Harsha Purasinghe

Harsha Purasinghe is a serial entrepreneur who founded Microimage, Microimage Mobile Media & WSO2 Mobile. Microimage is a Sri Lankan High School Start up Success Story. Microimage has grown over the years to become a leading technology innovator with regional presence and global recognition to date. Harsha is currently the Chairman & CEO of Microimage and Microimage Mobile Media.^[1] Harsha was one of the 21 selected globally for the 2014 Eisenhower Innovation Program awarded by Eisenhower Fellowships.^[2]

Background

Harsha completed his ordinary level at Wesley, College, Colombo and completed his advanced level at Ananda, College, Colombo. At Ananda College he became the president of the college computer club and initiated many college software development projects. He started Microimage as a club together with few other students who had mutual interest for computer programming. Microimage club members wrote interesting software applications for then popular MS DOS/PC DOS and later Windows platforms. Some of the key software applications includes System Utility Tools, Games, Bulletin Board Software (BBS), Music Applications, Virus for experimental purposes and Sinhala Fonts for Windows 3.1.Microimage Club got an opportunity to showcase the Sinhala Fonts set and related drivers at Infotel 2004 trade fair. The product became popular among trade visitors and eventually received sales orders. Based on the cash from initial proceeds, Microimage was incorporated in 1995 as a company to continue this passionate endeavor of the like minded college students. Microimage diversified and started to operate as two independent business entities from 2007. Microimage focus on building business solutions mainly in the area of Human Capital Management and Microimage Mobile Media focus on building products & solutions for Mobile Media Domains.^[3] Harsha founded WSO2 Mobile in 2013 as a fully owned subsidiary of WSO2 Inc.,^[4] Harsha appeared in Dr.Craig Barrett (chief executive) (Former Chairman, CEO of Intel Corporation) keynote speech at the Intel eVolve 2005.^[5]

Awards & Recognitions

• Most Outstanding Entrepreneur IT Industry Excellence Awards, Sri Lanka (2007)^[6]
• 40 Under 40 Business Leaders List - Echelon Magazine (2013/2014)^[7]

Publications

• Prof. Dileeka Dias; Harsha Purasinghe; Sameera Wijeratne; Lanka Wijesinghe; Prasanga Siriwardena] (2011). Disaster and Emergency Warning Network (DEWN): Harnessing Cellular Technologies for Early Warning Dissemination. IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference. ISBN 978-0-7695-4595-0.  External link in |title= (help)
• Nuwan Widyanatha; Prof. Dileeka Dias; Harsha Purasinghe (2008). Challenges o Optimizing Common Alerting Protocol for SMS based GSM Devices in Last-Mile Hazard Warnings in Sri Lanka.  External link in |title= (help)

References