesses.
By promoting leaders who have grown alongside the organisation, Short Circuit continues to demonstrate its commitment to developing internal capabilities and building a sustainable platform for long-term growth.
Sri Lankan Startup Logical Joins Prestigious Y Combinator Programme and Raises Over Rs. 150 Million
